zanis520 Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 the way i see it is with the money they can make in a day then they can buy a razor and a hotel room and take a shower, go apply at mcd's or whatever and start getting back on their feet. the one that always gets me is the ones that stand on the corner with kids. if you can't support yourself then they shouldn't have children. they get enough money from other people so i don't hand out my cash to people who haven't and won't ever use it the right way. call me an ass or whatever. call me ignorant, naivete, or whatever, but i never understood how these people are actually allowed to KEEP their children. i mean i know there are lower class families that do have a house/apartment and are struggling just to get by, but these families on the streets??? how does child services not take them away?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 This is an intresting topic there are many things to take into consideration. One how the person acts toward you. Two what the person is doing to help themselves. Three what position are you yourself in. I live in gainesville, fl there are several homeless here, I used to always give these people money and then one day I actually had a person stick there arm and head into my truck asking for money. I had to get out and almost get into a fight to get him to leave me alone.... I really didn't have any money on me.... That really opened up my eyes toward the whole situation. I understand that some people find hard times, and those people who found hard times and still work for something could use some help.... but what I don't understand is why all the others-don't work for something. I was at a period in my life were I worked my reg. job and worked a for a temp. force just to make my bills........ When someone comes up to me while I am at my job asking me for money, I am alot less likely to help, because I am AT WORK FOR GODS SAKE. I do think KARMA exists but do you have to kill yourself and put yourself out to help someone who maybe doesn't help themselves........... And like said before the gov. is there to help these people...... St. Francis house and places like that give you an address so you can get a job and help yourself...... People who whine and cry always get breaks, what ever happened to sucking it up and being a man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorredss Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 I feel bad for the person, so I just give them some cash. I just cant say no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBlueSS Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 I also try to look at it on a case by case basis. The ones standing on the street corners holding signs, and smoking cigarettes probably have more money in their pocket than I have in the bank. There was this one time where this lady was flagging people down in a shopping center parking lot, so my wife and I stopped. She had ran out of gas, was lost, and had no money. Her van was right there, and this was a nice part of town, so we gave her a five. We then watched her go to the gas station, so we felt pretty good about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmax2fast Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 When I was a teenager I used to give them a dollar when I'd see em at an intersection... Then one day, waiting for a buddy top get done w/ an interview, I watched a couple work an intersection for about an hour. in that hour they had to make at least $25 between the two of them, and thats if all that was handed out was a dollar each time... that pissed me off, once i got my partying done and actually started contributing to the social picture, i felt a little different about my time and money. If I busted my ass for an hour and made 25 bucks, I'll be damned if I'm gonna give 1/25 of that away to somebody sitting on a corner begging. I don't care their story... if you need money there is always some service you can offer to the masses. If I'm broke, I go hustle up a tree job or clean somebodies yard. I guess if your used to people handing shit out to you that might be hard to think of but i guess its hard to turn away from a $100 dollar day just holding a cardboard sign... If you can still sleep at night. I still get suckered in though if somebody has a good story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortBus Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 I would do this. http://my.break.com/media/view.aspx?ContentID=233153 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobradh77 Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 They did a story about some people who asked for handouts in Florida several years ago. These people would be on street intersections and such with signs asking for money. They followed one with a hidden camera as he walked away from the scene into a newer Caddy. The f'n guy did not even need money. I saw a similar deal about people in big cities begging and how much cash they make. Some do it for a living and drive as you said a new caddy or BMW because they make hundreds a day. If I am somewhere and they are hungry I would buy them something to eat but I would never just give out money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuzman Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Wow, great thread. Definitely a case by case basis. You have to go with your gut, if you think you're getting scammed, you probably are. If, on the other hand, your gut's telling you that you need to help out, that's what you need to do. Quick story that really pissed me off. I just moved out of New Orleans after dealing with Katrina. Right after the hurricane hit, we were going into N.O. during the day to salvage what we could from our houses and then returning to Baton Rouge at night where we were staying. Keep in mind that at that time there was an extreme shortage of manpower in the area. Burger King and Wendy's were paying $10K signing bonuses and $12 bucks an hour just to get a restaurant back up and running. Everybody needed labor to clean-up and get the city back on its feet. And don't get me wrong, there was volunteer help coming in from all over the nation that was really cool and those people were a HUGE help. But every night when we'd head back exhausted from our day there was this homeless dude begging for change on our off ramp in B.R. Strong looking guy, able bodied, he could definitely pick up a shovel and dig something. One night I rolled down my window and asked where he was from. Right there in B.R. was the reply. I then offered to take him into N.O. the next morning to look for work. He said no thanks, he didn't do that he was just looking for spare change. Unbelievable! It a rare day when I give anybody my spare change now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmax2fast Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Thats exactly what i'm talking about... sitting there sounds like a better way for him to "earn" his money than actually working... even a ride to and from??? wtf some peoples kids... THANKS mom and dad for raising me with some pride and ambition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZebes Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 Great thread Guys I have a personal example. there is an older gentleman in a wheel chair that sell newspapers at the corner of dairy ashford and Memorial in Houston. He is paralyzed from the mid torso down and has been selling newspapers there as long as i can remember. the funny thing is he will not accept hand outs. if you offer him a 5 he will hand you a newspaper and the change. he is prolly in his mid seventies right now and has been hit by cars twice in ten years but he is out there every day. recently a family donated an electric wheelchair to him when it was of no use to them anymore. I keep a case of water in the truck all the time. just cause i get thirsty and don't want to stop. i give him a bottle of water every time i see him and he is appreciative. when i get a chance i'll stop and spend 20 minutes helping him cross the street and talkin to him. so it really depends on the situation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankg42 Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 I work in NYC, and walk across town from Penn Station (west side) to the east side in the morning, and back at night. I must pass anywhere from 10 to 25 people asking for money on the street every day. How do I choose which one to give to? It's impossible! Plus, I'd go broke if I gave to everyone who appeared to really need it. As a result, I give to nobody. They have ads in the subway telling you NOT to give $ to street people, but the ads give the names of charities that support the homeless. That's the best way to contribute, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woffski Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 That is a tough one. I've seen both sides of the coin. I've seen real homeless people, who can use a hand out. I've also seen the drug user and the thief. Unfortunately you have to use your better judgement. I have given money to beggers and I have said no them some also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Here on LI we really don't have the homeless wandering the streets......there are plenty of places for them to go, and Social Services does a decent job helping them out. Like stated before, there are churches and shelters for them to go to when they are in need. There are many people down on their luck here, but they somehow find assistance and stay off the streets. The occasional needy person that I come across (once in a while), like I said before, I give 'em a few bucks, nothing special. I don't like seeing people in need or in danger, especially children, that is why I volunteer to protect my community and donate to charities. On a side note, the company I work for does charity work every year. We do a food drive at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We do a toy drive at Christmas, and we also adopt a needy family in the area too. My FD does a giveaway at Thanksgiving and Christmas to needy families, 2 needy area families at each holiday get $200 worth of gift certificates for a local supermarket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desrtrat Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 the work i do, we get a lot of people who break down, or run out of gas on the freeways here. and after a while you get real tired of people saying they have no money to pay for the service. most of them think if they say they have no money we will give it to them FREE. I'm a good judge of people and i can tell when there being honest or not. don't tell me your going to VEGAS for the weekend and have no money... so no, i do not give to just anyone but i will give them enough gas to the next off ramp where there is people, a mini mart, so they will be safe and off the road..come up to me comming out of a store asking for money, and i'll tell them to go get a Fn job... at least he's honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnAmerican Revolution Posted May 4, 2007 Report Share Posted May 4, 2007 Its all depending on my mood, if im kinda pissed off Ill tell them next time, but if im in an okay mood ill give them a few bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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