Had a homeless guy asking for change in DC 30 years ago or so. I gave him a 20 dollar bill and he says ‘I was asking for change’…gave him a quick headbutt and said theres your change.
In about a month there will be a million people looking for help.
Think about what we can do.
Bill
It would be great if we could parse the a$$holes from the people who want help/opportunity.
Another story from a mother of a student my children went to school with. In San Diego there’s many homeless standing on the medians at stop lights with signs going from car to car. One particulary kind gentle woman I knew had just been to the grocery store and rolled down the window and gave a bunch of bannanas to one of these guys and he says ‘what the f*** am I supposed to do with bannanas’. Donate to organizations - never to folks in person - lesson I’ve learned.
I enjoy gardening as well, that is beutiful. Living in an apartment now I don’t get to do much like that any more.
Heck, I can be “close to Chicago” in about 4 hours. Pay for gas and meals, gimme a place to spend the night and I’d help you all weekend!!! LOL
I drove a bus for over 40 years in Mass. One day a fellow driver and I were standing outside of South Station (Boston, Ma) having a coffee between runs, when a beatiful red Cadillac all decked out pulled to the curb and yelled at us to say hello.
There was a couple in this car that we knew, panhandlers for the entire time we had been driving. They had been a daily fixture at South Station…with out the car of course. We were amazed and asked how they coul affdord such a car.
They laughed at us and said we were fools for working, that they averaged $300.00/day between the two of them, paid no taxes, got gonvernment assisatance, and had just retired. They worked up North in summertime and down south in wintertime.
We had both from time to time given them money. We felt cheated.
We now donate to St Jude’s Hospital, Catholic Charities, St Vincent De Paul and Wounded Warriors. At least what we donate now, we know goes to help those in need.
When I worked in downtown Chicago there where a bunch of guys that hung aroung the train stations asking for money. Thousands and thousands of commuters would walk by them during the morning and afternoon rush. I’ll bet that those guys made a pretty good buck.
About 5 years ago the wife and I were visiting our daughter in Columbia, SC while she was attending the University there. I drove them to the local WalMart and I stayed in the truck not far from the main entrance. Several minutes passed and a new shiny black SUV Escalade with the huge tires and spinner hubcaps pulled up on top of the sidewalk near the main door then this heavy set lady came out and stood by the main doors hassling people for money. And I mean getting in people’s faces with the “gangsta” hand gestures while shaking her head at you! Who in the heck does this ding bat think she is?? I called the wife and told her to exit the store by the other doors away from this jerk. I was gonna call the cops but she eventually got in her SUV and left after just a few minutes. And while I’m watching this, a guy comes up to me very cautioulsly holding his hands up and says to me “please don’t shoot me, I’m just asking for loose change”. I told him to get lost which he did. Folks I’m not making this up.
Good for you johnnyk.
Anyone that approaches me for anything is considered a scammer. It’s too bad for the people who are in need. Most are just looking to get high. And those standing in traffic get nothing from me (unless they drove there in a fire truck/ambulance/etc).
I really don’t understand how the standing in traffic thing is allowed anyway.
T e d
Depends on the charity and location. I never donate to anything international or national, the money almost always goes into a black hole and never comes out the other side. I support my local charities I see doing work on the ground or in the sky since air ambulance is one of those I most often support. Seen way too many stories of charities claiming to be helping when all they do is print leaflets and take a salary.
Begging/pan handling can be really successful if you have the right group of people. Lots of stories of travelling families setting up rings, each family member sitting on a different street then collecting together in the evening to share the loot. Any one else tries to beg there ends up with a black eye and told to move on.
Maybe I’m a bit too skeptical but I don’t understand why you would offer someone $50 an hour for gardening and they would turn it down. Seems a very high wage to me and I wonder what else happened since the story is so brief.
There are the parking lot scammers who claim they’ve run out of gas and need a few dollars to get home. I usually tell them if they will wait, I’ll call the Police and they will help them get home. After all, the police are here to protect and serve! I’ve never had one take me up on the offer, however. [:O]
Gary
You and me both.
I’ve been scratching my head over this one for so many years.
There is a bit more to the story. Earlier that day I went to the Drycleaner. This is someone that we have been going to for 30 years. The owner told me that his business has dropped off by 85% in the past month. He said that no one brings him clothes to clean because no one is going to work and no one is going out to socialize. He had to lay off part of his staff. He said that he came here from South Korea 35 years ago to find the American dream and he was not sure if he could continue in business much longer. He had these huge tears in his eyes. I was so moved that I sat in my car and cried.
So when this guy came up to me and asked for money for his family, I offered him more money than the job was worth. Then the jackass shoved my offer back into my face!!! I should have called the cops on him.
Hello!
This topis here is no joke, there are serious thing going on right before our eyes - we see the history being written! It sure isn’t as cool as one might expect it…
Yes, the 200$ offer was generous and I wouldn’t turn it down neither. But aren’t we a little fast to judge? Not knowing the man at all? Maybe he was sick? And it could have been a bad back, it could have been a drug addiction (also a sickness) or something else. Severe stupidity - I would include it as a sickness too. But is it really your fault if you’re born stupid? I don’t say what the man asking for money did was good - I’m just asking not to jugde him so fast.
And those professional beggars - in the past they were said to be able to become millionaires. And I can understand how somebody giving them money feels cheated upon discovering they are doing so well. But I always say: if you think beggars or prison inmates have it so good, why don’t you trade places with them? Why not start begging or go to jail (free food, accomodation and services)?
I also had one dude come to me while I was shopping. He asked me to buy him something to eat, which I did. I like to help when someone asks me nicely. Well the last one was cool - I told him I’ll buy what he asked me to, and I asked me to wait for me outside. I noticed he bought a beer on his way, and I scratched my head and laughed - with the food taken care of he could organize something to flush it with…
But I wouldn’t trade places with this one - he was obviously unable to do anything productive, and that must be a sad state to be in.
I wish you all good health and good luck - we all need it a lot these days!
Paweł
Nah,I don’t Think so,if he was sick or hurt and he was a good dude,he would have said so.
I understand what you are saying. I also agree with you that there are plenty of people around that are unable to work for physical, mental, and emotional reasons .The person that I wrote this story had none of those issues. His reply was just plane rude and snarkey. He acted insulted that I offered him money in return for some simple work.
ill never forget years ago when i worked in baltimore WTC, i walked the same walk from the garage everyday. There were these panhandlers always asking for money. so one day i offer one some apples and food and was politely told, i dont want the food, i want $$. Oh well, a few bad apples spoil the barrel. The beggers here now have dogs with them because they know the cops wont take em in with a dog because of all the extra hassle of having to deal with an animal.
Great looking garden, wish I had something like tha, but we’re almost 6" below the level of water we should have so in my case everything woiuld be brown and crispy by now. I have to get my well going again soon.
People don’t even stop and ask for money now. I just tell them that I’ve been out of work for almost a month and they leave. Of course, it could be that I live several houses down from the gas station at the end of the street, or it might also be the pistol that I always wear. A duty size .38/357 magnum or tends to get their attention. Either way they leave me alone.
Sorry Pawel but I disagree with your observation. I don’t think that statement is valid. To me, this quote from the original post says it all:
He said to me, “Work??? I don’t want to work. I just want some money.”
I went by my favorite Japanese restarant last week- they were still doing take-out. I picked up a hundred dollar gift certificate at the time. Just a little extra help to give them a hand paying the rent till this mess blows over. I’d ask anyone that had some extra money you might consider doing the same for small local companies.
And beautiful flowerbeds JohnnyK! I love stuff like this but don’t have the patience to put in the work to get such results.
Your garden is beautiful Johnny. By the way, I would’ve helped you for a pizza and a bag of jellybeans.[whstl]