Panhandlers....beggers....

[brazenblaze]

WARNING!!! Long, bitchy spewing post!

Okay, I just had to bring up this topic, because everyday on the way to and from work I pass at least 5-10 of these people.

Maybe I'm a cold hearted Bitch, lack a sense of social conscious or am just too proud to understand, but these people really piss me off and disgust me.

I instantly get pissed and irritated when I see one of these guys, mainly because I honestly believe they are sooo Full of Shit!! I mean most of these people are males between 30 and 40 years old, no noticable physical handicaps and are standing on a corner BEGGING with their little "Homeless, will work for food"..."Stranded, hungry, need help"....."Out of work, starving, please help, God bless." And if that isn't enough to get you pissed, there are those who are standing there with a dog or a cat and begging for food. Forgive me, but if I'm hungry enough to beg, then I sure as shit wouldn't be supporting an animal. I mean, if I'm that hungry...Fido would be dinner! (forgive me, all you Animal Rights Activist)

Give me a fucking break!!! There are at least two homeless shelters in this city, quite a few jobs, and if your ass is "stranded", call your family, get a job, DO SOMETHING!

I fell for this trick once when I lived in Tennessee. I felt sorry for this guy and gave him $10, that night on the way home from work I saw him getting into an F150 truck (driver's seat). Maybe I'm holding that against them all, but I trully believe they are all either scam artists or lazy bastards.

I guess what really set me off today, was the one I saw on the way back to work from lunch. Here he is standing at the intersection with his little card board sign, begging people for money and had the nerve to put "Veteran" on the sign. Then when I chose to ignore him he called me a Bitch! Well, that wasn't even the best part, as I turned the corner I looked over at the two businesses there at the corner and guess what?.....They BOTH had "HELP WANTED" signs in the window. Here he stands less than 10 feet from people offering work, but he'd rather beg for a hand-out rather than fucking work!

Like I said, I just don't get it. I've never been that broke, but I would sell my ass before I stood on a corner and BEGGED!!

Whew... I feel better now!

 

[Angel]

My favorite is the average *Will Work for Food*

How about *Will work for steady paycheck*? And why are they always standing at the intersection leading to a freeway exit that leads to a mall or other huge area filled with places to apply for a job?

 

[Thumper]

Just wondering

If you would hire someone that had only the clothes on their back and no home.

Perhaps they have no family.

Perhaps they are mentally disabled.


Who knows?

I too do not regularly give to these people and it is true that quite a few are scam artists but I won't judge them. I give to the freestore when I can.

It would be nice if all the homeless and poor would keep out of sight so we can pretend our society is perfect. Sort of a bitch with the booming economy and soaring profits and productivity at record levels (well until recently that is) that we have to be reminded that there are those who do not benefit. (which includes most of us)

 

[CreamyLady]

There's also the little matter of skills, or lack thereof. Hard to get a job, as Thumper says, when one has only the clothes on one's back, no permanent address, no credit record -- for the background checks, you understand. Most customers object to the help being down-and-out.

It's also hard to get a job that requires a college degree and advanced math skills when one barely made it through high school, and went right into an assembly line job that, surprise, went offshore.

It's hard to keep a job when time means nothing, and the medication you are supposed to be taking makes you feel strange, so you stop taking it. Since no one is there to make sure you do take it, because it costs a lot of money to warehouse the mentally ill, you can go off in your own reality, but you can't work there.

There are definitely scam artists. My own favorite was a woman who would stand next to my bank's ATM machine with her hand outstretched. However, there are many who just can't make it in this world.

It's so ugly. Better to just avert the eyes.

 

[brazenblaze]

Like I said I must just be a cold hearted bitch, but I just can't, won't or don't understand these people.

I mean if you can find a place to bath (most are clean under their "costume", and a place to go at night (rarely see them after the "after work" rush hour) then you have enough sense and skills to flip a burger or wash a car.

It isn't the "ugliness" of them that makes me want to puke, it is the lack of any sense of pride and any useful contribution to society.

I know there are people out there in need, however I believe that they are at least "trying" to help themselves. Where as these slugs are just looking for an easy dollar.

I look at it this way:

There was once a comedian who made the comment about all the "child unsafe" toys and things....he said that those things were nature's way of ridding the world of the dumbasses.

You have to be strong to climb to the top of the food chain, otherwise don't be surprised when someone takes a bite out of you.

 

[Feisty1]

My favorite was when I bought a sandwich for a homeless human being and he burst into tears because he was so grateful.

Oooooh sorry, this is a thread about being DISGUSTED by people...sorry to have ruined it with my story about compassion.

Here let me start a story for you to help everyone get back into the swing of things: "One time I had to step over this fucking cripple in an alley...I was like "well if you didn't want to starve to death why were you born with schizophrenia? Duh." Now maybe someone else can start a tangent about how it's a dog eat dog world...and anyone who lags behind (like the handicapped/mentally ill/old) SHOULD get eaten. (FYI...this paragraph was entirely sarcastic).

Maybe someone will test the theory about how "easy" it is to get a job...why not apply for a job at your local burger joint. Make sure you let them know that you are homeless, only have the clothes on your back, and your last place of residence was a halfway house for the mentally ill. I'm sure you'll be flipping burgers in no time.

CreamyLady was right. Just avert your eyes and it will all go away.

 

[Adoratrice]

yep.....your a cold hearted Bitch.


just thought I'd reassure you.

 

[Cheyenne]

Maybe someone will test the theory about how "easy" it is to get a job...why not apply for a job at your local burger joint. Make sure you let them know that you are homeless, only have the clothes on your back, and your last place of residence was a halfway house for the mentally ill. I'm sure you'll be flipping burgers in no time.

My town can't be the only one with groups to help these people. For the people who have no clothes to go to a job interview, there are special groups who collect old clothing donations of "work clothes" that are still stylish enough and in good shape. They even have accessories for women to help put together a whole interview outfit. People ARE judged by what they wear and these charitable groups do what they can to help the homeless make a good impression and get those jobs. Sometimes it is only a small helping hand that a person needs to be able to help themself.

 

[Angel]

There is a difference between mentally handicapped or others who are alone, and unable to seek the help they need and end up homeless on the street.

The people who disgust me are the ones who ARE able to take themselves to a shelter which has programs to get them jobs.

I personally know 2 homeless people. I don't know his circumstances, not at all, but he is obviously mentally deficient. He bothers nobody, doesn't beg for handouts and greets the people in the neighborhood with a smile and a good day. He's sweet and nice and kind, and I've bought him a meal more than once. He refuses anything big. I don't know why. He is far from a stupid man, and I have no idea if he chooses and likes his life the way it is or what. All I know is he has been there since I was small.

The other disgusts me, because he CAN do something about it. He was forever hanging around McDonalds when I worked there. He WAS in a rehab program, clean for 2 years and living and working for a shelter. He took himself out of the programs and went back to robbing houses and cars to sell for crack and beer money, because he wasn't MAKING enough money at the job he was working at. He begs everyone he sees for cash and gets abusive and mean when he doesn't get it. He's said many times he doesn't feel like working, he'd rather let everyone else support him on handouts. THAT disgusts me.

 

[brazenblaze]

My town can't be the only one with groups to help these people. For the people who have no clothes to go to a job interview, there are special groups who collect old clothing donations of "work clothes" that are still stylish enough and in good shape. They even have accessories for women to help put together a whole interview outfit. People ARE judged by what they wear and these charitable groups do what they can to help the homeless make a good impression and get those jobs. Sometimes it is only a small helping hand that a person needs to be able to help themself.

Exactly!! Where I live they have those as well as shelters and workshops for the TRULY disable and down-trodden.

Shocking I know...but I contribute time and money to them. Just can't stomach the fakes that hang out on the street corner looking for a handout.

It is pretty hard to "look the other way" when they plaster their faces to your window and then have the NERVE to be offended when you pull away.

 

[Ophelia]

Being a member of the burger flipping community id like to let ya know something! At my place of employment if you do not have a permanant address or a phone number where you can be reached you WILL NOT get hired!

 

[Angel]

Being a member of the burger flipping community id like to let ya know something! At my place of employment if you do not have a permanant address or a phone number where you can be reached you WILL NOT get hired!

Being a former member of the Burger flipping community, and one who did the hiring, I agree, but we did hire two ex-convicts and a homeless woman who had addresses at a shelter.

 

[brazenblaze]

yep.....your a cold hearted Bitch.


just thought I'd reassure you.

Thank you...I feel so validated.

 

[brazenblaze]

[BBeing a former member of the Burger flipping community, and one who did the hiring, I agree, but we did hire two ex-convicts and a homeless woman who had addresses at a shelter. [/B]

The shelters here also allow and encourage the "residents" to use the shelter as an address until they get on their feet.

 

[Cheyenne]

The shelters here also allow and encourage the "residents" to use the shelter as an address until they get on their feet.

Ditto in my town.

 

[Thumper]

It's more than clothes...

That is just the first hurdle.

Everybody talks about how these people should get the jobs "flipping burgers". In my area these jobs are out where I live in the suburbs. The denizens of the street reside in the urban areas where the shelters and soup kitchens are. We have no bus service out here and getting here would be impossible for them.

It's easy to say "They should go to work" without giving any further thought to the matter. As Feisty said, they may suffer from one of many illnesses or disabilities. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. And don't say "Well then they should be in an institution then" what institution. If they aren't criminally insane or under arrest then where do you send them? We saw plenty of these people when I was a corrections officer. They run afoul of the law for a minor thing and the courts run them through and back to the street, meanwhile they ignore the real problem. Granted some of these you see are just scamming and some are probably not. Better for your Karma to assume they are not I would think.

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to reach heaven.

What is the point in amassing a great wealth only to die with it and not have done anything to relieve the suffering that exists.

Children starve to death in this world everyday while the wealthy sit on their mountains of cash and do nothing. Companies like McDonalds spend millions on lobbying congressman to vote against raising the minimum wage which is below subsistence levels now. Yet the CEOs take home millions in bonuses and salary every year. The pyramid is becoming too top heavy. Too much wealth is concentrated in a very few individuals at the top.

A little advice for the Corporate sector. WE make the widgets you sell. If we decide not to work for you anymore then no brilliant decisions by you will matter. WE buy the widgets you try to sell. When we can no longer afford to buy them you scratch your head and hire consultants to figure out "Why the downturn?"

Want to see the crime rate go down...Pay a man(or woman) enough to support a family decently so that a parent can stay home with the children and nurture them.

Want to see education levels go up? Keep a parent in the home to supervise the kids.

 

[Cheyenne]

Thumper, none of us has said that interview clothing is the answer to all the ills of the homeless. But it IS something that helps at least some of them! Would you rather it not be done at all, just because it doesn't solve all of the world's problems immediately?

 

[Laurel]

What Thumper said.

A little advice for the Corporate sector. WE make the widgets you sell. If we decide not to work for you anymore then no brilliant decisions by you will matter. WE buy the widgets you try to sell. When we can no longer afford to buy them you scratch your head and hire consultants to figure out "Why the downturn?"

Exactly. Everything's linked - no one lives in a vacuum. Who do you sell your product to if there are no consumers? This silly, short-sighted idea that corporations and those with money can turn a blind eye on those less fortunate than them without it affecting their bottom line is ludicrous. Squeezing the poor and middle classes makes no sense at all. Anyone with half a brain wants to EXPAND the consumer base, not shrink it. Educating the poor so they too can have trades or careers and be consumers - that makes sense. The really intelligent people know this. The ignorant, selfish, greedy, short-sighted businesspeople are the ones who get all riled up about (a miniscule amount of) their tax dollars going to help those less fortunate. The rest of us see it as an investment in OUR future.

 

[Laurel]

Thumper, none of us has said that interview clothing is the answer to all the ills of the homeless. But it IS something that helps at least some of them! Would you rather it not be done at all, just because it doesn't solve all of the world's problems immediately?

I'm not Thumper, but I think it's a step in the right direction. People get so hung up on this whole "people oughtta take care of themselves, personal responsibility, yadda yadda" that they forget that all parts of a society are connected. We ALL benefit from helping those less fortunate. More employable people = more employed = more productivity = more people with disposable incomes = more consuming = more jobs...

Yes, in a perfect world everyone would be smart and sane and no one would EVER need anyone else's help. Yes, it pisses me off when people live irresponsibly and get themselves in stupid situations. But that's life. People are like that. You can whine and moan - which solves nothing - or you can do your best to help them get back on their feet. Contrary to propaganda, many of the homeless DO want help. The majority of people WILL work if they have the chance. And the mentally ill, the ones who aren't employable...how does it add to society to have them roaming the streets? None of us may be responsible for these problems, but that doesn't mean we can't help to solve them. it's in our best interest to do so, and our children's interests as well.

 

[Thumper]

I am misunderstood...

I did not mean to imply that it is a bad idea. Just to point out that getting these jobs require a whole lot more than clothes. Transportation is one.

One other thing...these burger flipping jobs are not the answer to welfare. They don't typically hire full time and rarely need such individuals. When I worked in the restaurant sector we needed workers at the lunch rush and the dinner rush. That's about six hours a day in split shifts. Between these times you could almost shut the place down it was so dead.

 

[Cheyenne]

Thumper, the jobs these people in my town are going to are office jobs, not burger flipping. They are mostly women, some of whom are in shelters for battered women and some who are from the homeless on the street. Donations include some very nice working clothes, purses, shoes, makeup, jewelry, etc. Everything a woman would need to "fit in."

Remember I've posted previously about Wisconsin's program to get people off welfare and into jobs. That includes help with transportation, in some cases. We also have some of those big bad businesses who run their OWN bus service to the central part of town daily just to pick up workers and get them to the suburbs! One major employer who is much farther out of town than a convenient daily bus ride has also tried to get reasonable cost apartments built so that the workers can move from the central city to the small town and be closer to their jobs. This company can't find enough workers and has to be innovative.

All big business isn't bad. All rich people aren't selfish. Be careful that you don't sterotype others the way some sterotype you just for your hair style, Thumper.

 

[CreamyLady]

Ah, office jobs.

Many office jobs pay less than a welfare benefit. If the firm is small enough -- and many firms that hire the newly-skilled are very small -- there is no reasonable health plan. Dependent coverage and daycare will eat a woman's take-home pay to the bone. What's left is split between rent, utilities and food, usually in a balancing act that requires constant juggling.

Sometimes the state will help out with continued food stamps, or WIC coupons. Sometimes child care is subsidized, but not all the time. I remember an official in Wisconsin wanted to do away with the childcare help, as well as licensing. She felt it was an entitlement, and by not licensing day care competition would drive prices down.

Yeah, right. Does anyone want their children in unlicensed day care?

In my time in offices, I saw the workload for legal secretaries shift from one-on-one or two-on-one to four-on-one and higher. There were fewer jobs available, not more, and the pay and benefits dropped.

Pink collar jobs may look good on the surface but the facts are that the lower-end jobs are vanishing. The newer jobs require a lot of education and investment, and so far, no one seems willing to put a welfare mother through graduate school so that she may actually get a job that pays enough to support her and her kids.

I suppose every little bit helps. Most people do want to work. However, wanting to work and getting work are two different things, and being able to continue working is another thing entirely.

 

[Thumper]

Ditto

There is a similar program here in Cincy...read about it in the paper a while back.

I don't stereotype big business as bad. Just greed.

It seems and has been borne out by anecdotal evidence that most CEO's are hired based on the short term stock performance rathewr than on long term health. Shareholders want immediate gratification and that is understandable since they are human. We all would like that. Stock goes down. CEO lays off a few thousand, stock rebounds and shareholders make money. Meanwhile this creates insecurity in the workforce and morale plummets and then productivity is soon to follow. This is just one example.

Shareholders and Stockbrokers love to hear of rising unemployment rates. This baffles me...I know the reasons behind it..more people looking for work so we can pay them less. Just seems so despicable.

Not all rich people are bad. Never said they were. But the stats don't lie. The extremely wealthy saw their incomes rise substantially during the last ten years and the working class were stagnant. Where is our share of the profit and productivity gains? When can we expect the trickle down to start trickling?

 

[Cheyenne]

My point is that there are groups out there doing something to help. There are government programs to get people into jobs and give them supplementary support to help them make it rather than just welfare (at least in WI). There are rich people who give back to the community, sometimes in direct proportion to how much their own wealth increases. I actually admire the people who give their time and effort more than those who write checks. (I'm one of the check writers- that's the easy thing to do.) There are businesses that go out of their way to hire inner-city people and help transport them, find them apartments, etc. There are businesses who have their own training programs because they can't find people with the skills they need. Thumper- an example of that last one would be companies willing to train you to go get your CDL. They need qualified drivers and can't find them! My company does that.

Is the world a perfect place? Nope. But if someone really desires to get ahead, with hard work and sometimes help from any one of the sources mentioned above, I think it is still possible for people to get back on their feet and improve their lot in life. No one is doomed to be homeless forever.

 

[brazenblaze]

Homeless people and Panhandlers just aren't the same thing in my book. Maybe I've painted all those who stand on the corners begging with the same brush, but that is just me.

The homeless to me are those poor people that I see when I go to the shelters (and yes I do go, once a month). They are those who are there hanging their heads because they believe they have failed in someway and are ashamed of where they are and want deperately to get back to the lives they once had. They are the ones that rarely ask for anything, and say "Thank you" for even the smallest kindness. They are the ones who go out repeatedly to interviews and TRY to get jobs, they are the ones who cry that their children go to school in rags. For them I do have a heart.

Panhandlers, on the other hand, are those who either have a home and are just working a scam or are too lazy to work and have cast aside by their families. (Just my opinion)
These are the ones who push my buttons and who disgust me.
They give real homeless and needy a bad name and do nothing but harass drivers and try to play on a person's civic guilt. This seems to be a major thing in the city I live in and it really drives me nuts. I see these "guys" on the strip by were I work every day. The fact that it is outside a Military base, I'm sure, has something to do with that. They are usually the same 10-20 people and they are always there with their little bedrolls or backpacks. Yet if you take the time to look at them, their hair is clean, their nails are clean, and if you observe for a few days, you will notice that the clothes change, the bedroll changes and the backpack changes. Not to mention how perfect the sign stays.

Now I ask you, if these guys are trully "homeless", "stranded" or whatever, how do they manage to bath daily, get a new backpack and bedroll every couple of days, and how come the elements alone haven't destroyed their perfect little sign? Not to mention how well groomed and healthy the animals they have with them look.

These people don't piss me off because they are "poor", they piss me off because they give the "poor" a bad name.
They prey on people in their cars who don't take the time to think, they just toss money out a window. I've often considered what would happen if one day I actually stopped beside one of these "will work for food" and offered to feed him for mowing my lawn. Wonder what would be the excuse then.