Why do you give them money?

I've seen the same people, begging for money, at the same corners for years. Several times a week, for at least 10 years. It's their job. Even though they have a sign that says "Homeless/Unemployed", clearly this is their job and I'm sure they don't sleep on the streets. I can't walk to and from my job without several of these guys yelling at me. They know I won't pay so they get nasty with me. I try to ignore them, but they irritate me deep down. I'm working my ass off just to get by and people just give them money.

I don't understand why people give them money or why the police don't charge them with something. It's not the economy, they have been there through good times and bad. Same people, same corners. They wouldn't be there if it wasn't worth it. Since it's cash, I'm sure they are not claiming it while receiving benefits.

The loud mouth on 3rd and Union shouting "Real Change!" has been there for at least 10 years.

I got let my big heart (and naivety ) get the best of me one day.

So I was at the gas station by my house a couple of years ago. As I was getting ready to leave, some older (40s-50s or so, typical age for a contractor I suppose) white dude with nice business casual clothes and a clean haircut came up to me with this story about how he worked on base, ran out of gas and his wife had his debit card. He was like "I can even show you base ID," and he did, but it didn't look anything like a cac card or a contractor ID card I had ever seen, but whatever, I gave him the benefit of the doubt (and 5 bucks.)

About 2 months later the same fucking guy, in the same fucking clothes, with the same fucking story, asked me for money. I don't know if I was more pissed that he used my kindness against me, or surprised that he did his shtick at the same fucking gas station, not thinking anybody would recognize him. I was so mad.

I never give them money. Ever.

99% of them already got some of my money in the form of welfare beni's, why would I give them any more?

The answer is always no.

Fuck em!

The thing you'll notice about these "poor souls" is that they know exactly where the highest percentage of pedestrian traffic is and exactly what time is the busiest.

I say, if you are smart enough to figure that out, you are cunning enough to know how to get and hold a fucking job!

Nobody with the IQ of a houseplant gives them money.

For years here has been a guy working an intersection I frequent, Holds one of those "help a homeless veteran" signs.

He's there for peak traffic times. He also drives a 2012 Honda Accord that is parked down the block.

Multiple options = vote all options.

Yep, but if a performer in the Subway is REALLY good, I'll give them a dollar.

By giving them money you are slowly killing them via their drug addiction.

Beggar was fairly regularly on the corner of 11th and Market Street, Philadelphia. His shtick was "unemployed, US Army veteran." As a vet I wanted to help him out, but I know a bum is a bum (and the money would go to booze and/or drugs), and I figured he wouldn't have his DD214 on him if I asked. Then I saw him on his cell phone one day. Whatever, Barry's been giving them out to everyone that voted for him, but that really pissed me off.

One Monday, my coworker was telling me about his weekend at Atlantic City. Guess who he saw down there?

I give money to charities that will help people out, not to druggies and boozehounds.

I don't give money

99% of them are Alcoholics or drug addicts. I don't feed adictions.

Howard Stern had a great story years ago about a blind bum who used to panhandle outside the NBC building. One morning, driving in to work and stopped at the toll, Stern looked over and the "blind" bum was dirving a nicer car than Howard.

This.

Please don't give them money - very very rarely is it really legit - as in never. Usually they are just playing on you for heroine money. People are catering to and feeding Mexican narcotics trafficking when you give these people money. Misplaced "compassion" kills.

There have been times I've given guys some food or bought it for them but I refuse to give any of them money anymore.

Two times I was burned -
I was leaving my job at a shitty diner and a homeless looking dude came up to me asking for a few bucks to go in and buy some food. It was around 3 in the morning and probably around 30 or so. It had been a slow night but I'd gotten a good tip earlier in the shift and I felt bad for the dude so I gave him a $20 to get some coffee, some dinner and have a bit left over for something to go. The second he got the money, without thanks or anything, he turned and walked away from the restaurant and kept on going down the street

Another time - I was filling up on gas and this girl came up to me with her baby. She was probably early 20s or so and said she was broke after having to fix her radiator while trying to get back up to her folks in Medford. She was cute enough, fairly clean and it seemed pretty legit. I gave her a $20 and off she went. I was hoping she'd get back on the road and maybe end up passing it on one of these days.
The next day I was dropping off my SO's nephews at school a few towns south of me. Afterwards I stopped at the Walmart down there to see if they had any more ammo than ours did (they didn't). Walking out of the store the same fucking girl comes up to me saying that while she was heading north to see her folks in Medford, she got a flat and spent all her money getting it fixed up so now she needed a few bucks for gas

Not as bad but still irritating - When we were in La Jolla visiting the SO's family, a homeless dude that was begging for money or food turned down an untouched hamburger the SO's sister didn't eat...because he was a vegetarian


Feed the homeless to the hungry

Put up signs at the intersection that say "Don't Feed The Animals!"

One guy got caught on video getting out of a late model car, taking a wheelchair out of the trunk, rolling a block away and parking with his "Help a Disabled Veteran" placard.

The NYPD stopped a squeegee guy at a busy intersection, and found he had over $5,000 in his pockets.

NSFW due to language

I don't. I teach my children they are liars and drug addicts/alcoholics.

I've got enough years as an LEO under my belt to tell you that is an accurate statement 98% of the time.

We had a guy with a sign like that on one side of the street and another guy very well dressed (works in the state Senate) telling people not to give him money and just to give it to the bread of life cause with the same amount they can feed many more.

Saw a "homeless vet" talking on a smartphone the other day.

Nobody gets a nickel from me. Nobody.

If there is one thing I like about those stupid roundabouts, it's that they dissuade professional panhandlers from doing their thing there.

Winning>FBHO

With a leavening of "Go fuck yourself."

I like to turn the tables and ask them if they can spare any cash. Usually results in some kind of shitty comment from them.

The only pan handler I have ever gave money to was this one was always on High St in Columbus, near OSU main campus. The guy was more of a entertainer, and was a bit of a legend/celebrity around OSU. So much so that even though he passed away several years back, it's not uncommon to still see stickers that say his personal catch phrase "Help is on da way".

Fuck panhandlers, bums, beggers and the rest of their ilk.
Not one fucking penny.

Out in front of our Safeway we have bums who beg.
One guy asked me for a couple of bucks, I told him to go fuck himself, he went apeshit and pulled his dick out of his short pants and told me to suck it.
One thing wrong with his action was that there was another car between us with a lady inside of it.
She called the police and I called the police.

They arrested him, he was off the street for a couple weeks.

2 years ago, driving from a store, I saw an old lady who was hanging around the recycling bins $5. I've seen her before a few times and decided to do her a favor. After my favor she started talking to me and wouldn't go away. After 5 minutes of thank you blah blah blah, she left me alone.

I've learned

Poll fail. No option of "I don't give bums money."

I saw a local interview with one, said he made a few hundred bucks an hour.... FBHO

The answer is NO, do I need to spell it for you?

= FBHO

Things like that are why I could NEVER live in a big city.

ETA: Perhaps saying I could never live 'down town' is a better way of saying it.

Somebody's giving these bum's money because there's on on every other corner. Year after year. Either this is one of those rare things that all of ARFCOM agrees on, and separates us from the masses, or somebody's lying.

Although 5 people so far have admitted they were hoping for a BJ.