So I was gasing up the truck this AM at the AM/PM and as I came back out to the truck a very small car drove up to me as I was approaching my ve-hickle.

We had the driver and a passenger.  THe driver did all the talking.


HIM:  "Excuse me sir, do you think you could spare a dollar or two this morning?"

ME:  "uhm, naw, surry--you see I'm married and the wife has all the cash, say why doncha ask that cat in there (points to guy at the counter) --and he's the owner too" :)


HIM:  "Actually ahh, it's not for gas, it's for electric."


ME: "Sorry bub, Have a good day"


I'm thinking to myself, ya know...we live in the best country in the world and here we have people who have the balls to ask a total stranger to pay for their freaking electric bill.

Mind you this was 430 AM.

I dunno whats happening.  I would be so ashamed of myself if I couldn't pay my electric bill.

Think about this....How much gas did they burn driving around looking for some rube to give em a couple of bucks?  Some people kill me.

Damn enviromentalist wackos and their stupid electric cars!

The same thing happened to me, only they jumped off a bench looking like they wanted to kick my ass. I had told then I would give them some money to wash my car.If I saw a weapon or they got too close I would have droped then both.

Last year at my old apt. I had a woman show up by my door at 1:30am on a weekday as I was getting out of my car.  I was immediately suspicious since I usually never see anyone out and about in the wee hours like that.

She claimed she needed money for baby formula, was new in the complex and just got a job, yadda, yadda, yadda.  All lies.  Just another crack whore looking for free handouts.  I heard, but did not see, footsteps behind me (the apt. complex had breezeways so you could walk through the buildings to adjoining parking lots or you could walk around the buildings--she came through the breezeway, whoever was with her had circled around).  As soon as I heard the footsteps, I shoved the bitch out of the way and got inside my place and locked the door and went straight for the Sig, which I should have been carrying in the first place.  I don't know if I was being setup for a robbery, but I didn't wait around to find out, either.    

The next morning later verified that no woman with a baby had recently moved in, as  expected.  I also found out that the same thing happened to another tentant on a different night and they gave the woman $20.  Idiot!  Then again, there are a lot of foreign students living around here and they would rather pay up than have trouble.  They're probably used to it from whatever country they come from anyways.

I think these types of people are learning that social engineering, coupled with a somewhat scary or threatening situation, is all that is required to get money.  It's not a "stick up" if you voluntarily give them some cash you see.

Be careful out there.  America is looking more like a 3rd world country every day.

Not always.  In my case a bum walked up to me and asked for some change at a Kwiki-Mart.  I emptied my pocket of all my change (lots of quarters/dimes - probably several dollars).  It was christmastime and, well... ya' know.  He took his winnings and immediately went down and across the street and walked right into a McDonalds - never asking anyone else for money along the way.

I still VERY rarely give to bums, but this one I will remember.

I worked as a bar manager for 8 years and seen all kinds of swindlers and con-artists.  The crack addicts would come in and try to sell stolen stuff or beg for rent money, bah, blah, blah.  

Well the one place I worked at was on a main road and we had big windows in the front with the neon beer signs and a big thick heavy steel door that had no window.  My policy was nobody comes in after 2am.  Anyone who was going to hang out knew to get there before closing or to call and let me know they might stop by.  This was usually no problem, I'd have a few drinks afterwards with my barmaids or ask a nice girl to hang after hours.  Man those afterwork nights were great!  Anyway, one night about 3am I finish all the reciepts and lock up the place.  I'm doing shots of Johnny Red with my hottie barmaids and a knock at the door.  I ignore it but they keep knocking.  I figure someone I know.  I go to the window a few feet away from the door and there's this old homeless lady that walks the road in the day.  She asks me to open up so she can use the phone.  I figure there's someone askew of the door I can't see and tell her to walk to the gas station up the road about a half mile.  It was January and bitter cold out mind you.  She says she is very sick and needs an ambulance.  Again, go to the gas station up the road.  She persists and I figure more and more she's up to something, she looked OK to me.  I don't call the cops or ambulance unless we have a brawl that I and the bouncers cannot contain.  Reason being, it causes the police to file an incident report with the PALCB which goes against the establishment and too many result in loss of license.  So she leaves.  About an hour later we are going home and an ambulance and a police car go by.  The barmaids and I drive up the road to see her being loaded into the ambulance.  She didn't make it to the gas station.  I recognized the cop from a few brawls we had and the next week I saw him and asked about her.  She had a heart attack and a passing motorist called 911 on their cell phone he didn't know if she died or not.  I still feel so horrible but I still never give to anyone like that.  Just too much risk involved.  Albeit this was my fault one incident of genuine need was denied because of all the scum in the world makes it impossible for us working stiffs to lend a helping hand less we be swindled!  

Where I live now bums aren't a problem.  But the last place I lived, Anchorage, they were freaking everywhere.  I got so sick of it that everytime one would come up to me and ask for money I'd say, sure, tell me a good joke and I'll give you a dollar.  

Or if I wasn't in a good mood they'd say "got a dollar?" and I'd say "yep, got a few" and keep walking.

I have no sympathy for bums.  Work is everywhere.  Shit happens, but being a bum and being temporarily homeless are two different things.

I don't give to the beggers...In Columbia they are at about every major intersection with the signs..homeless, hungry please help..god bless. or Vet, down on luck, hungry...bla,bla,bla..Or they have a dog with them..that really makes me mad..tug at my heart strings..but the animals always look well off...

I say I don't give..well I gave one time...the guy had a sign that said "Why lie...I need a beer"  I thought...well, he is probably telling the truth..so I gave him a buck.

medcop

Troy wrote:

To earn $60,000 per year, they would have to make over $164 per day seven days per week.  I work hard for less than a third of that after taxes.  I just don't see how $60K/year is possible.  Assuming they beg for 8 hours per day, they'd have to sucker someone out of a $20 each hour!  Troy, I agree with the rest of what you wrote, but I just don't see how someone can make that much money at begging.

Valkyrie, sad story.  The question of where to draw the line is a difficult one.  Unless I'm out of town or the person makes me feel very uncomfortable, I always offer to help.  I offer a ride back to my house to help chop wood.  I've only had a couple of guys take me up on that.  One of the guys stayed under my house for a few weeks (it's warm near the chimney), and I later found a job for him.  Last week, I helped him with his taxes, and he now makes good money working for UPS.  I'm glad I helped him, but when I mention chopping wood to most beggers, they look at me like they're terrified at the prospect of working.z

It's the funniest when there is a begger in some large mall, wearing the latest home boy fashions and listening to a new cd-player. Then the bastard asks YOU for some cash. Sure, you really need another rap CD dog, lemme help a brother out. Sheesh. [@:D]

I have been hit up a bunch from homeless people in Colorado.  To some I say, "I'm a disabled Vet, I don't give out money."  To others (in the past), I went and bought them some food. I actually gave one homeless man an Army sleeping bag/old clothes I had when I got out of the service, it was in the winter and pretty damn cold.  It does tick me off to see people who appear to be healthier than me, sit on their ass all day and pan-handle.  I've had 3 back surgeries and surgery on both wrists and still work full time ++.  My 2 cents...

Zoom,

It is true.  They had a thing on the news a couple years ago in the Seattle area.  It was not uncommon for these guys to bring in $60,000+ a year.  So, $164 a day, let's say they sit somewhere 10 hours a day that's only $16/hour.  Many people give these guys 5's and 10's thinking they are really helping out so getting 16 bucks in an hour doesn't seem to unrealistic.

When they ask "Spare change?" I say "No thanks, already got some."  You know what town is even worse than Anchorage for panhandlers? Albuquerque.  On the main drag along UNM, every other person hits you up for change.  Even clean, straight-looking people and preppie teenagers. Really obnoxious, like it's socially acceptable to beg.

My friend says it's like that because LA rounds up all their bums and mentally ill streetpeople, and give them a choice between a one-way bus ticket to Albuquerque or jail.

You have to remember, these "donations" are tax-free gifts (unless some one person gives them more than $10,000 within a year).  So they don't have to pay any taxes on the money.

Evanston, IL did a similar study, and found that of the 20 or so panhandlers who were always around harrassing students for a buck, the panhandlers typically "earned" about $40,000 per year and they ALL had their own nice apartments to go back to at night.  This was in a flyer the university and the cops put out trying to get people to quit giving so much money, since all of these beggars were blowing substantial amounts of the money on drugs.

I went to pick up some donuts before work.  There was this older bum just inside the door.  I think he was trying to buy breakfast.  As I was leaving, he held out his hand and I gave him all my change (about $0.27).  He gave me a dirty look.  What an ingrate!

I like to save all my pennies from the drive through and when I see one of those street urchins holdin' a "Will work for food" sign I drop them on the street (preferably as close to the tire tracks as possible) as I drive by.  I watch my rear view to see if they is really willing to dodge traffic and work for the money I just gave.  It just makes my day.