Those that have it, make sure to take small denominations when you take a drive

[The Backlash Cometh]

They're starting to show up on the intersections. People begging for donations and these aren't your usual cut of transient, homeless people. The one that will haunt me is a grandmother who was obviously too scared to go to the top of the intersection, so she sat lower on the island where the cars kept moving and no one could really stay put long enough to give her anything. Her sign was also impossible to read from a distance,but once you reached her it said, "Can someone please help." There wasn't time to read anything else. I didn't have any cash with me and I made a mental note to go to the bank and ask for fives for the next time. There's lots I could do without.

[Thickasabrick]

1. OMG....that is so sad. Good idea too. eom

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I gave change to a lady today

and if I had my food inside my cabin instead of the trunk would have given her a banana as well

I prefer to do the food than the money, but that has to do with a few things I know due to EMS

[babylonsister]

3. God, that's sad.

She must be one of the people who should be blamed for this economy. :eyes:

Victims being blamed for sinking economy
by Jaime O'Neill | March 2, 2009

— from the San Francisco Chronicle

"The poor are not just living off the crumbs from the rich man's table, they are being asked to put the crumbs back." - David Bryer, Oxfam


To hear some radio talk show pundits tell it, the responsibility for the world's current financial troubles can be laid at the door of Alycia Robertson's 12-by-48-foot trailer. That 30-year-old domicile Alycia lives in sits in a trailer park in Oroville (Butte County), one of thousands of American towns where poverty grinds the townsfolk, and where the media cliche of "Main Street" absorbs the pain generated by the problems on Wall Street.

The scenario mounted by some of the blame-casters these days is that too many people like Robertson were given loans.

Outfits like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, along with legions of big bankers, were forced by Democrats to dole out debt to deadbeats like Robertson, a 63-year-old widow who has never been without a job, who has raised four children, who stands less than 5 feet tall, and who, along with others of her class, are now being saddled with the blame for collapsing the system because of misguided social engineering designed to aid the poor and generate votes for Democrats.

According to this oft-told talk show tale, the loans to people like Robertson had the lamentable side effect of sinking capitalism as we know it, and issuing in a vast socialistic bailout for the beleaguered free marketeers who were struck low by government interference with their otherwise sage and prudent money-lending policies.

So, according to the right-wing mantra, if you want to affix blame for the abysmal state of the economy, you need look no farther than places like Oroville, where lots of hardworking poor people drift by boarded-up stores on Main Street, and shop frugally at the Wal-Mart out near the city limits.

Robertson recently filed for bankruptcy, joining millions of others who could not meet their obligations. And, in their failure to pay back what they'd borrowed, they sank the boat we all were floating in, or nearly sank it, forcing government bailouts with every taxpayer still afloat reluctantly manning a bucket.

So it's the people like Robertson who are the villains in this piece, according to Limbaugh & Co. After a lifetime spent working as a certified nurse's aide, raising those aforementioned children, and doing all anyone might have expected of her - paying bills, paying taxes, keeping a home, bringing in a salary, meeting her mortgage payments - she found herself widowed, sweltering through the debilitating heat of a summer in the Butte County foothills in a tiny mobile box, with the wheels off, but no air conditioner to turn on.

more...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/20542

[shanti]

4. funny you should post this

i saw SO MANY people out last weekend with signs, way more than usual. sad...

[Donnachaidh]

5. Jeez -- where was this?

I think I'd be stopping my car and digging out what I had if I saw something like this. But we ARE going to see this more and more.

Welcome to the New America. Bow your head in shame. :cry:

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Intersection of Aloma and Semoran in Winter Park, Florida.

It may be just outside the city limits of Winter Park in the unincorporated part of Seminole Cty?

[DIKB]

19. Wow, 12 years ago I lived there

Casselberry to be a little more specific. I just cannot imagine it atm.

[AllieB]

28. I was just in Central FL and saw a lot of people begging.

FL has been hard-hit by the real estate bubble. My parents winter down near you about 1 hour from Orlando on the coast. They said that there are a lot more homeless than a few years ago and churches and soup kitchens are having a hard time keeping up.

[leftstreet]

6. America, Fuck Yeah!

[rcrush]

7. I used to have a stack of free meal coupons at various fast food restauarants.

I'd get em from my work and some of us would pass them out to homeless. We'd trade passes to various fast food restauarants and always have like 50 or 60 left over.

[liberalmuse]

9. I gave to a guy the other day...

He had a cardboard sign basically reaming the corporate bankers. Smart dude.

That's a good idea. I rarely carry cash, but when I do, and if I see someone on the corner with a sign when I'm stopped, they get it.

[wildflower]

10. Thanks for this; also carry food

Food that transports well, as well as other items that would be beneficial, depending on the season and how the weather is in your area.

[tangent90]

11. A lady with a small child came up to me as I got out of the car at the store yesterday

and said "I am so embarrassed to ask you but we just moved here and are waiting for food stamps to start, could you spare any change?" (more or less, from memory)...I have no experience with folks begging, it has been virtually nonexistent here as far as I know, but she seemed sincere. Checked my wallet and found 6 dollars (I rarely carry more than about that much in cash) and handed them to her. She thanked me and walked away toward some other shoppers in the parking lot. Then I went in the stor and did my shopping...when I came out she came trotting up to my car just after I got in and repeated the same story! I said "Lady I just gave you my last six bucks a few minutes ago." She looked at me in surprise and apologized. Told my SO about it and he said she was probably a professional panhandler who finds it easier than working. Bottom line is I don't know if that's true or not...nor do I care really. She looked perfectly healthy so maybe I was suckered but after I thought about it I decided that if somebody's willing to beg in public, they deserve a little help even if they're not sincere.

So what do you guys think? Was I just being a dumb sucker?

[Donnachaidh]

15. No -- not in this economy

I've seen too many people standing in line for county services who looked like they had never had to do this before. It's a strange time we live in.

Better for you to have given something than to turn a blind eye because someone else is cynical. Good karma for you tangent.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. It's always going to be a risk.

Someone who use to do it professionally wrote about his experiences, and yes, there are people who take advantage of the situation. Some, however, are obvious cases. Handicapped, or, like the woman today wearing Goodwill clothes and obviously toothless.

[Sal Minella]

18. For Six Dollars ($6.00) you did the right thing, sez I, or at least what I woulda done.

I'd rather someone else think me a fool than know myself to be a skinflint.

[MajorChode]

35. As someone else said, give to legitimate charities

The vast majority of street beggars are running some sort of scam and no matter how good you think you are at judging them, you simply can't tell by appearances.

If you feel guilt, volunteer at a local food bank and you will see genuine need and suffering and you can do something about it. Giving money to someone on the street is counterproductive.

[tangent90]

36. I like that answer, thanks!

:toast:

[2Design]

21. I go with my gut - when I see someone - I put out to the universe the question

is this someone I can help - if my gut gets peaceful and/or I hear yes - I go with my gut

[tblue37]

31. One very blustery winter day in 2007, very cold, with freezing rain,

I was coming out of a Walgreen's drugstore when a hard luck looking man and woman approached and asked for money for gas. I had a few dollars on me, so I gave them all I had.

Truth was--I guessed they probably wanted it for booze, but it could have been for gas. And if they needed it for gas, I would hate to have refrained from helping out of cynicism.

My feeling about it, in general, was that if they were desperate enough to be out in the awful weather begging for small change, they needed it more than I did, no matter what they really "needed" it for, and if they were spending it on booze, well, then, I hoped they enjoyed it and that it warmed them enough to make their time in the cold and wind and rain worthwhile.

[Sal Minella]

37. Yes, this is what "giving" means imo. After I "give" something, it's no longer mine

to control and I don't worry about it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

41. The fact that she did not recognise you suggests she was on the level.

You were not 'targeted' by her, or she'd have remembered and avoided you. She probably was ashamed enough that she couldn't really meet your eyes, too embarrassed to 'see' you. Psychologically, it's a way of denying what she was doing.

[dysfunctional press]

12. sorry- but i don't give out cash along the roadways...

it's dangerous for the people to be there in the first place, and there are a lot of scammers- a few years back here in chicago there were bunches of mostly hispanic women in nurses uniforms at a lot of intersections on the west/northwest side, supposedly collecting money for charities.
it turned out that they were scammers.

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. I know a guy, first hand, who begs at gas stations with a car full of kids

Bright smile, nod to the car full of kids and people will give you cold hard cash to get the kids home. He makes long distance trips 500 miles or so and panhandles at half of the gas stations he sees. While there, he either gets his tank filled for free or takes in $40 to $200 per gas station. On a 500 mile trip he grosses almost a grand and spends maybe a tank or two of gas.

Nice work if you have the stomach for it.

[Cronus Protagonist]

13. They make $30-70 an hour doing that

They should donate to ME! But I can't afford a car right now, so maybe I'll try to take in a few more suckers myself. Maybe I could also then afford to smoke, drink and have a drug habit.

http://archive.mailtribune.com/archive/2006/0113/local/stories/01local.htm

BEGGARS DEFEND LIFESTYLE
Couple fend off public ire following news article
By DAMIAN MANN
Mail Tribune

ASHLAND — Sudden notoriety and public condemnation have surprised an Ashland couple who make a living as panhandlers and refer to themselves as "affluent beggars." Jason Pancoast and Elizabeth Johnson, who have three children, think the public has been taken aback by their unconventional image of a well-fed, well-dressed family that lives off the streets. "What has happened is that we’re going along with a lifestyle that you couldn’t imagine we should have," said 34-year-old Pancoast.

A story in Sunday’s Mail Tribune about the couple, who sometimes make up to $300 a day and once made $800, triggered an outcry from local residents and sparked the interest of national media. People in downtown Ashland have yelled at Pancoast and threatened him since the story was published, he said.

Angry e-mails and letters to the Mail Tribune and freelance writer Jennifer Margulis have described the couple as tax evaders, bad role models for their children, "common thieves" and abusers of a food stamp program designed to help people temporarily down on their luck. Pancoast and Johnson said they receive $500 a month in food stamps.

[DemBones DemBones]

17. It's better to give to good charities than to panhandlers.

Most communities have food banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, etc., that can use contributions to help the poor. Of course you can also give food to panhandlers.
If they don't want a banana or a peanut butter sandwich, you know they're not really hungry.

[tammywammy]

23. I never give out to panhandlers,

I will buy them a sandwich but not just give them money

[Wednesdays]

24. It's a sad commentary on our society when

jobs offer so little in monetary compensation that people are better off begging in the streets! :banghead:

[Carni]

20. Have to ask WHY AREN'T YOU GUYS CARRYING CASH?

OK-- I NEVER do this, I don't usually lecture and while I find this story about the struggling older lady horrifying and appalling there have been so many responses from you guys talking about never carrying cash.

Let me just say...you know those BANKS and credit card companies who all SCREWED US? Well they collect a merchant fee from the merchants on every debit or credit card transaction you make(we used to pay the SOBs anywhere between 1.5 and 3 percent over the course of 20 years)

Don't pay these damned banks, carry cash... whether you give the 1.5 percent you are not giving to the banks to people in need -- or not.

The banks don't deserve these fees and the merchants would love to not have to pay them (you can imagine how that adds up)

In addition these SOB/cc companies are tracking every purchase you make (and credit card companies are now *profiling* also which is quite special.

I commend everyone who helped the lady in the OP, but I just had to rant about using credit/debit cards-- forgive me and carry on! (donning flame suit!)

[Wednesdays]

22. delete

posted in the wrong place

[Donnachaidh]

25. I agree with you totally

I have a debit card that I use to pay bills. But I carry cash, and use it, because I don't want to be nickeled and dimed to death by the card companies. That money DOES add up.

We've been hearing about how Republicans are *starving the beast* - ie government - but it should be noted that people who regularly use credit and debit cards are FEEDING the REAL *Beast* -- the companies that are taking our economy into the tank. It's time we started to STARVE that particular beast by refusing to give them those nickels and dimes.

[Carni]

26. What burns my butt...

When we were in business we used to totally bum out when we would have a job over a grand that was paying off--we would need the cash flow (it takes 48 hours for that money to get into your account as a merchant) and then the customer would pull out a debit card. What is really crap is... according to *merchant rules* you cannot offer a cash discount to customers--if they want to go after you, they can pull your merchant account away from you and no one can opertae a biz without taking credit cards. (grrrr!)

These banks SUCK!

[dysfunctional press]

27. i hate having a bulging wallet, for one thing...

and as long as the merchant happily accepts my debit card- i will be happy to use it.

btw- you don't suppose that that card fee isn't already figured into the prices, do you...? nah- couldn't be...:eyes:

[femrap]

29. You're right....but I did find a

Visa offered by US Bank headquartered in Minneapolis that gives money to the American Indian Relief Council when I use the card. I think alot of people just carry 'debit cards.' I don't think there is a fee for this.

I don't like to carry alot of cash. But I keep lots of change and a few dollar bills in my car. I wonder if I can get $1 coupons for Wendy's...they have a nice 'value meal.' I love their double stack for 99 cents. I refuse to give McDonald's any money.

Are there any Fast Food Chains that do anything socially responsible???

I hate banks as much as you do....leaching idiots!

[RebelOne]

34. I never carry cash. I purchase everything with my debit card.

My bank has never charged me any extra for using my debit card. In fact, I am able to save with it. Every time I purchase anything, the total is rounded off and the money put into my savings account. So, give me another good reason for carrying cash.

[tblue37]

30. I have sometimes circled to return to a person with a sign that seemed

especially poignant to me. Hungry people--especially hungry vets--break my heart. I drive to McDonald's and order a meal and a drink and return to the place to hand it out the window.

[The Backlash Cometh]

32. I thought about going back.

But there was more than one reason why I couldn't head back.

[Le Taz Hot]

33. The same thing is happening here.

I pretty much know who our regular homeless are (how sad is that to say?), but I've been seeing a lot of new people that just don't seem like they belong on an intersection asking for money. I don't have enough money to donate but I do donate produce from my yard and homemade bread (even though, technically, it's illegal to donate the bread).

[The Backlash Cometh]

38. What's your recipe for homemade bread?

I've been wanting to give that a try for sometime.

[Le Taz Hot]

39. Here ya go.

French Bread (Breadmaker)

1 C + 2 Tbs. Water (luke warm)
1 Tbs. Butter
3-1/4 C Bread flour (bread flour is just finely-sifted flour -- you can do this yourself and save some money)
1 Tbs. Sugar
1-1/2 tsp. Salt
2-1/2 tsp. fast-rising yeast

Add water and butter into breadmaker bread pan. Add flour. Add sugar and salt to a corner of the bread pan. Make a “bowl in the flour and add yeast. Set to “French.” Makes 1-1/2 Pound Loaf.


If you don't have a breadmaker and think you'll be baking lots of breads/rolls, it's a great investment. If you're limited in funds I find them at thrift stores all the time. The breadmaker just saves you lots of time in kneading, rising, kneading, rising, baking. You basically throw all of the ingredients in (in the right succession), let the breadmaker do the baking and in about 3-1/2 hours you have a loaf of bread that cost you less than 50 cents a loaf.

If you're not partial to white flour and would rather use whole wheat, basically you just add more liquid (2 Tbs butter and 1-1/4 cup water) as the wheat flour is dryer.

[The Backlash Cometh]

44. thanks!

[Jennicut]

40. I gave gas to a young woman who had nothing left at a Stop and Shop

parking lot in January. It was 7 measly bucks. She looked to be only about 18 or 19, 10 years younger then me. She got some gas so she could get home. Helping others is part of being human.

[Freddie Stubbs]

42. You would be better off donating to a local charity

There are a lot of people who panhandle who do it as a substitute for working as opposed to being on hard times. Most communities have food banks: http://feedingamerica.org/

[The Backlash Cometh]

45. Every charity I have donated to, has been written up in the paper for

some scandal.

There was a police charity once, The Vietnam or Am Vets. And when we went to donate all my mother's clothes to a local charity organization, it was in January and we walked in the warehouse to find tons of kids toys, still wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. They had never been distributed.

[2Design]

46. I don't give to charities anymore - give direct or not at all

they have overpaid ceos - when I read that elizabeth dole was making $500,000 when she headed up the red cross or whatever it was she headed up - that was the end of the one

the red cross would not give tornado victims money for a new place because they had insurance - not telling they would not get that for months and needed something right away - a fellow worker had given to red cross but when he found out one of our colleague was in this situation - he said he would have rather given the money to him directly

[hunter]

43. Even if they are "scammers" they're generally not the sort of people anyone would hire.

That's the crux of the problem. You've got a lot of people with drug/alcohol/nicotine addictions and/or mental illnesses who are not employable in any ordinary context. Begging is simply what they do because there are no social services to keep them off the street, or the limited social services available can't deal with the most unpleasant aspects of their addictions or illnesses.

I'll often try to get to know the regular homeless people I run into, and most of them are unemployable under any circumstances. Effective public programs to help them out would be very expensive. What do you do with a schizophrenic person who stands on the street corner chain smoking and yelling obscenities at passing cars? The terrible reality within their minds is never going to correspond with any socially acceptable reality.

I once asked one of our more obnoxious homeless street people if he felt safe, and he said he did because he "knew people" who would "take care" of anyone who messed with him, and then he lit off with a disturbing, delusional and paranoid rant about people who were out to do him wrong. He was still going when I excused myself, and he simply turned and continued ranting on in the direction of another homeless guy, apparantly mute, who was sitting nearby.

My own grandma got to be sort of like that, but she had managed to work all her life and had a decent retirement income when she lost her marbles entirely. She fell in her shower and a neighbor's 911 call brought an inglorious end to living independently in her own house. She fought off the police and the paramedics for several hours kicking and biting and screaming like a cornered animal.

The ordinary people who continue trying to live within the stark social darwinist and fuck-headed puritanical mores of this society usually do their very best to be invisible when they are spit out onto the streets by our cruel and inhuman economic machinery. But hunger will drive the proudest dog to beg.