Rest Stop Beggars

[tedgard01]

I hope it never happens that you become one of the desperate, but I know that it can and will happen to someone out there.

If, or when it does, may you not be treated with such hate and disgust as you may have now for those you see begging out there today.

[TdogKing]

Originally Posted by tedgard01

I hope it never happens that you become one of the desperate, but I know that it can and will happen to someone out there. If, or when it does, may you not be treated with such hate and disgust as you may have now for those you see begging out there today.

Some are more educated about it than others .

[Selah2]

Originally Posted by tedgard01

True story;

An EVP of a bank in FL is making a good living and looks forward to retirement in a few years. The economy takes a downward spiral and he is told that he had to lay off most of his employees. Then a few weeks later he is also fired.

He desperately tries to find another job, and finds it is a full time job doing that.

He puts his house up for sale, only to find that thousands of homes flood the market at the same time and his house is now worth far less than he owes on it.

He knows that things will improve at some point and with his qualifications, years of experience and education that a job will be out there.

He tries to hold on but soon realizes that he has to dig into his retirement savings or lose his house. Months go by he realizes that just to hold on he has depleted all his retirement savings. His house is eventually repossessed.

In a last ditch effort to make the family feel normal he takes them out for breakfast. He just happens to go to the same place his old boss took his family out to. After eating, he goes to pay his bill and finds out that his old boss has picked up the tab. He can't feel any lower than he feels at this moment.

He has no money left, but his wife finds a job out of state, but how can they get there. After exhausting all other options he has no choice but to become a beggar.

After making their way to another state his wife gets a job. After many more months he is eventually get a job. It takes many more years to get back on top.

I know this is a true story. It is mine.

You don't have a clue until you have experienced the desperation and helplessness of those you criticize.

I hope you never have to experience what some others have to go through.

Amen!

[UFO Pilot]

Originally Posted by tedgard01

I hope it never happens that you become one of the desperate, but I know that it can and will happen to someone out there.

If, or when it does, may you not be treated with such hate and disgust as you may have now for those you see begging out there today.

What hate? What disgust? Should I give money to every person on every corner? If so, just how much should I give them? I think you are reading way too much into many of the comments. I pick and choose those who I will assist, if I miss someone who is truly in need I am sorry. Some of the posters here that you judge may give more to charities than you do. Don't be so quick to judge. Just my opinion.

[slickest1]

The ultimate panhandler I met was at Christmas time years ago. I came out of a store with my two young kids and a woman in her 30's approached and asked if I could give her a $100. because her young daughter had just passed away and she wanted to buy a nice headstone. She looked like a real druggie, and I said no and she cursed me very loudly and everyone around as we left.

Some people that we know, and they are fairly well off, raised their kids with the thought of teaching them values. Their one son seemed to be doing very well for himself without seeming to have a regular job. They worried that maybe he was selling drugs or such so they confronted him. His answer was that he was putting on old clothes and panhandling. He was making anywhere from $100 to $400. a day tax free. They were devastated and he no longer does that.

[azpete]

i travel a lot, and i have met many that struck me as in need. i give when that feeling happens.
you have to watch for scammers, at rest areas, and especially at fuel stops.
deserted stops, or low foot traffic areas are where they hang out. ive met guys that were hustled by offers of expensive watches very cheap, need to go to dead relatives, even to women for sale.
if you fall for these scams its your fault. mind your business and get on with your business. if approached by someone that strikes you as shady, or in a hurry to get you to do something, call the police or go inside and ask for the manager. these people look for the innocent lackadaisical attitudes that some display.
like josey wales says, a man has to be aware of his surroundings.
a ccw permit doesnt hurt. the roads of today arent as safe as they were, even 5 years ago.

[CampDaven]

If you offer 10 bucks and a ride to the local DSS to get help you will get no takers.

Broken system, me thinks.

I donate to charities so those orgs can do the duty.

[tedgard01]

One more comment and I will leave you to your own value systems to do as you feel is right.

I volunteer on a regular basis at my local Soup Kitchen. What is not discussed often is that many, if not most, of the desperate people you find begging out there, and especially the homeless, have other mental issues.

We, the people of the USA have chosen to turn our backs on funding for mental health, all social services, and even funding of soup kitchens, homeless inns, etc.

We have justified it be listening to the propaganda that says that these people live the way that they do because they want to. They are lazy, and have no place in our society. We no longer have, not want to fund mental facilities to house and care for the mentally ill.

We are only trying to make ourselves feel better about our choice to turn our backs on this side of life by telling each other that they are getting what they want. They could do better of they chose to.

The reason you see many beggars out there day after day is not because they are getting rich on this lifestyle. Many of these folks do not have the mental capacity to hold down a regular job.

Employers routinely discriminate against the homeless mentally ill.

Many people will go on believing the incorrect perception that this is the way that those people chose to live because it makes them feel better when that treat them the way that they do.

I know that they will never change their mind unless for some reason they find themselves in those peoples shoes someday.

May your life have happiness and prosperity for all time, because God forbid if you have to face yourself someday in the future.

[TEEGEE1997]

Originally Posted by UFO Pilot

If you are truly hungry, you will accept my offer to buy you a meal. If you truly need gas, you will accept my offer to put some gas in your tank. If you will truly work for food, you will accept my offer to weed my yard for money.

I am sorry for bypassing those who are truly in need.

I am a pretty soft touch when it comes to feeding anyone that tells me they are hungry. As for gas I usually ask the station attendant if the person is a regular at the station, if not I will offer to pump 2 to 3 gallons of gas for them. I am not better than anyone and I wish them all the best. Anything outside of food and gas my DW takes care of by making quarterly donations to five different groups that help the less fortunate. We all have to deal with this situation and no matter what you decide and why you decide it just be respectful of all and things will work out.

I don't choose to drink alcohol but I respect the choice of others to do so. One day I was in Santa Ana, CA. and ran into a guy at a convenience store holding a sign. I had to read the sign three times and I could not stop laughing. His sign said I am not hungry, homeless and I am not looking for work, I have no money and I am begging for money to buy a beer. Right or wrong I made the guy promise he would not drink it in public and I purchased a beer for the guy. This one time the honesty got the best of me. Respect and Love to all.

[wyorancher]

I don't know if they are having problems or not. Who am I to judge others? If I see a person like that when I am going into a coffee shop etc. I tell them to come in and I buy them some food. I offer no money.

[UFO Pilot]

tedgard01

I am sorry for your situation and happy that you were able to right yourself.

I live in a town that offers zero services to the homeless. Less than 10 miles north and less than 10 miles south are towns that provide a variety of services, soup kitchens, shelter, etc. The Police in town have tried numerous times to direct homeless people to those services, even offering to drive them. Once in a while a person will take them up on the offer but the majority of the time they refuse the offer. Some obviously have mental issues but the vast majority are substance abusers. When you are offered help and refuse it, whose fault is that?

We are not the cold hearted bunch that you have decided we are.

[tedgard01]

Originally Posted by UFO Pilot

Should I give money to every person on every corner?

I never said that.

I do believe that as a civilized society we could do better collectively to provide the appropriate assistance for those that are in need. Versus defunding all social services without understanding the consequences.

In the current climate, I don't see this philosophy changing any time soon. Therefore, this would be my suggested approach;

1 - Volunteer once a week, or even once a month at your local Soup Kitchen, Food bank, etc.

2 - Find a family in need in your area and see how you may be able to assist them.

3 - Talk to a local homeless person and get to know them. Make sure you have first hand knowledge what their situation really is. Then you can make an educated choice of they are making it rich off the handouts, or not.

[Dr4Film]

Over the course of my younger years growing up between 20-60 I traveled a lot cross-country via airplane. I've been scammed by the best of them in airports, restaurants, on 5th Avenue, and now even on the Internet.

I've gotten a lot smarter than them since then and a lot wiser too.

As a result, the ones that really need the help will not get direct help from me.

There are programs and other methods to receive legitimate financial help versus begging on a street corner or at the exit ramp on a freeway with desperate signs of "help".

Then during these times of war and unrest, I now see an increase of "disabled vets" sitting in wheelchairs.

When I first moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry back in November of '93, after unpacking I had a rather large bag of clothes that I knew I would no longer wear. On thanksgiving weekend I took the bag over to where I had seen a homeless living in the rear of a BofA bank. I offered him the bag full of clothes and he wouldn't take it. He shouted at me that they wouldn't fit amongst other remarks and to take it up to the homeless near Santa Monica Blvd. I left and dropped the bag off at the nearest Goodwill Center and I have been giving hundreds of dollars worth of "stuff" to them every year since then.

As stated earlier, after spending over 16 years living in LA, it changes you. I didn't stop giving I just give it in a much different way than directly to the beggars.

Try traveling anywhere in Central America or Southeast Asia and not see the millions of beggars and people living in complete poverty. It gives you a very special respect and thankfulness for who you are and where you live.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[Theluckys]

Originally Posted by SarahW

I totally agree. Scammer or truly in need, "there but for the grace of God go I."

X2.