I rode by the metrorail (train) station today and was shocked at how many frames where U-locked to the rack with all components having been stripped off them. My theory on why the owner does not remove the frame is that they see their components stripped off and leave the ulocked frame on the rack out of sheer disgust.
I can't say that I sympathize with bike thieves no matter how bad the economy is. I mean you have panhandlers, and while they make some people feel uncomfortable, they never force anyone to give them money. Bike thieves cause people financial hardship as bikes are not generally insured.