"I would rather beg than steal"...????
 

...maybe someone can explain this to me...


I'm seeing more and more people standing at busy intersections holding signs that read ...

"Will work for food..."
"I would rather beg, than steal..."
etc......while holding out a donation can.

I almost asked the guy, "you'd rather beg than steal ??, but wouldn't you rather WORK than beg??"....

I just don't get it. These guys aren't much older than I am. They couldn't use public transportation to get to work?...Walmarts' always hiring, 3rd shifts are always plentiful. I see some of these guys in the morning...then later at lunch time....and then again...during the commute home. I'm always on the road (traveling IT guy)...and I see this daily. Same guy working different corners. I shake my head. Am I missing something? I understand some people just have bad luck in life, but I'm sorry....if you can walk to the mall and stand at the light for hours on end....you can walk to work.

Any thoughts???

In the words of the late Sam Kinnison,
"Lets start shooting the homeless"
Then we will see how fast they can run into Mcdonalds to fill out a job application!!!

Had a woman hit me up for a dollar for a cup of coffee outside a Dunkin Donuts the other day.....she is able and capable to walk, talk and think.....can sit on the curb panhandling but can't get a job to earn like the rest of us? She got a firm...."Nope, sorry I don't"!:hs:

Never give them money, only offer to buy them food.

Exactly.

I usually give a buck to the ones that look hungry. Not the ones that look like junkies. The worst ones are your regular schmoe who has a car and ridiculous stories.

The ones that look hungry are usually alcoholics.

I left Joes in boston once and got a doggie bag. A homeless person with a sign that said "Need money for food" was standing there and I handed him the food. He declined and asked for money... pathetic. I had to laugh...

I was in NYC last week (as I always am) waiting for a cab outside Grand Central. This guy walks up and asks me if I had change for a $50. I ignored him but the sap in back of me say "sure I do". Whips out a pile of money and..... you guessed it the guys grabs a fist full and runs.

Bloo, yes it sure does make wonder how they would rather beg than work.

The most baffling to me was when I went to Atlantic City. (of course I was a little more niave then too) but I felt SO BAD for these homeless people begging for quarters on the boardwalk that I gave a few of them a couple bucks a piece thinking they could really stuff their bellies at one of the $4.99 buffets. Dont you know I saw the same bums (yes they were distinctive looking enough to recognize) in the casino at 2A.M. dumping coins into slot machines :hs: Never forget it as long as I live.....

Even better.
Waiting for the commuter rail.
Woman/girl mid 20's, coherent, seemingly capable of having a job, walking around the platform asking for money to get on the train.
One hand open, the other with a full large just-bought Dunkin ice coffee from across the street.

WTF?

Problem is the ones that really need help, mentally ill, truly down on their luck etc., aren't getting enough help.

The lazy, able to work, get too much.

How to tell them apart is not easy.

Sometimes I feel like making a sign that saays "I work to make your food!"
I've got no pity for those who can't get a job...lots of opportunity out there.
I do feel kind of worse for them in the winter, though.
Later,
Rick

Work requires working.Begging is much easier and more money can be made begging.

A half a century of rediculous government programs and thousands of "charitable" organizations have produced a "begging class" and a society full of people wanting to lend a "helping hand" to the less fortunate.

A good analogy would be the attitude about crime."Give them what they want and they won't hurt you."The results have been rampant crime and lots of dead people.

"GIVE them what they want and they'll be better for it."The results are rampant homelessness and beggars on the streets.

Bomba brings up a good point....how bad would it suck to be homeless up here in the winter? I would think that the south would be like shangrai-la for the homeless with it's nim-witted people and temperate climate.

On a serious note though, I drive through S Prov a lot and it's a friggen epidemic. No matter what the time, people are always chillin' on their stoops. They get nothing from me except for a McDonald's cheeseburger sometimes if I'm in need of some good karma for fishing.

Hourly work
 

Larry these panhandlers just have emotional issues with the 9-5 hourly structure. Nobody will give them a job that allows them the necessary freedom to pursue all of thier interests and still perform work functions so they HAVE TO BEG.:bgi:

Many do have legit issues/problems.....but most, in my opinion, are just lazy, shiftless, good for nothing wastes of space looking for a free ride in life! Screw em'!:mad:

I see this guy on the corner all the time near MGH,,, i see another guy pull him aside talking to him .. I see that guy up the sub shop trading all the the change and singles for larger denominations ..The guys a "BUM PIMP" must have a house they all live in .. Drops them off at thier corners then pics them all up .. comes by and collects once in a while so the bum isn't holding too much... what a racket ..

i've never begged...
 

but once i got conned into doing so....:eek:

we had hitch hiked in the old -old days to INDIO, California....

wanting to attend the big Indio Date festival there....

so we get there and suddenly realize we missed it entirely
and some-how mis-read the date on the flyer.... :hs:

so we start hitch hiking the 150 miles back west and south to
San Diego....ok - and now....... were stuck in Salt Lake City
out in the middle of friggan "no where"...and this mexican guy in an old truck
gives us a ride....then he wouldnt stop for nothin
and/or..... let us out.......
until i threatoned his life.....of course...
and took the ignition keys...
he friggan understood those words real well

so we end up walking ten miles back to the city
still a hundred miles or so from home...

next: we meet up with this motley crew
and we all conspire to pan handle for gas money
...and pool our money
gas was wicked cheap in those days
as they have a car .......but no gas left....... :huh:

so outside a restaurant : (i clean up )
i was getting: 1 dollar every minute on average and making more than $50.00 an hour...
then these real nice ladies were handing over $5.00 bills
like nothin...much to our amazement...
so now, we have plenty of gas
and we all pile into the station wagon
and head west... to San Diego
finally getting pulled over by the chippies!
[california highway patrol ] and they have all 8 of us lined
up against the guard rail for interogation at 1:00 am in the
morning....and as it turns out , these people had stolen merchandise hidden in the car... :shocked:

we ended up walking
on any involvement because
we were just hitchin a ride...:btu:
it was quite the adventure:jester:

Hey Rav, great story. :kewl: That one should be put on "The Drivin Stories" Forum. :hihi: :D

healthy enough to stand there all day rain or shine to beg , healthy enough to pump gas

Scrooge with big feet :bl:

:af: Over the top today!!...this guy was standing at the street light that operates near a Home Depot that had a VERY visible sign that read:

HIRING


They must make SO much that it would be a cut in pay if they pumped gas or delivered the local paper....:af: WTF!// These people are either @#$$%^&# Lazy, have NO pride, OR//// I did some math ........extremely intelligent!! ????...:yak:

Think about this for a second:. ;:cputin:

If a stop light changes about every 5 minutes, in an 8 hour shift...that would equal <roughly< 96 times. Do the math...I'd guess he's averaging $2.oo every Red light...granted there are slower times than others, BUT I'm sure the busier times make up for it. How does that make you feel? :hang: ...if he "worked" that street corner religiously for 150 days, (less than 1/2 a year)...he would GROSS, (because uncle Sam don't tax BUMS)...$28,800.

Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not badgering the unfortunate homeless people, or anyone who's "Out on their Luck" or having extremely hard times... I REALLY DO LIKE TO HELP PEOPLE,,,, but these guys (- and I say "guys" because I've ONLY seen men doing this, women must have better ways of making easy money :bshake: :lasso: )...but anyway...it's the guys that mope around stop-lights begging for money that slowly change our giving hearts...

Ma. had a great program for the mentaly ill in the early 70's. At the time there were new long acting drugs, once a month injections, to keep their symptoms under control. Patients were put in group homes, usually 4 to a home, where they would take care of themselves and get help in finding jobs. In most cases as long as they got their shot it worked.


If they didn't show up for their monthly shots a nursing team would go to the group homes and give them their injection. Worked pretty well as they were able to live an independent life outside of a mental institution and live independently.


Then Patient Rights was put into law, which is a good thing, but went to the extreme by allowing everyone to refuse care. Many mentaly ill are paranoid and don't want to take drugs.Without them they deterioate and being they couldn't be given the drugs they fell
between the cracks.


Those are the people along with the ones who are down on their luck,who need more help and care, the other lazy bums, including the anyone who milks the system, Can Go Eat Crow.

Larry I was only kidding about thier issues. I always get a kick out of the arogance some panhandlers display because you wont put anything into the cup. Keep the brazilians and send the beggars to Rio De Janeiro on fake Brazilian passports given out by the government.:tooth: