am I Cold hearted or what???

[14pilot]

Best sign I ever saw was one this guy had outside my office. He worked the same corner for 2-3 years.

Sign said, "Why lie? I'm out of beer and cigarettes."

Never gave him a dime, but I chuckled every day leaving for home.

[d69chris]

+1 for: Food YES, money NO.

Doesn't help to yell anything, people don't listen when you yell.

Use to take lunch to a guy John that hung out under a bridge on my way to work. One day he wasn't there and I gave it to another guy. He was proud to inform me that he was a registered hobo. The next day the litter from the lunch was all over the ground. Never saw John again.

[AZCamaroFan]

You never know with these people. Plus they all claim to be 'veterans' . It use to be you'd feel bad because maybe they were in viet nam. I saw a guy in the WalMart parking lot a couple weeks ago and i'm thinking , well at his age(probably 50 tops) he must have enlisted, because he's not old enough to have been drafted.

[Iroczlover]

my husbands best friend works close to a busy intersection in a Major town. (again close to a walmart)
he saw a middle aged man at 5pm, go to a car ( a nice looked almost new BMW), get out a bag a clothes, go in to the store next door & come out in a 3piece suit.

WHAT THE HECK?????

[14pilot]

LOL !!! The fake Vietnam Vets used to be all over. Guys younger than me dressing the part. Now I was 13 y.o. when this war ended, so how in the hell could someone younger than me be a Vietnam Vet? Hmmm...?

[Ivas]

When the panhandlers ask me for money as I am leaving the grocery store here in Fontana, CA , where beggars hang out (super different from Oakland , CA where there are beggars everywhere, even right in front of your apartment building or at the bus stop on the corner) I know they want to buy cigarets or beer, so I hand 'em a cold beer. No cigarets, thass goin' too far...

[68/2010]

Originally Posted by Iroczlover

Went to walmart today & saw a boy (no older than 23 maybe a couple years younger) holding a sign, "Family in need, Please help & god bless" next to the main road going in to walmart.
Well at the other stop sign closer to walmart must of been his GF about the same age, holding her own sign "Please Help Family in need, 2 1/2month old twins"

My comment to my daughter was If I was in the mood I would tell them to go GET A JOB.

Heck McDonalds is always hiring, in our town & so is burger King. they keep people in their jobs because most of their staff is SRs in high school Heading out to the military or better jobs.

Am I wrong to Want to yell at them, to go get a job?????

No, We have them at all our Wal-Marts,Sams etc. It's old and the sad thing the ones really needing help can't get it because so many of these other ones that collect money because they don't want to work. Don't feel bad at all.

[68/2010]

My husband gives them food instead of money and if they don't take it they aren't that hungry.

[AZCamaroFan]

The time that made me sad was a couple years ago. I walked out of Barnes and Noble a little after 8pm. There was a man in his early 70s to one side by a trash can. I walk out into the parking lot, look back and i see he's gone to the other trash can and he takes a sandwich out! Now this guy was fairly clean cut, didn't look at first glance like he was on the street, but he was carrying an athletic bag, i guess all his belongings. He didn't ask anyone for anything. But that really made me feel bad. I kept thinking i should go back and take the guy to a shelter or something.

[TOMS1SS]

With all the welfare and food stamp programs out there its hard to believe for me that even these people don't take advantage. They're probably asking for money that will be used to purchase drugs. Most of these people are pretty rotten to the core and should be avoided completely. We all have responsibility for our own circumstances when it comes down to it at the end of the day.

[hotrodsally]

I live in Las Vegas, one of the cities which were Ground Zero compliments of finanacial meltdown created by wrecklessness, incompetence, greed, and stupidity by investors, corporations, regulators and consumers. There's no shortage of blame to go around.

There was a lot of collateral damage - jobs lost, businesses lost, homes lost, lives in ruin. For people outside of the hardest hit areas of Michigan, California, Florida and Nevada, this might sound anecdotal; for those of us who live in these communities, we are only beginning to see a slight improvement.

Jobs are still extremely hard to come by and state, county and local governments are cutting services, headcount is being reduced, and staff hours are being cut in an attempt to address budget woes. This mess is far from over.

My point is this: I see these people on the street and I see my neighbors. All I can think is, there but for the grace of God, go I.

Through this mess I am one of the fortunate ones who has not lost their job nor had their hours nor their wages cut; I haven't gone hungry or cold. I've been fortunate enough to be able to buy a $35,000 car 2 months ago.

So when I see these people on the street corner, I'm willing to bet a buck or two that they'll put my contribution to good use. I don't question the quality of their need; their need is enough. I think of this as a deposit to an account that I pray I'll never have to make a withdrawal from.

You have to live in your community. You never know when you might be dependant on the generousity of others.

Just my .02

[PETRA]

Originally Posted by hotrodsally

I live in Las Vegas, one of the cities which were Ground Zero compliments of finanacial meltdown created by wrecklessness, incompetence, greed, and stupidity by investors, corporations, regulators and consumers. There's no shortage of blame to go around.

There was a lot of collateral damage - jobs lost, businesses lost, homes lost, lives in ruin. For people outside of the hardest hit areas of Michigan, California, Florida and Nevada, this might sound anecdotal; for those of us who live in these communities, we are only beginning to see a slight improvement.

Jobs are still extremely hard to come by and state, county and local governments are cutting services, headcount is being reduced, and staff hours are being cut in an attempt to address budget woes. This mess is far from over.

My point is this: I see these people on the street and I see my neighbors. All I can think is, there but for the grace of God, go I.

Through this mess I am one of the fortunate ones who has not lost their job nor had their hours nor their wages cut; I haven't gone hungry or cold. I've been fortunate enough to be able to buy a $35,000 car 2 months ago.

So when I see these people on the street corner, I'm willing to bet a buck or two that they'll put my contribution to good use. I don't question the quality of their need; their need is enough. I think of this as a deposit to an account that I pray I'll never have to make a withdrawal from.

You have to live in your community. You never know when you might be dependant on the generousity of others.

Just my .02

[RubyCamaro]

My father-in-law worked for a long time with a program that took in truly homeless folks, housing them giving them job training & found them permanent housing & jobs, if they would stick around long enough. He would stop & talk to folks with those kind of signs & offer to take them to the training/housing site. Most of the time, they refused because they were realy not homeless at all.

[Iroczlover]

Originally Posted by RubyCamaro

My father-in-law worked for a long time with a program that took in truly homeless folks, housing them giving them job training & found them permanent housing & jobs, if they would stick around long enough. He would stop & talk to folks with those kind of signs & offer to take them to the training/housing site. Most of the time, they refused because they were realy not homeless at all.

I really dont think they were homeless, i didnt see the babies, so I dont even know if they had kids. I know if I had two babies I wouldnt be standing out on a street corner, I would be home taking care of them.

I just think they thought it was a good Idea. I mean this generation of kids are GIVE ME.
I even see if with my own two.