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  #1  
Old 11-25-2005, 04:32 PM
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Panhandlers and others asking for $$$$

Are really getting out of hand.

On any given day, I can see a newspaper vendor, a homeless person(collecting for the local homeles shelter) a flower vendor,kids looking for funding for their school football team, salvation army, child abuse and sexual assault centers, etc......

Is this commonplace in other places or just here.

Ooops, I forgot the occasional window washer.

It seems like I have to ignore someone just about evey major intersection nowdays.

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  #2  
Old 11-25-2005, 04:39 PM
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I hear you. I'm not an a**hole, I'm not rich (benzo's almost 25!), but I must have "I have rolls of quarters in my pocket" written all over my forehead. My favorite thing to do is when a crackhead (lots of those around my favorite watering hole) comes up to me, just before he opens his mouth, I ask him for money for a bus; a ride to the next city; or whatever I predict his excuse for needing to interupt my evening will be. Usually leaves them quite dumbfounded, and confused to the point that it is funny. Not nessesarily your situation, but perhaps comparable?
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  #3  
Old 11-25-2005, 04:44 PM
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if you stand on the street in any major city and ask for a quarter all day long you are bound to get alot of quarters. if you ask 1,000 people in a day and get a quarter from each youve got around 250$ not bad for just asking for a quarter.. thats if they give you one.. now do that every day of the year.. and you get 250$ in quarters a day .. you could make close to 90k a year just for asking.. for a lousy quarter..
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  #4  
Old 11-25-2005, 04:47 PM
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I think I'm in the wrong business.
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  #5  
Old 11-25-2005, 04:52 PM
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Yes and no

First a story

Im out with friends barhopping in chicago. I have about a hundred bucks which I expect not to have the next morning. some bum walks up and says can I have a few dollars to buy some alcohol.

My father would take the bum to the closest mcdonalds/food place and offer them food or nothing. Many would not take it and that had been my policy for years.

At that moment I had an epiphany. I thought wait a minute Im out here for my weekly "constitutional" and yet I am denying this to my fellow man out of principal?

I marched to the nearest liquour store (30 steps) and bought him a good bottle of wine.


Now - no more. I just dont feel so generous. If im gona hand out cash it should be to my mother or my sister who is in college.
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  #6  
Old 11-25-2005, 04:55 PM
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I think that if someone came up to me and asked me for money for alchohol, and I actually feltt like giving money, I would probably give it to them simply because he told me the truth. The guy that needs "bus fare" or whatever is full of ***** and I would be insulted for him taking me for a fool.
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  #7  
Old 11-25-2005, 05:25 PM
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Last year the Toronto Sun followed a woman who had been begging on the street every day for over a year to a brand new Jetta, which she drove to another city an hour away to her $300,000 home. No taxes, just bilking good hearted people for a better than average living. There are so many homeless people in Toronto, and so many begging for money downtown. It doesn't take long to get to the point where you no longer feel sympathy.
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  #8  
Old 11-25-2005, 05:37 PM
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Howdy All,
In the big city 30 years ago a guy was walking around with a gas can asking for money. Years later he was still atit but he carried a briefcase.
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  #9  
Old 11-25-2005, 05:45 PM
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Would any of you care to give to the HJRBRE fund? Maybe donate to the BJRBANM fund? Seriously I know how you feel about panhandlers and I feel the same. I won't give anything to a drunk because I feel by not giving I am actually helping him hit bottom. They won't try to help themselves until they hit bottom. The two above funds are--Help JRB Retire Early--Buy JRB A New Mercedes both of which are nearly bankrupt although I try to contribute heavily to both of them. Both funds are broke due to mis-management of capital at a higher level than me.
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  #10  
Old 11-25-2005, 07:49 PM
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I odn't really mind if a homeless person or bum asks me as much as a legit organization does.

Shoot, I get mail all the time looking for cash and now I get it on every corner too?

Funny story:

Years ago I was waiting to get into the world's famous carnegie deli in manhattan. Think huge pastrami sandwiches, enought for 4 people to eat.

As I go in an apparent homeless guy asks me for 5.00. I go to reach in my pocket and think twice and ask, are you gonna spend this on alcohol? He says no man, I'm gonna buy that motherfoucker right there, while pointing at a big pastrami sandwhich. I bought it for him and he almost swallowed it whole.
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  #11  
Old 11-25-2005, 08:47 PM
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I really don't have alot of problems with homeless people. I would normally if close enough buy them food or drink or something. Its the ones that are contantly harrassing me. Now i work in the downtown area and when i go upstairs and out on the street to have a smoke i am asked for ethier smokes or change or striat up money. SOmetiems i give em a smoke, sometimes i let go of all the change or if i really want them to go away i will give them a little extra. Like last night for instance, i asked a homeless person outside the neighborhood 7 11 and if he wanted something to drink with his sandwich, and he asked for some milk and i got him some millk as well as all the change in my pocket. I just wish more people would be happy with that and not wanting money for booze or whatever. Then there are those who cross the line. I was up having my smoke and this guy in a wheelchair with a counterpart asked for my change, so i gave it to them, then when i got off like an hour later same people came up and asked me for some more change. It ridiculus. Also dealing with the crazy ones is not nice. Last week on saturday i had one 51-50 homeless person in the hotel, she was wanting hotwater for her packet of hot chocolate, so i asked her to please leave (its a four star hotel) so she left and came back leaving her empty shopping cart in the path of the autocourt and when she came back out was asking other guest for ciggerettes, then she proceeded to pace accross the streeet swearing at me. Also this one was in the lobby asking the bartender for free drinks, and asking the front desk if they were hireing, and sahe ended up sleeping on the couch in the front. some piss me off some i feel bad for
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  #12  
Old 11-25-2005, 09:21 PM
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I had fun with this crackhead once.

I'm going to an afterhours party in deep downtown Phx. I've got a friend who's from a really small town with me, I caution her not to be surprised at the crackheads, just stick close with me. I have a case of Bass Ale in the other hand. Sure enough, here comes Crack-man.

"Can I have some money for a beer?"

I smile. "Heck, man, go right to the source!" I pull a bottle out of my case, and hand it to him. Smile, nod, say "have a good night", then we're off.

He looked sullen and confused. Caroline looked at me. "Joke's on him. #1, he really wants crack, thus a free beer is not much help, #2, I didn't give him a bottle opener!"

It was like watching monkeys try to use tools: three hours later, I spy this guy still trying to get the bottle open!
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  #13  
Old 11-25-2005, 09:28 PM
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Mrs. Azimyth and I are real softies. We've wrestled with the idea that our giving them money may really be hurting them. We choose to give a percentage of our income to a certain organization which has a program with which we agree is ultimately more beneficial to the needy.

Lately, though she has begun a new project. Whenever she sees a freeway beggar, she offers to buy their signs. It's kinda cool. Some of them actually sign them for her.

Sadly, one sign had written repeatedly on the back, "How can anyone love me when I don't love myself."

But for the grace of God,.....
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  #14  
Old 11-25-2005, 09:41 PM
MedMech
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A couple years ago I was walking around with a pocket full of change and it must have been my lucky day because I was approached by a beggar. He asked if I could do a guy a favor and spare some change or a couple bills, I grabbed a fistful of change from my pocket and threw it into traffic. I don't know if he attempted to get it or not but I wasn't going to stick around to find out.

I can't stand that crap, if he asked me for a hamburger I would have given him one.
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  #15  
Old 11-25-2005, 09:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMech
I can't stand that crap, if he asked me for a hamburger I would have given him one.

I'd gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today....



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