I don't usually do this but I'm gonna hit on something here. Recently, Colorado Springs made the decision to close a good number of drug/alcohol treatment beds. Now...in my opinion...I don't feel like Colorado takes mental health issues as seriously as they should. In Colorado Springs, there are 10 (maybe 12) beds for adolescents who need acute psychiatric care. Just to compare...there's probably closer to 75 beds available for adolescents in St. Louis. I really feel like this is an attitude that's gonna have to change. I think there are 5 military bases in Colorado Springs. The number of soldiers returning home from overseas with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is overwhelming. My point is that, somethings gonna have to change. Now we've always noticed that there seem to be a very large number of homeless people in Colorado Springs. However, the number of people that are setting up camp or sleeping on the side of the road is staggering lately. Yesterday, as we drove a short (few miles) leaving the city of CS, we saw no less than half a dozen tents that were clearly within view of major thoroughfares. With the economy the way it is...it's just gonna get worse. Now I've never engaged in much conversation with these individuals but I'm gonna guess that it's not an effort to be trendy and "find themselves" but more an issue of mental health. I hope I haven't offended anyone...it was really just more of an observation. The other night after dinner my friend commented on the fires that you could see burning along Fountain Creek (I think) and couldn't believe they were all people in tents. Obviously...no pics.