Panhandling - When is enough enough? (Houston, Katy: oceanfront, crime, townhouse)

[marksmu]

Originally Posted by crone

As I have said here before, we lived in an apartment at the corner of Walnut Hill and Central Expressway in Dallas. Every night we saw a van full have their dinner break and make the shift change locations. These are the ones with the hand lettered signs written on cardboard.
Someone came in a nice van, brought fast food dinner and a 12 pack of beer. They sat in the shade behind a building, then all but 2 got in the fan and went to the next intersection. We saw it from May until we got into our house in November.
It is a job.

I also lived in the apartment complex behind Gradys (dont know if its still there) at Walnut Hill and 45 when I was in college....there was a thin woman with frizzy hair and an overweight man who begged on that corner every day. Both of them lived in the same complex as I did and walked to "work" at that intersection every day. They owned an Acura 4 door sedan at the time. On Saturday/Sunday I worked at Grady's and every Saturday morning they would come into the restaurant dressed quite nicely eat a $30 or so lunch, have a couple drinks and then go home and get ready for "work"

Its far more common than most people think. I dont give to any beggars...if someone really needs off the streets there are literally thousands of low paying jobs that anyone, no matter their history, can get. The people on the streets flat out do not want to work. I don't shed a tear for any of them.

[feufoma]

Why give money to people asking for it? I never will understand. If they truly need help it's available. I'll never forget the guy by Houston's Galleria. His sign read:"Why lie? I need a drink." Out of all he deserved a penny or three for being honest. Otherwise, tough luck.

[Oleg Bach]

Originally Posted by feufoma

Why give money to people asking for it? I never will understand. If they truly need help it's available. I'll never forget the guy by Houston's Galleria. His sign read:"Why lie? I need a drink." Out of all he deserved a penny or three for being honest. Otherwise, tough luck.

There is this grand old building across the street..here in Toronto. The bottom is a strip joint- the top floors are little rooms that are filled with welfare folks..The get an average of about 5 hundred and 80 dollars a month - plus all the free mind numbing pharma product they can swallow..paid for by the government. I found out that these meager rooms rent for 5 hundred a month which leaves them 80 bucks..most of them smoke which leaves them nothing as far as money for food.

Even if they did not smoke or drink they are broke in about a week...leaving the remainder of the month for them to go to food banks for expired garbage not fit for the dog...Some of them panhandle..they have no choice...The system in my estimation slowly kills these people off..every year they take out about 3 bodies. "Help is available" - I don't think so..the system does not really have evil intent..it is what it is..and as for those who despise this sub-class- don't worry- they are killing them off slowly..It's a kind of sweet - kind genocide..It's amazing that their free health care ensures a steady supply of hillbilly heroine and other weakening substances...Here in Canada what appears to be socialism is human storage...These people have a life span of around 15 years less than the average.

Without hustling up a few dollars they would be eating old pasta with a fine ketchup sauce. These are the white anglo grandchildren of what was the working manufacturing blue collar class...and with jobs off shored to other nations with cheap labor...This culture has become useless to the powers that be- so they store them till they die.

[crone]

It is not so much that people are reduced to begging. J

ust like people here always refer to the media and I wonder what media. There is The Inquirer and the Christian Science Monitor, Jerry Springer and Bill Moyers. Define beggars.

I'm mostly talking about scammers.

In the book "What the Dog Saw" the writer follows some street people and how the system deals with them. Clearly, many mentally unstable and/or substance abusers can be productive given the correct kind of help. If a person needs medication daily, that need to be supervised, even rich folks.

The book told about putting these people into efficiency apartments with a social worker onsite 24/7 to see that they stayed on their meds. Doing that enabled them to work. But we would rather keep the jailers, cops, EMT's and emergency rooms busy. It was way cheaper and productive to provide housing and a social worker.

[Katy4life]

Originally Posted by Oleg Bach

No person is worthless. If you imagine that only those who have money are of value and those that don't are not...then it might be you who have worthless values. Professional beggars who do it for a living are to be avoided....If in your good judgement someone approaches you who clearly is sincere...give them a little something...There are days when I have extra cash and am not under strain...I take pleasure in giving a bum a couple of buck...difference being - I usually know which of the poor are legit and those that are weasels. Put simply - I only give to those I know.

You mention the problem is with the "people giving it" - what would you do...? Create a law that makes it illegal to give beggars money? Beggars are like strippers or dancing girls in ancient times...Beggars have around for thousands of years...It's not some new phenomena that sprung from a poorly managed welfare check.

They are worthless. They contribute nothing to society. They have no one to blame but themselves for the poor decisions they've made in their lives. I do not feel sorry for these people and you should not either. There's help out there for them if they so choose. I help provide that for them with taxes. I will not give them cash to fuel whatever vice that landed them in their situation.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by Katy4life

They are worthless. They contribute nothing to society. They have no one to blame but themselves for the poor decisions they've made in their lives. I do not feel sorry for these people and you should not either. There's help out there for them if they so choose. I help provide that for them with taxes. I will not give them cash to fuel whatever vice that landed them in their situation.

I don't think they are worthless, all I meant to say by creating the post is that there are just too many of them in Houston and it is becoming a problem I think. I was not judging them, at least that was not my intent. No one is immune from possibly becoming homeless, however. Many former millionaires end up broke and homeless, but for the grace of friends and family, have a place to call home. Think Lindsay Lohan, Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman, and on and on.

There are the people who put themselves in that position via bad decisions, then there are those who were victims of circumstance, and then some who cannot help themselves. If you have kids, no means of income, and are truly living in the streets, or car, you will beg too unless your pride is more important. If one is too proud to say they will never beg, then that person is one who really has problems. No one is above begging.

I recall several years ago, I was at the old Taco Cabana that used to be at Crosstimbers and 45; there was some dude hitting everyone up who drove into the parking lot, he approached me, but I waved him off. He just went to the next person. I knew this guy was running some sort of scam, I was just surprised he did not say he needed gas for his car, that is one I hear often at a gas station!

As I was eating my meal, I saw him come in and order. He was fumbling trying to order correctly, and had to get water instead of coffee. I was actually surprised, he was ordering food and not beer! But then I saw something else that just knocked me down a few notches. After he was done ordering, he motioned for someone to come, it turned out to be his wife who came up and he said he did not have enough for a coffee for her. Then they went to sit down. That is when I realized they had two kids with them, and one was just a little boy about the same age as mine, the other a little girl.

I felt really bad, here only 15 minutes ago I was ignorning the homeless beggar, then I realize he was trying to feed his family, and of course, the connection was the little boy. After my meal, I walked over to the woman who was now picking up the order and I gave her the cash I had on me which was only about $30 bucks. Had I not seen the true circumstances, I would have lumped him in with all the other corner panhandlers. I did more out of guilt than being a good samaritan, however. 'Just saying, ignorning them is one thing, but I would not say they are worthless.

[glorplaxy]

I wish we could be more like India and place these worthless, disgusting pieces of garbage in a special societal caste which would make it legal for contributing members of society to beat them, spit on them, and discriminate them from participing in regular society at all!

Better yet, let's use tax money for something great for a change and throw all of these people onto a man-made island off of the coast of Galveston along with illegals and anyone who has ever been to jail and starve them until they eat eachother. Then we can just shoot the last two in the head. :-)

[crone]

Can someone please help me out with some information, please?

The church I attend has a system in place for getting people on their feet. It also joined with a group of other churches to expand their outreach. My church has a settlement house in the local community. I am familiar with NAM, a group of churches and individuals on the northwest side of town who help get people going again. There are like organizations in the other areas of the county.

For years I was at my church on a daily basis. Sometimes, folks would just show up needing help. The people in the building at that minute got them what they needed. We got them, sometimes at our houses, temporary housing until we could get them permanent. We got them food, clothes and into our system to get work. We stayed with them until they were able to manage again.

Are these systems still in place and just overloaded?

[desertsun41]

Originally Posted by glorplaxy

I wish we could be more like India and place these worthless, disgusting pieces of garbage in a special societal caste which would make it legal for contributing members of society to beat them, spit on them, and discriminate them from participing in regular society at all!

Better yet, let's use tax money for something great for a change and throw all of these people onto a man-made island off of the coast of Galveston along with illegals and anyone who has ever been to jail and starve them until they eat eachother. Then we can just shoot the last two in the head. :-)

It's amazing that we can not curse or attack others with words in this forum but extreme hate towards our fellow man like this post is allowed. I can find better justice in North Korea.

[nervouslaughter]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

It's amazing that we can not curse or attack others with words in this forum but extreme hate like this post is allowed. I can find better justice in North Korea.

I'm pretty sure lots of the posters on this forum, or any forum, would not be as brash or open about what they say behind a computer versus saying it in person. Their opinions may not differ, but their bravado would. My take is, if I wouldn't say it in person to someone's face, I won't say it online. Otherwise, you're basically a coward.