Local paper did a story a few years ago about an unemployed man. He tried begging at the local highway off ramp during rush hours. 2 hrs in the morning, 2hrs at night, perhaps less. He discovered he could make enough money that way that it wasn't worth looking for a job. He finally stopped when he became paranoid about meeting someone he knew while begging.
Things in Denver are not good. Just drove thru downtown. Within a 4 block radius of the two main shelters, must have seen at least a couple of hundred homeless people, perhaps more. They are much a much younger crowd than what previously congregated there.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Early '90s a guy was interviewed by a radio station that was pulling down $36K or so a year at one Interstate exit/entrance ramp north of Dallas. He would get up in the morning have breakfast with the wife and kids, take 'em to school, then go work his exit ramp in the suburbs. He drove a new Toyota Land Cruiser, supported his family well, lived in the suburbs, all tax free. That's over $50K a year.

About the observation that they're a "younger crowd?" Nothing like getting a good start to your career at an early age, now is there? lol

Some of the do-gooders need to wake up - is all I can say about giving people money on-the-streets. Their tax free take-home is above the average American household's. They just have chosen a profession where they have to work it hard to make it pay, so to speak...

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

i've been working just southeast of downtown all week. hundreds of homeless folk, most of whom are obviously "mental". i'm too broke to give them much -and most of the time i'm just driving by - but it's certainly sad to see so many wasted lives and so much misery. i understand their desire to get high on something, anything, because there's nothing else but misery for them to contemplate. most of them belong in a mental hospital, and i don't think any of them are getting rich. in fact, i don't believe any of them are. however, if some here use that as a defense mechanism to avoid thinking about the issue, well,... so be it.

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"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."

Hell vote for haley barbour in 012!

Your parents certainly raised a fine,young man they should be proud of themselves.

Any bets that he's not even registered to vote?

Are these beggars any different to aid organizations that play the poor little kid thing in their adds ?
Most of those organizations dont pay tax.
I would rather have to walk past 10 homeless on the sidewalk than be cornered by some high pressure sales guy trying to get me to sign up to $30 / month supposedly to feed some little kid on the other side of the world.
Who is paying the sales guy?
If they ring here asking for money, I just ask them if they like sex & travel, when they say yes, I tell them to F##K OFF !!
Its great stress release !!
Probably I would have dropped an apple in Brian's beggars can.

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I moved out in November 2004, exactly 6 years ago this week;

I was back visiting friendz there about a week and a half ago and I was UTTERLY astounded at what I experienced and saw..

The City was always pretty tolerant of them, those "residentially challenged" people, --- the welfare payments are higher in SF than average, the weather is relatively mild year 'round, and some State Prisons in Nor Cal actually give inmates a one way bus ticket to SF on their release,along with their release money.


But --- It is totally out of control now.


In EVERY restaurant, in every neighborhood, every coffee shop or ice cream nparlor or gelateria, any place you could sit down, homeless dirty beggars would actually come right up to every customers' table and get in their face asking them for money, one table after another!

Until the establishment's owner would come running over and chase them out.


There was NO sense of boundary, any more. It was ruining things for everyone.

I think they should beat on the ones who do that and that don't get it.

The unending permissiveness and "tolerance" has TOTALLY run amok when you can't go inside ANY eating establishment for 5 minutes without legions of beggars coming up to your table and getting right in your face.

Appalling and infuriating.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I don't do it all the time. Just once. But if there is someone that wants to better themself, I'll help them. But if they choose to just squander their life away, that is their choice.

Stop judging people kid. Do you want to be judged for your failings?

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I'm done with this thread.

I gave him the dollar and walked away............and, believe me, I did not think about it again.

I'm quite sure he could garner enough money in one hour to buy two sandwiches.............but, he'd have to make the effort to go to the store to buy them.

Just curious. How much would a sandwich cost in that part of Manhattan?

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1985 300D Turbo
"Evolution is God's way of giving upgrades" Francis Collins

Well Brian,
You have & you still are !! If it was true that you did not think about it again, you would not have created the thread !!



I am not making any suggestion or derogatory comment about you though !!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I would like to have the police do some herding and when necessary beating - as you suggest. Many of these street bum's behavior borders on assault anyway.

The ones you see on the streets, are the ones that are NOT in need of anything but evaluation, and if necessary - institutionalized, incarcerated and inducted into the system.

I'd guesstimate the number at 90% or better being bums and freeloaders. Not one bum has ever taken me up on my advice to go to the nearest church, or for me the call 911 for help. Not a single one. You do the math on their "needyness....."

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert