Panhandlers, What's a fair solution? (income, taxes, living)

[choff5]

Originally Posted by car54

The panhandling that really irks me is FCFD and their Fill the Boot crap. That should be stopped.

Agree, but it's not just FCFD. We saw it in Florida this fall by a fire department.

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by car54

I don't often run into panhandlers, but when I do, it's usually gypsies. I just shake my head and keep walking.

The exception is the wife and I's occasional theatre excursions into DC. When Reagan closed Saint E's, that put some real nuts on the streets of DC. Some of those folks are dangerous, so if giving them a few bucks prevents an attack, I'm all in.

The panhandling that really irks me is FCFD and their Fill the Boot crap. That should be stopped.

I have an issue w/the fire departments as well - I'm all for donating but then I see them drive a fire truck to the grocery store and they buy steaks!! (I can't tell you the last time I had a steak), they apparently eat VERY well

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by car54

I don't often run into panhandlers, but when I do, it's usually gypsies. I just shake my head and keep walking.

The exception is the wife and I's occasional theatre excursions into DC. When Reagan closed Saint E's, that put some real nuts on the streets of DC. Some of those folks are dangerous, so if giving them a few bucks prevents an attack, I'm all in.

The panhandling that really irks me is FCFD and their Fill the Boot crap. That should be stopped.

Just out of curiousity, do they stand at the end of intersections with buckets out, in travel lanes? The firefighters in KY did that on one of the busiest highways outside of Louisville and Lexington on 31W in Hardin County. They had a great opportunity to get run over. I think that should be outright outlawed.

[car54]

Originally Posted by The Dissenter

Just out of curiousity, do they stand at the end of intersections with buckets out, in travel lanes? The firefighters in KY did that on one of the busiest highways outside of Louisville and Lexington on 31W in Hardin County. They had a great opportunity to get run over. I think that should be outright outlawed.

Yes, when the light turns red, they walk up and down the lanes of stopped cars with their boots. They're not aggressive...if your window is up they walk by to the next car. When the light turns green, they retreat to the median until the next cycle.

They set up at many busy intersections...I have put money in the boot, but a mile or few up the road, there they are again, boot in hand. Sometimes I modify the old "I gave at the office" line to "I gave at the last light".

Anyway, I just think the whole thing is annoying to the public and puts County employees at unnecessary risk of injury.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by car54

Yes, when the light turns red, they walk up and down the lanes of stopped cars with their boots. They're not aggressive...if your window is up they walk by to the next car. When the light turns green, they retreat to the median until the next cycle.

They set up at many busy intersections...I have put money in the boot, but a mile or few up the road, there they are again, boot in hand. Sometimes I modify the old "I gave at the office" line to "I gave at the last light".

Anyway, I just think the whole thing is annoying to the public and puts County employees at unnecessary risk of injury.

Yes I know exactly what you're talking about. I see them at the Route 1, Fairfax County Parkway intersection. Seems odd for firefighters to be doing that.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

I have an issue w/the fire departments as well - I'm all for donating but then I see them drive a fire truck to the grocery store and they buy steaks!! (I can't tell you the last time I had a steak), they apparently eat VERY well

When I've seen them do "fill the boot", it's usually for muscular dystrophy---not for steaks for the firehouse.

That said, areas where the fire department consists of mainly volunteers, they do solicit donations to keep the department running.

I don't give money to panhandlers. Instead, I donate money, clothes and household goods to the Good Shepherd Alliance as well as donating food to local food banks.

[mrskay662000]

I try to ask them how they got to where they are.

The ones who mumble and go into diatribes about nothing relevant, sometimes I'll give them a bit if I sense they're dangerous. But not a 2nd time. One guy approached me in PWC at a grocery store light. I asked him how he got there. He flat out told me he just got out of jail for two years because he had an unlicensed weapon. I asked him how that happened and I forget what he said, but it didn't involve threats or brandishing. It seemed to me he just made a bad decision and was in a low place. Basically, he seemed legitimate. So I gave him $5.00 and I don't care what he used it for.

The woman on Arlington/Ffx Blvd and Pickett Road, no. I can see she has her hair and nails done professionally.

A long time ago, I was at my bank at the walk in ATM after hours. There was a young lady who was before me. She couldn't get any money out of the machine. She left and sat in her car crying and hitting the wheel. At the time, I was in my early 20s and I had spare money. It didn't occur to me to do anything being a normal shallow 20-something. Then I saw the top of a car seat in her older car as she drove away.

She's haunted me ever since and so I act accordingly.

[FireDog40]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

I have an issue w/the fire departments as well - I'm all for donating but then I see them drive a fire truck to the grocery store and they buy steaks!! (I can't tell you the last time I had a steak), they apparently eat VERY well

Your IGNORANCE is amusing. Lets break down all this for you.

1. Fairfax County Firefighters work 24 hour shifts. Fairfax County Firefighters spend THEIR OWN MONEY on their own food. No, your tax dollars do not buy food for us, we buy our own food. Most fire stations eat dinner together at night. We all put in our own money at the beginning of the day and the firetruck goes to the store, with all the firefighters in it, to get food. Sometimes we buy steaks, sometimes chicken. I am glad you are so interested in looking in our carts to figure out what we buy. Maybe next time, instead of posting nonsense online, you can come talk to one of us and educate yourself a little. We are very nice and personable. We also do this when we are in service (i.e. ready to run any 911 call). Most nights, our dinner sits on the table and gets cold, because we are out running calls. Some nights, the dinner we buy doesn't get cooked and we order pizzas or eat leftovers, because we are out running calls. Some days, I don't get a chance to eat anything until dinner, because as I walk in the door to my firehouse at 5:30 AM, I start running calls and don't get back until after midnight...

If you want more information as to what we do, please stop by any firehouse in the county and ask. You can even take a tour of the fire station, get your blood pressure checked, or we can go by your house and do a home-safety check (smoke detectors, egress routes). Or, you can just post negative, misinformed comments online.

2. Firefighters collecting money on street corners...
The MDA fill the boot campaign is a National Campaign done by hundreds of fire departments around the country.
Fairfax County Firefighters collect every Labor Day weekend to help the MDA. The event typically lasts 4 days. Every single cent collected goes to MDA. No, we do not use the money to go buy steaks. In fact, we even donate our own money to the cause. I personally keep about $20 in singles in my car during that weekend, so when I am stopped at a light, I can donate. No, I do not modify my response and say "I gave at the last light," like some have already happily posted.

First, read this:
Fairfax County Fire Fighters Hold Record-Breaking Fill the Boot for MDA | MDA


Then, read this:
"The funds raised from Fill the Boot helps to provide comprehensive health care services to families served by MDA in the local community including medical care at MDA clinics, assistance with equipment repairs and needs, support groups and a special summer camp for children ages 6 to 17. It also helps to fund vital research in the search for treatments and cures."

All the money stays local, which gives local DMV children the opportunity to get medical care, equipment and go to the MDA camp in the summer.

I assume none of you have ever met a child with Muscular Dystrophy, nor have met the family of the child. Well, we have, and we see the pictures from camp, and the wheelchair that they got through this drive and we see how happy it makes them, and we see the burden lifted off the parents shoulders. We see the kid gets to be a kid for once and not have to worry about life with the disease.

And you know what? It makes standing on that street corner, in the summer sun for 8 hours, with steel toe boots on and dealing with rude people who think we use the money to buy steaks all worth it.


I really hope this clears up some of the misconceptions you all have about the fire department. If you have any further questions, feel free to stop by your local firehouse and ask away, we will be more than happy to help you out with anything you need. We are on duty 24/7, 365, rain, snowmaggedon, christmas, thanksgiving, birthdays, you name it.

Happy Holidays!

[Gekkota]

The panhandler who irks me the most is the guy who stands on the corner of Glebe and Arlington Blvd every weekend when I am driving to work! He's got a nice moped, and he parks it on the sidewalk far enough away that people won't know it's his. Then he limps along the sidewalk, smiling and waving his tattered cardboard sign.

I think he's part of a panhandler gang or something since I see him talking to his "relief" panhandler buddy. Grrr!

<OK, I feel better now!>

[justtitans]

Here is a video that shows that homeless aren't always doing what we expect.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBTAdI7zuY