What do you say to panhandlers who ask for money?

Aren't they set up to help people who really need it, though? What about all those people wearing brand name outfits lining up for their free food? I bet that half those people are just there for a free meal, not because they are down on their luck.

 

Who cares? What else are they supposed to do with the money? Diversify their portfolio? Have an interior designer come around and redecorate their box? If I lived on the streets food, alcohol, and drugs is all I would spend my money on as well.


PS. Many people end up on the streets because of mental diseases, alcohol and drugs are their attempts at self-medication. Why does that bother people?

 

If they are hard on their luck they should be using that money to buy some clothes, have a bath and start applying a (*)(*)(*)(*)ed job.

People end up on the streets for all kinds of reasons, and I don't care if drugs and alcohol are their way of self medicating. You don't buy crap with the money you are given, you buy food and shelter.

 

You want them to rent an apartment with the change people toss in their empty coffee cup? Are you that out of touch? As far as food, they do buy food, if they didn't they wouldn't be around to beg. They buy food, drugs, and alcohol. That is the same shopping list I would have if I lived on the streets as well.

 

If they buy drugs and grog then obviously they are not wanting to better themselves, and so probably deserve nothing at all.

 

Clearly, people who want to better themselves, never get to the point of living on the streets. When they come to a point in their lives where they do decide to better themselves, they WILL seek ways of ending their homelessness, that don't involve begging. Until they get to that point, I feel fine giving them money to do whatever they want with it. It is not my place to tell them what they should and should not do with it.

 

But it is YOUR money and if you give it to someone, you SHOULD have a say in what they do with it. I think you'd be nuts if you gave someone money when they'd snort it or drink it and go back out begging again the very next day.

 

What if I bought something from a store, and that store was owned by an individual, should I inquire about what he will use the money for? What if he plans on snorting things with his money? That is much more likely, as cocaine is a rich persons drug. Do I need to have these moral standards for everyone, or just poor people on the streets?

 

Not the same thing. Someone who runs a store isn't down on their luck. Someone who is should be using any money they get to help themselves, instead of staying the streets and then whinging because they are on the streets.

As I said, those people deserve nothing at all.

 

You are right, it isn't the same thing. You should be less discerning with who you give your money to in regards to business, because they don't need the money. I know a person who got married and had a kid at 19, and then got a very expensive cocaine habit. He snorted his family into poverty. Should I avoid doing business with him? I know another person who gambled themselves into poverty, should I avoid doing business with him?

You are under the mistaken impression that you are morally superior to those people, you aren't. All you should worry about is that they are needy, and don't worry about judging people. Give them money, and then it is none of your business what they spend it on. Don't give them money, and then it is still none of your business what they spend their money on.

 

If someone is on drugs or drinking themselves into oblivion with alcohol, (*)(*)(*)(*) right I am better than them! People who do drugs and alcohol are pathetic losers who deserve nothing at all in life except misery if they refuse to try and turn their lives around.
I will never give anyone money if they were going to waste it. They should buy food with it, not drugs.

 

The thing i hate the most is when they come up and bother you while you are talking on your cellphone..

 

Many of the homeless are mentally ill.

Remember that during the Reagan Administration we decided that Asylums for the mentally ill were uneccessary in an age of better living thru chemistry.

We didn't like the expense of sanatoriums, so we put them on the street.

 

That means nothing. Those are very likely donated to shelters. While there are "homeless" people that are well dressed, they are not the norm.

Why would they need a free meal if they are not down on their luck? It isnt as if soup kitchens are considered high cuisine or anything. LOL

No one eats there unless they have to.

As someone who is donating money, I dont want to spend it supporting your drug habit. If you want to indulge in your drug habit, go make your own money.

Then they belong in a shelter or an institution, not on the streets.

Because they are annoying me in order to motivate me to support their self medication. I dont like being annoyed.

They are not buying anything, they are asking for something for free. The store is being compensated for what you are taking. That is not true with a homeless guy.

Therefore, yeah, I think I have a right to dictate where it should be spent. its my money, and he did not provide goods or services for it. He is benefiting from my labor.

Just the people on the streets. Because they are expecting you to donate your labor to them for free.

Of course she is. She is not expecting THEM to support HER. Its the other way around. They are not entitled to free support from her, yet she is giving it anyway even if conditionally. That makes her morally superior.

 

Some might call that "Enabling" them..why quit drinking when you can beg for money to get it?

 

I give them some. Enough to buy a couple of meals at least.

Bee

 

When someone comes up to me asking for money, if I have it, I give them some. Sure, some of them are going to just spend it on booze or drugs but some of them are going to spend it on food. The dollar or two I give them doesn't make all that much difference to me but it may make a big difference to them.

I would much rather be the one giving the handout than the one asking for it.

 

Theyre on just about every friggin corner in West Palm..never seen anything like it. If it wasnt so hot out I'd probably open my window and acknowledge them lol.
But seriously..theyre everywhere here.. they trap you when you get stuck at a light. And when the light turns green, often theyre right there in the middle of the road..its dangerous and the police just ignore it.
Im suspicious of them because Ive heard so many stories about phony homeless people out there making a living by begging for money.
So between the suspicion, the danger, and the annoyance of it..I just ignore them.

 

It really depends on my mood, as terrible as that sounds. Most of the time I give them the courtesy of looking them in the eye and try to help them with what ever I can (I try to keep gift cards on me), but there are times that I avoid them like to the plague, which usually leaves me feeling guilty about it after. They always have some bs story, but I still feel bad. I couldn't imagine my pride ever allowing me to beg for money, a lot of times unless they are mentally ill you can see that pain (loss of pride) in their eyes.

 

give them directions to the local government welfare office

 

depends if they are pro they can average 100 dollars a day tax free, its lucrative.

the only time is when its really hot do they get a dollar because that is a hard job standing outside for hours in the heat even if they do make alot of money.

 

I just politely say 'no'. Some are more aggressive than others and that can be annoying. But they generally have pretty miserable lives so I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I was rude back.

 

I ask them to handle my pan. If they do an adequate job, I give them some change. If not, I tell them to go practice and I walk away.

 

I say the following.

Thank you for your service to our country. I am sorry that Reagan gutted the VA and slashed the services you were promised. Here is a buck. Get yourself something to eat.

 

Well what I used to do about 10 years ago was I'd cut em a break first.
And If they acted really rough or threatening,I'd go so fast into
My Superman mode it scared them (*)(*)(*)(*)less,I'd get in their face,try
and yank their arms behind their back and basically do what the
Old cops of Film Noir History did ... WARNING !
Will not work for Woman or Swishes { effeminate men }

I'd Yell so loud and act as if I'm about to break or twist their arms off.
Thats about all it took.Call their bluff in such a desperate way they feared
for thier very lives.That's what they understand.
Of course it helps to look brawny and make a mean face.
But you do what a junkyard dog is trained to do or the average cat.
The key is to see it beforehand.Know beforehand that a guy or a couple
guys are out intimidating people on the street for easy money.
Make em pay.If they are polite & sincere then give them some change
or a Buck.But if they start acting threatening,than make like yer gonna
rip their face off.