I am writing in regard to Jessica Sprang's opinion piece entitled \Can the Homeless Give Back?"" in the Nov. 5 issue of The Daily Cardinal. I do agree with Sprang that Madison's homeless problem is out of control. However, that is where my agreement ends.
Sprang seems to think these people can just make jobs and prosperity magically appear. This is far from the truth. A person who has no permanent residence, little work experience and no crisp, new pair of pants to wear to an interview will have a very hard time finding suitable employment. Even if one does, the cost of living in Madison is very high. Perhaps Sprang's part-time job pays $20 per hour, or more likely, her parents supplement her income. Poor people on State St. don't have the luxury of relying on mommy and daddy.
Furthermore, many of Madison's poorest are mentally ill and have been prematurely turned out of mental hospitals because of space or funding issues. Shelters and homes do not offer the posh accommodations that Sprang seems to think they do. They are often short-staffed, ill-equipped and dangerous places to be because of the extreme poverty within them. But where else are these people supposed to go? Apparently they can't go to the sidewalk, since Sprang's cousin has taken it upon herself to turn our sidewalks into moped freeways.
Rhiannon Mapes
UW-Madison Senior
Jessica Sprang is my new favorite comedian. Her column on Friday made my day. The victim in her story is simply minding her own business, breaking the law for her own convenience. As she is riding her moped down the sidewalk, there in front of her, are people standing. Can you believe it? People on foot on the sidewalk!
They aren't real people, though; they are homeless. Now it's not so absurd that she should ask them to get out of her way, because they certainly are not worth as much as her. Next, she blames them for asking her to ""spare a quarter.""
We both know everybody has enough to eat. I have to thank her for pointing out the hardships the students suffer in making room for the homeless. There is only so much outdoors-in-the-freezing-cold-winter to go around! Every time I try to sleep on the street there is never any room. I wish she wouldn't have given away my secret, though. Now, everyone is going to be reserving rooms at the homeless shelter. When I am there, I completely forget that I am hungry, cold, alone, ignored by society and unfairly characterized as lazy and criminal. Irony hits hard when she talks about how she wishes her rent were lower. Did you know these people are getting away without paying any rent for their cozy park-bench suites?
Nick Schafer
UW-Madison Sophomore
