BUMS - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

BWhitmore · #16 05-28-2019, 09:49 AM

I live in Southern California as does Nate and am often asked for money from both men and women on the street. I offer them untouched food from a restaurant and am often turned down. It is a bit confusing when the person asking is smoking a cigarette (which I believe sell for around $8 per pack) or using their cell phone. I will continue to offer food instead of money but there have been times when I will put a $20 bill in the package of food especially if they accept the food without hesitation.

vwnate1 · #17 05-28-2019, 09:51 AM

You're a better Man than I ~ if I see smoking, cell 'phone or gold chains, new $ shoes etc., etc. they don't get anything from me but harsh words .

ILUVMILS · #18 05-28-2019, 12:10 PM

A bit off topic maybe, but I spent Saturday in Manhattan to check out Fleet Week. I was surprised at how few homeless people I saw.......

cmac2012 · #19 05-28-2019, 01:13 PM

Someone smoking while panhandling is a trip all right. At eight bucks a pack, that’s $.40 a cigarette. If I give them a buck, that buys 2 1/2 cigarettes? You have to wonder at the cluelessness of people who don’t get the lousy optics of that.

We need something like the CCC camps again. Some people need discipline applied externally, sort of like how you put a cast on a broken leg. Totalitarian work camps, ala North Korea would not be good, there has to be some sort of middle ground.

vwnate1 · #20 05-29-2019, 01:42 AM

Ah, yes, I know where at least one of those old drunk qork it off camps is, not far out of Los Angeles, the ACLU & other well meaning but clueless boobs forced the County to shut it down, now its full of children and incredibly hostile 'adults', who know what's going on there .

In the 1970's L.A. County jail inmates could ask to be put on fire work detail and lived in barracks out in the canyons, they also did road repairs, many of which are still being used (rock retaining walls and sluices, drain offs etc. in the local mountains .

Apparently being responsible is no longer in fashion......

Much of my unbreakable work ethic was learned on a work farm down East in the 1960's .

Almost all of the inmates who refused to work (or be clean, decent etc., etc.) are DEAD now.....

The rest of us who realized what a great opportunity & chance we were being given, got out and prospered .

Diesel911 · #21 06-04-2019, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

ATTN : MODERATOR IF THIS IS A TABOO SUBJECT LET ME KNOW AND I'LL DELETE IT .

Anyone else have thoughts on bums ? .

I am not sure what is going on out here in my neighborhood. Until the riots after the Rodney King court decision there was lots of Homeless around. During the riot they seemed to disappear and only gradually came back more then 6 months later and in demised quantities.

As time has passed there has been less and less of them.

What has changed is the age of the homeless. It mostly used to people that looked to be in their 40's or older. Now the ones I see are in their 20's.
Another thing that is different is that in the last 10 years there has been an increasing amount of shelters made by them or Tents.

There is a Bridge going over a freeway near by and on the other side of the Bridge is 2 recycling companies. It used to be you would see people on bicycles or with shopping carts going over the bridge to cash in their aluminum cans. In stead with the younger people is that they appear to be low level drug dealers.

vwnate1 · #22 06-04-2019, 05:59 PM

Thanx .

I'm in Long Beach fairly often for the junkyards off PCH, maybe you live in a better section as I always see lots and lots of homeless, begging mostly .

Last night I was on 1st st. in Boyle Heights (East Los) and a clean well dressed Black woman came up to a group of us talking out side Purgatory Pizza (Great pizza BTW) and asked for money....

Lance Allison · #23 06-06-2019, 09:49 PM

Literally for years, I've seen the same group of panhandlers on one of the two primary exits off the Stevenson Expy for Chicago Midway Airport. They offer a variety of things such as flowers, playing music, old newspapers, cotton candy (yeah, explain that one?), windshield washing, and the like. They are there every flipping time I go to the airport. Day and night.

I used to give them a few bucks now and then. But I started noticing a few things. Firstly, same people, same location, same routine. They must be making money...or they would be moving on. Secondly they are always smoking. Last I checked, cigarettes in Chicago were north of $12 a pack. Then there are animals/pets, another unnecessary expense. There is usually a ratty looking dog or mangy cat in their arms.

I have offered to buy them a meal from one of the places (of their choosing) close to the exits, rather than giving them cash, and it was refused every time.

So now, the trick is to never make eye contact and hope they don't thump the hood of the car or knock on the window. Sorry but if they were truly hungry, they'd accept a meal.

I'll help almost anyone with a true need but I will not knowingly contribute to their bad habits. Perhaps that makes me a jackass and I do not care.

vwnate1 · #24 06-07-2019, 01:09 AM

THIS ~ I remember not having enough to eat and having to sleep in the cold & wet .

I gave up smoking when I was 24 Y.O., and anyone who has $ for smokes NEEDS ZERO HELP financially .

The pet thing I'm not so sure about.....

Lance Allison · #25 06-16-2019, 07:01 PM

Here in the People's Republic of ILLinois, a cigarette tax increase of about $1 per pack is being imposed, as is the doubling of our motor fuel tax. The fuel tax increase begins on July 1. I don't smoke so I'm not directly affected by the cigarette tax and do not know when it goes into effect.

In a backwards kind of way, the politicians want us to believe they are doing us a favor by increasing the tax on cigarettes...which will lead to fewer people buying them.

Anyone care to place a wager as to how many people (bums/panhandlers) will stop smoking due to the increase? My bet is that number will be darned close to zero.

vwnate1 · #26 07-29-2019, 02:10 PM

7.29.19

O.K., I've mentioned the partially disabled 21 Y.O. shirt tail relative from Oklahoma, he's finally made his last transgression (so says SWMBO) and needs to go so I took him to the county welfare office where they said "no more housing vouchers" , gave me a sheaf of printouts of local shelters, SWMBO is working the list now, if she finds a space for him I'll take him there .

I have him washing his clothes as I typ this .

I feel bad for him but since he won't be clean and refuses to follow simple house rules (we have young Foster boys so everything he does/doesn't do is an example) he's taken him self out of our house it took 2- 1/2 years for SWMBO to give up .

engatwork · #27 07-29-2019, 06:37 PM

If I were homeless or a bum I'd move to either SF or LA too. Can't beat the weather for living outside.

vwnate1 · #28 07-29-2019, 10:23 PM

Pretty good services here too......

I think they should be required to work but what the hell to I know ? .

Tony H · #29 07-29-2019, 11:26 PM

Having worked a bit with homeless I can say many are mentally ill and undiagnosed or off their meds. I'm sure drugs and alcohol has a place in it.

vwnate1 · #30 07-30-2019, 12:00 AM

Just so Tony ;

I too have worked with them and they're all around us in So. Ca. these days, many are just lazy assed young men, too lazy to get any job .

I feel badly for those ones who are in fact mentally ill, when I was incarcerated there were quite a few, they couldn't manage on their own and in the 1960's the easy way out was to jail them to get them off the streets .