So i was recently thinking about how people told me money doesnt matter all this garbage. I recently went to a seattle mariner game and there was at least 10 bums on the street i saw. It reminded me of a story from a few years ago.

I must had been 12-13 at the time and i was with my parents, i went into the bank with my mom and dad and this lady was outside with her kids crying, her kids were 5 and 8 and they were sitting outside holding signs saying please donate homless.

People were giving this lady so much money, one guy must have given this lady 1000$. Her kids were kinda crying and it was sad so we gave them some money.

Well this lady must had banked 5000$+ min. We were coming outside QFC which was right by the bank and going to get some food at a burger king right near washington mutual (Before it went bankrupt.)

Now were in the drive thru and i look over and see the lady who had been outisde the bank. I was watching her and the kid jump into a brand new mercedes benz. She then drove off with thousands of dollars she had scamed using her kids.

My dad later told me she took it futher on another day and stood outside in a busy intersection and held signs with her kids and people would stop and give her money.

If anything i learned this bitch was a disgusting excuse for a human being, but i also learned these bums are actors most of the time, and with all the welfare, healthcare, free food, section 8 housing list goes on, i dont feel its my job to give them money. I pay my taxes that is a gift enough so they can sit and get free money without working while they pop out babies.

Tell me if you have ever had a similar situation to mine.

Never had anything similar to that. But I always give money to bums. The way I see it, one day I might be the bum.

Pay it forward.

Stop giving them money. Maybe some food or clothes will be enough. I also heard about a similar case, and starting than, the only thing that i really do for them is to give some food.

I never support a hobo with cash! If i feel sorry enough, then I will give them some food...otherwise my general outlook is that they must pick themselves up and DO SOMETHING

I'll give money now and again, but usually I give them what they are asking for: food. Sure, this may not be what they really wanted, but they put it on their sign, so I give it to them. When I was in Texas there was this guy in a wheelchair that would be all around Westheimer Parkway and I bought him food on a couple of occasions. One time I bought him some Taco Cabana because it was close by lol; I made sure to give him water because he was out in the sun and soda would only dehydrate him lol. Another time I had bought a medium pizza from Pizza Hut b/c I had the munchies, but I only ate like two slices because I hate pizza lol. So I was driving down the side of I-10 and there was this chick asking money for food. So I stopped, gave her the pizza, and left. Then I remembered how salty a pepperoni pizza is so I turned all the way around and came back up to her and gave her a couple of bottles of water I had in my car. I warned her they were warm, but figured it'd be ok since I hadn't drank out of them. =] IDK....Feels more fulfilling when I actually know the money will go towards something of real value to a 'homeless' person.

after working at a food bank for two years i can tell you there are a lot of posers out there. people would show up with booze in their back pocket while claiming to have nothing.

people would turn down jobs, because welfare was/is easier. they always had cash for drugs, booze, smokes, take-out... but just never enough for food.

Originally Posted by sidnettwo

Never had anything similar to that. But I always give money to bums. The way I see it, one day I might be the bum.

Work in a fast food chain, work harder a little compared to the rest and in 10 years you can be the manager there.

It is harder not to earn money than making money.

I understand if someone is hungry and you give them food (that's what I do) but asking for money and you giving it just like that that's not helping them...

.

I have traveled all over the world. I have seen real poverty, and yes, beggars that are not just holding signs on a corner, but are clearly disfigured and living in a society that has no safety net, the weak perish. In some of my travels I even joined some of these homeless for a few days. Those people were truly abject impoverished because of the country they lived in. They were smart, had some skill, but were just in the wrong place with nowhere to turn. Kids that were begging in the streets I learned to give food or candy to, rather than money. Food they could eat (and they ate it on the spot everytime), while money was often taken back to their parents or their orphan pimp.

Here though, in the 'developed' world, I have ZERO compassion for anybody begging in the streets. Beyond my lack of compassion, is the hardline lesson that they need, which is to stop begging. The more you give, the more it encourages them to continue in that path. Think about all the BH stuff you have done. You would STILL be doing it if the money source you were doing it for didn't decide to stop paying you for those methods of bringing leads/sales etc. Right? It sucks I know, but after that, you had to smart'en up a little bit, grow, and maybe even improve. It wouldn't happen if it all went business as usual. Well it's the same for bums on the street. They are making a choice to reject the systems of welfare that have been put in place to retrain, reintegrate anybody out there back into a decent life. There are dozen of other support groups as well to help with this process.

There is a real difference between poverty here, and real poverity in other parts of the world which I have witnessed and taken in. Those people had absolutely nothing with zero opportunities in a countries that cares little for them, and more so for their own power. I didn't pour out a ton of money on those people, but I gave them enough to help them through a month, and I spent time with them. Those people do deserve some compassion. Not everyone is born with a keyboard in their hand.

Developed world bums, get off the streets, get a haircut, go to the local soup kitchen and/or charity that collects clothes and get something nice and clean, head over to the local jobs markets, the welfair office, and do whatever it takes to have a taste of human dignity return to your life. Then come to BHW and learn how to make some real money.

I dont care if the bum has kids or not...... I give money to people who look truly uncapable or unable to get a job. Since ive narrowed who I give money to, there are not many people who truly fit that description.

Overweight 50year old alcoholic?-Get a fucken job you bum!

Skinny ass, long haired 70 year old man with half a leg gone and crusty shit on him?-Fuck.... heres a dollar bro.

I agree theres a lot of scammers out there. If you go to Penn Station or Port Authority in NYC you'll get approached countless times by the same scam. I'm broke and I need 1 more dollar to buy my fare home. Translation: I'm a drug addict and you look like a sucker. I never give money to these people unless I've got money out already and they are really persistant/annoying. Then I'll pass them a dollar just to get rid of them. Its much better to give the needy food, that way it can't be used for drugs or a brand new Merc like the OP's story.

I like the bums that have a dog. The sign usually says "please give and help this dog". Fuck the smelly homeless person, we need to help that dog! :-)

I've got a long haired Shih-tzu. My sign will say "please give to help my dogs grooming needs"

Never forget the story. Guy in new york was a regular bum begging for money. One day an office worked recognized him and saw him getting into a Porsche. The next day this women saw him again but this time he was arriving in it and parking. She watched him for a whole week and reported it. Turns out, he made his money panning for $$, drove a Porsche and was living the high life in NY city. It was in the local papers. Amazing. And he is not alone.

Originally Posted by pucky

Never forget the story. Guy in new york was a regular bum begging for money. One day an office worked recognized him and saw him getting into a Porsche. The next day this women saw him again but this time he was arriving in it and parking. She watched him for a whole week and reported it. Turns out, he made his money panning for $$, drove a Porsche and was living the high life in NY city. It was in the local papers. Amazing. And he is not alone.

it's possible.. its all about traffic once again

4 Beg per minute (takes 2 seconds to ask, maybe 5 seconds for someone to give) = 240 begs and hour. Assume a 10% conversion @ $2 a piece mean average and you got yourself a $48 per/hr job. Just doesn't come with the status.

I've been scammed by the "i'm out of gas" routine once when I was younger.

I used to live near Cleveland and yes they have the professional beggars there too, driving away in new Lincoln Town Cars at the end of the day.

Pan handling should be illegal. Most of it are scams by lazy people.

Sounds like she is blackhatting fools to me, respect.

I'm a big fan of ethical theory. Anyway, if you don't want to give money to the homeless, that is your choice. Just like if you don't want to give money to children in Africa. It doesn't mean there is a good reason not to do so. Now "maybe" giving to the homeless would be bad if the money would otherwise be going to a more beneficial cause, but that's usually not the case.

Yes, some people do scam others for charity. However, here are some things to consider. Firstly, the evidence shows people generally feel good about themselves when they help someone. They don't know any better so their life arguably has been improved to some degree. Now I don't agree with the practice of scamming for money as it's likely hurting the other homeless more than anything.

Next, people accuse beggars of being lazy and/or drug addicts. I had never thought of it this way, but a professor said "Is it better to give them money for drugs, the only thing that keeps them living and gives them any happiness, or let them die?" I'm a crass person so sometimes I say the latter, but it's interesting to consider.

Now knowing that "some" people are exploiting the charity is not sufficient grounds for failing to be charitable. The principle of "giving to the homeless" will still be beneficial if adopted by everyone. Think of doctors and surgeons who save the lives of patients. A significant portion of their patients probably drag the world down and if they died, everyone would be better off. They can't fully determine this and they generally treat people because of rights (pssh), but even so, you need to save everyone to ensure that the people who need and are worth saving get help. Maybe something else comparable would be racism. It turns out 90% of race X are bad workers (cultural explanations due to exploitation or whatever, calm down), but the 10% of good workers shouldn't be written off.

Mental health issues prevent many homeless people from working successfully. And also they have no income to fall back upon. They are usually not properly educated so they don't know how to manage money effectively. They'll work or beg to get three meals a day, perhaps also collect recyclables. Given the difficulty of the weather, constant standing, moving, etc, they will burn calories and require more food. They also need to find areas to use the washroom that they won't get kicked out of (or caught by police). Any job needs a clean employee and sleeping on the street means you need to shower every day. More time taken up. How are they going to be on time without a watch or alarm clock? With charities overwhelmed, they can't always find a room or simple benefits. And some of them aren't even smart enough to know how to look for help. If I go find an animal and place food where it can't reach, it might constantly keep trying to get it. It's stupid and I'd be cruel. Yet people like to pretend there aren't "less than bright" human beings or that "stupid people don't deserve sympathy." Simply not true.

Now I don't give to homeless people because I don't feel like it. It's not a good excuse, but I don't need an excuse because nobody is forcing me to do it. At least I'm honest while 95% of people will pretend they're being a morally righteous person by refusing to help starving people.

That said, I'm not sure what the ethics would be in relation to poverty and the homeless. Some might say those with a lower income shouldn't have to give because it's the rich that could easily help the homeless. I sympathize with the notion but the arguments against it are usually better.

As someone with depression, I might be happier homeless than working minimum wage. Certain jobs just don't make me miserable because you're treated badly, paid badly, and provide a useless or harmful service. Now if you're lucky enough to get a low paying job that has a point, it's a little better. But it's still likely to be mindless and repetitive. I'm doing IM partially to ensure I don't go insane and jump of a cliff because the manager at Starbucks or something wouldn't let me have Friday off.

I definitely sympathize with the dog point. I know dogs probably don't deserve to be saved over the lives of 100+ people, but if there was split decision required to save either 100 strangers or a dog, I'd probably go after the dog. They are just so fuzzy and cute.

I was a drug addict for nearly 15 years and found myself homeless many times and find this story disgusting. Had it not been for the kindness of strangers I may have not made it out!

When I lived in Orange county, a neighbor told me about a guy that begs around one of the freeway exits by LAX, He's a Multi Millionaire, and has a multi million dollar house.

I gave out a free lunch coupon (really free no purchace required) that I had gotten for a fast food place I don't like.

thats about the only thing I'll give out.

I've tried to get some of the begers to do some work for me, but they are too lazy or don't have access to a computer.

I've heard all kinds of sob stories, some real, some I've asked a couple questions and found major holes in the story.

Can't they go to the library and use a computer there?