Housing Meanness

Those rich who come to see the luck in their lives also usually come to understand that they have no more talent — and work no more diligently —  than plenty of people who hold not much wealth at all. Those among the rich who see their wealth as a well-deserved reward, on the other hand, often come to see those without wealth as undeserving — of anything except contempt.

The latest sign of that contempt: The rush by localities to criminalize sleeping in cars. Communities where the wealthy predominate — like Palo Alto in Silicon Valley — have been particularly eager to do this criminalizing. Palo Alto last year had over 12 times more homeless people than available shelter beds.

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