Mistress--has the State lost its humanity for what it is doing to this woman, or has this woman lost hers?

This situation is different, but I will share some personal experience with panhandlers. I have pulled many hours in a charity soup kitchen while serving on its board for several years. I do not inherently fear the homeless and am not unsympathetic to some of their plights. However, once I had kids, this attitude somewhat changed from a visceral reaction standpoint. Anytime a panhandler approaches me when I am alone, I size up the situation and either tell them to get bent or give them a few bucks. If one or both of my daughters is with me, I give a warning, and if they get inside ten feet, the P239 comes out.