[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by DavieJ89

I say we cut off the handouts and make people work for what they want. I'm sick and tried of standing in line at Smith's and seeing the lady in front of me with 5 kids between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, pay with wic and food stamps while she calls one of her baby daddies on her iphone 4, and drives off in a brand new Escalade, and speaks ZERO english, while red blooded, red meat eating, hard working Americans like me are paying for it

One thing you will find out in life is as a young white male you will be the most discriminated class of people on this planet. If you are hungry, you will starve. If you want to go to school, you will pay for it. As you know, both of my friends from Phoenix are minorities. They both got college paid for free and clear because of it. My friend Sonny is a Native American. He got to go to school in New Mexico for free where they provided him with everything including room and board. He managed to get a job working in Page, AZ with a starting salary of $70,000. The catch is you have to be a Native American to go to the school. Our tax dollars are paying for this, but we do not get to reap any of the benefits of it.

[unf0rgiven6262]

Originally Posted by DavieJ89

I am so sick of the homeless people in this town LVD I swear

The next person who comes and asks me for any money is going to get cussed out so royally, the FCC is going to have to put me under arrest

Its bad enough my hours got cut, theres slow moving mopeds everywhere, and my bills are increasing, the last thing I need is some mooch trying to get MY MONEY that I WORK FOR off of me

Homelessness is a serious problem in Vegas and I think the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Clark County all need to get together and address the issue

Seeing all the poverty and sadness and general laziness of a lot (not the majority, but a lot) of people in this town has turned me Republican LVD

If I ever register to vote in Nevada, Im planning to register as a Republican

This is one reason America is going broke. All these government handouts like food stamps, wic, welfare, etc, etc, etc.

I say we cut off the handouts and make people work for what they want. I'm sick and tried of standing in line at Smith's and seeing the lady in front of me with 5 kids between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, pay with wic and food stamps while she calls one of her baby daddies on her iphone 4, and drives off in a brand new Escalade, and speaks ZERO english, while red blooded, red meat eating, hard working Americans like me are paying for it

It does get irritating at times but you do have to remember not to just group everyone together. Circumstances could quite easily leave you or I homeless. If you think it's hard getting a job now, try with no address, dirty clothes and spaced out because you haven't eaten in a few days. We judge now but we would both be begging for money if all other resources were exhausted.

The government assistance is out of control. There are masses of people defrauding multiple agencies and having kids for paychecks. I'm not making assumptions here, I saw it all over the valley when I was working with these families. I checked to see if I was eligible for food stamps and even though my income is extremely low I did not qualify because my 2004 car is worth too much. In any case, it's quite unfortunate because there are people who really benefit from such systems without abusing it. However, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the feds just shut it all down since it's turned into such a nightmare.

It is strange living in a country that's so PC that it can't even get a grip on an illegal population because it's in fear of how it might look. You better believe if you're living in Mexico or any other country illegally that they're booting your ass out of there. Canada has no tolerance for that either. Here we have people not only here illegally but flaunting it and demanding that their rights be upheld in newspaper articles and TV bits.

[pommysmommy]

Originally Posted by DavieJ89

I am so sick of the homeless people in this town LVD I swear

The next person who comes and asks me for any money is going to get cussed out so royally, the FCC is going to have to put me under arrest

Its bad enough my hours got cut, theres slow moving mopeds everywhere, and my bills are increasing, the last thing I need is some mooch trying to get MY MONEY that I WORK FOR off of me

Homelessness is a serious problem in Vegas and I think the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Clark County all need to get together and address the issue

Seeing all the poverty and sadness and general laziness of a lot (not the majority, but a lot) of people in this town has turned me Republican LVD

If I ever register to vote in Nevada, Im planning to register as a Republican

This is one reason America is going broke. All these government handouts like food stamps, wic, welfare, etc, etc, etc.

I say we cut off the handouts and make people work for what they want. I'm sick and tried of standing in line at Smith's and seeing the lady in front of me with 5 kids between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, pay with wic and food stamps while she calls one of her baby daddies on her iphone 4, and drives off in a brand new Escalade, and speaks ZERO english, while red blooded, red meat eating, hard working Americans like me are paying for it

Circumstances could make anyone of us homeless. True that many people choose homelessness due to lifestyle choices but I don't think we should assume that all homeless people fall into that category. I think we lose our soul when we lose our compassion.

[tijlover]

And what are the shocking statistics?

75% of Americans are two paychecks away from being homeless. And a couple of my co-workers are one paycheck away.

[KiwiKate]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

This is kind of funny:

Meticulous squatter plugs in TV, does laundry at couple's home - KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTN V.com,Action News .:. (http://www.ktnv.com/story/14774316/meticulous-squatter-plugs-in-tv-does-laundry-at-couples-home - broken link)

The folks who own this property are in my Sun City Anthem ceramics club. Apparently the squatter knew the neighbors and they kinda turned a blind eye on his comings and goings next door. The news story is correct though -- he did no damage. Could have been a lot worse. The owners are sort of enjoying their celebrity since the outcome was good.

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by pommysmommy

Circumstances could make anyone of us homeless. True that many people choose homelessness due to lifestyle choices but I don't think we should assume that all homeless people fall into that category. I think we lose our soul when we lose our compassion.

So true, but also unfortunate that we do not have the filter to let us know who is and who isn't. So, I can see the annoyance. You want to help, but there are so many scammers out there too. A few bad ones can ruin it for all the legit ones, to the point where one does not even notice any of them anymore.

[unf0rgiven6262]

Originally Posted by kimba01

So true, but also unfortunate that we do not have the filter to let us know who is and who isn't. So, I can see the annoyance. You want to help, but there are so many scammers out there too. A few bad ones can ruin it for all the legit ones, to the point where one does not even notice any of them anymore.

The legit ones are usually minding their own business or spending hours collecting cans. Those are the people I'd have no problem walking up to and handing some cash to.

[tijlover]

Let intuition be your guide. I was never bothered by panhandlers when traveling around dirt-poor areas of Central America, but I know a poor, needy person when I see one. Riding the chicken buses down there, that was my chance to give to those in need, when the fare collector would come down the aisle of the bus, and I'd say, with some poor person sitting nearby: It's on me! Gee whiz! What's 50-60 cents anyway!

The worst panhandlers are the silent ones I encountered in India. They never say anything, just stand there with their hand out, but once you lock eyes with them, you're done for! You simply can't resist giving them some $!

The verbal panhandlers in this country could learn a lot from those in India, and probably rake in more $ every day!

[lyra33]

It doesn't make me angry. I pity the person who has so little love of life that they settle for begging to survive. Even if they supposedly make some bucks...there is no way I would ever want to live like that. I think it's a very sad life. And it's not like I see the streets lined with them. It's random. I rarely see them out by me but recently saw (1) man begging near the best of the west shopping center off of the 95 and Rainbow.

Once a practically toothless women, skinny as can be approached people "in" an In-n-out with a note asking for money. Sorry...I could not help but feel complete compassion for her. Her begging is a symptom of her life and circumstances. There's always going to be a portion of society who don't fit into the norms, even if we all go on a crusade to cut any help to the poor. Personally I would rather someone beg for money instead of taking it by stealing. They ask for it...and those of you who don't want to give..don't give. Get your satisfaction out of that. There's no reason letting something eat away at you if you have no way of changing it. Instead focus on the things you have power to change in your life.

[quixotic59]

Why is it that people get upset with beggars and the homeless, who for the most part, are not hiding anything and showing you their true selves? Yet, we tolerate, and sometimes even revere, the wealthy, many of whom, are stealing from us every day. Is it because they shower on a regular basis?
I try and focus my anger on people like Wall Street traders, unscrupulous bankers, hedge fund managers, owners of oils companies, Countrywide Mortgage and the like.
If I am inclined to give a homeless person or a beggar money, so be it, if not, I just continue on my way.
I find some a__ hole blasting his loud obnoxious rap music in my ear from his car much more upsetting than the few words mumbled by a beggar. The beggar's aural assault ends by my walking two steps. The boom box boy can stay with me for miles.
The other question we have to ask is why there are so many homeless and beggars that they impact on our consciousness. Maybe if we learned to share a little bit more as a country, rather than hoarding what we have and always trying to "get ahead", this would not be such a big issue. I for one would sleep a lot better knowing that some of my tax dollars helped a Katrina victim, or a Joplin resident rather than financing tax breaks for Exxon or a war in Afghanistan.
It's like when I worked as a dishwasher/busboy. Before that experience I had little regard for service personnel and didn't worry about tipping. Since then, I find that my level of compassion, and tipping, is slightly augmented by my appreciation for their working conditions. Having had my moments of quiet desperation, I can't really summon up the rage against those less fortunate than myself.
Now, if you want to discuss the Richie Riches of the world and their extravagant waste, I would be more than willing to throw down!!

27 days til las Vegas!!!