Where do you start?

I'm a bit hesitant to link to this story (beatin' up on the South, the Times' new no-permalink dealio, etc.), but it's really too rich to pass up. The towns which make up Moore County, North Carolina, are some of the swankiest places in the state, largely because the county has 43 golf courses (including the one which will host the U.S. Open this year).

But as developers rush to provide "resort quality" amenities in the newest subdivisions, some neighborhoods have been left behind - without sewers, police service, garbage pickup or even, in some cases, piped water.
These enclaves, Jackson Hamlet, Midway and Waynor Road, are virtually all black. They butt up against, or are even completely surrounded by, affluent towns that are mostly white: Pinehurst, Aberdeen and Southern Pines.
The 500 residents of these unincorporated enclaves are close enough to point out sewer lines that run past their properties en route to new developments, or to watch garbage trucks trundle past without stopping.

Even better:

The county is disinclined to pay for infrastructure for the enclaves. Those seeking services are quick to point out that the county ranks 18th out of 100 in the state in median income, even though it has no major urban center, and that its tax burden is low, with a rate in the bottom 10 percent. In the past 10 years, the county's property tax revenue has more than doubled, and it ended the 2004 fiscal year with a $9.3 million surplus.
Asked if the county could just pay outright for the pipes and other necessities (one estimate is that it would cost $1.5 million to $1.75 million to establish sewer services for Jackson Hamlet), Mr. Holden [the county commissioner] said, "Then where do you stop?"

Truly, where will we stop? Today sewer lines, tomorrow no cross burning, and on Thursday, lettin' the black folks vote.

(Thanks to Michael for the tip.)