Stating the obvious

You think the homeless are leaving anytime soon?

The city's welcoming attitude has attracted more homeless people, and some beggars are becoming increasingly aggressive, police Lt. Joe Balles told The Associated Press.

"We've kind of institutionalized an enabling environment downtown for this transient population to grow unchecked," Balles said. "They are downtown preying largely off of that student population and really preying off a lot of our good compassion as Madisonians. In a way, they are taking advantage of us."

In a way? No offense Lieutenant, but they ARE and HAVE BEEN taking advantage of impressionable, empathetic students and compassionate Madisonians (BLECH!).

When the weather really warms, I feel for those students braving the swarms of shaking change cups.