aaronrkelly

Today, as I was leaving my local Wal-Mart, I saw a man leaning up against an old truck. On the tailgate of the truck there was a big sign saying "my family needs food and gas can you help"

The guy did not appear to be happy to be doing this. None the less, the first thought in my mind is - damn dude go mow a yard or something. However, after some more thought I cant help but thinking the guy wouldnt be doing this if he didnt have to........he must not have had any other option. In this day and age I find it hard to believe that he couldnt go get aid from the nearest human services (welfare). Of course some people cant bring themselves to do that but shat, this guy could have - hes basically wearing a sign asking for help.

Whats your theory on this. Is he doing what he has to in order to get by? Or is he just being lazy?

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HappyCamper

Well, I think he's being lazy in two ways...

He's too lazy to get a job. Maybe he doesn't have the skills necessary to get a job, or maybe there just aren't any jobs out there...but he's also too lazy to go to the welfare office.

But you never know his situation. Maybe he has to do it because he's not eligable for welfare or something. Who knows. Honeslty, I'd think that it'd be harder to ask for money from people at Wal-Mart then from the Government....but maybe I've got it all wrong...

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stereomod

IMO i strongly disagree, i personall have seen first hand what it is like to get handouts all my life!

I kinda feel sorry for the SAP , you know maybe he is having ti hard up right now! now for the family part of it!! heres a question "would you do the same IF you were in his shoes? I see stuff like that all the time around here and its kinda depressing personally! you never know what will happen until you hang around and take a look!

hmm this has kinda got me thining about stuff

Rob

Wow, touchy subject.

Well, let me begin with a story. My little bro' sorta fell off the right track right out of high school and never really took his life in any one direction. He had no love of school and just wanted to work. He tried auto body repair; however, the paint gave him heart problems so he started in construction. If you've ever worked in construction (and I have, too), you know that they have two sorts. He fell in with the bad and luckily, came out of it with the love and the help of his second wife (the first one is nothing but a crack whore, but I'm digressing here). They have two boys, one from his first marriage (to the crack whore) and one from them.

I'm originally from an extremely low-income area where after 35 years of working at a chemical company, my father ended up as a computer repair specialist making only $20.01 an hour, which is considered really good. My brother just got a responsible job working for a great local company that very well could have put it's headquarters closer to civilization. The company owner got his start working out of the back of a Volkswagon right across the street where he now has his multi-million dollar warehouse.

Yet, the money still isn't that great with what some of us make living in larger cities. Heck, my hometown has a grand population of 420 and I graduated high school in the 80's with only 12 other kids in my class! He basically needs assistance from the state in the form of medical cards for his children to see a doctor and some food stamps and reluctantly accepts it only as a means to care for his family...yet, he's working in a job that's considered good pay.

Recently, he got a $.10 raise an hour. This put him over the maximum salary limit for state assistance. He now has no medical coverage for his children and cannot afford the coverage through his employer. He's sort of inbetween a rock and a hard place now, and it's all because he got his life straightened out and is trying to care for his family. When the state assistance office called him in to tell him that he can no longer apply for state aid, do you know what our wonderful government told him? He told him that his wife either needs to get a job (not only impossible due to the lack of employment in the area but also because she cares for the two boys during the day forgoing the need to pay a babysitter) or for her to get pregnant again because with three kids, he slide under the maximum salary limit for state aid.



I've seen the look that AK is talking about, both on my father's face and my lil' bro's face. It's pretty much the same look you would find on a sailor's face who has been lost overboard. Determined not to give up, constantly searching for that piece of wreakage that'll help keep them afloat; yet, knowing that at any second they will go under the surface and be lost forever. It's a terrifying situation to be in having a family that depends upon you for the basic necessities of life; food, water, and shelter. Love is no problem because they've got it in abundance. However, love won't quench your thirst, it won't stop your stomach from rumbling, and it certainly can't keep you warm at night.

What love will get you is a swallowing of a person's pride when they must hold their hand out and ask their fellow man for help. It's hard, especially in small town, middle America where a man is judged mainly by their ability to provide for their families. I feel that it takes more courage to accept a handout from a stranger than it takes for me to strap on my badge, weapon, and vest everyday I go to work.

What would I have done? Most likely I would have gone back into Wal-Mart, bought some canned goods and maybe a gallon or two of milk, and given it to the man. You could have handed the man $10 but you just don't know how some people will react when you give them money. He may have bought the kids some milk, but he might have also bought himself a pack of cigarettes or dropped by a bar on the way home...you never know. Giving him the food only gives him one option and that is to take it home to his family.

Maybe I am a hippy liberal at times. I'd prefer to call it compassionate for my fellow human beings. Just like my brother, I was there once and then and only then can a person truly know how it feels like.

Thanks for posting that, AK. It felt good to get a little of that out of me.

Rob

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aaronrkelly

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob I'm originally from an extremely low-income area where after 35 years of working at a chemical company, my father ended up as a computer repair specialist making only $20.01 an hour, which is considered really good. Heck, my hometown has a grand population of 420 and I graduated high school in the 80's with only 12 other kids in my class!

Wow man, sounds like my home town. I graduated with a class of 19 and the towns population is just over 700.

Ref the wage I also understand - I make just shy of $5 LESS an hour than your dad did (remember that everone, we dont make a load of money driving around in the cars with the flashy lights). Im not about to belittle others, I have been on state aid programs. For the first 3 years of my sons life the only reason he got medical care was because the great state of Iowa foot the bill - the county doesn't offer medical coverage for part time employees. One of the best days of my life was when I got hired on full time - a little over $3 an hour raise, family medical with no costs to me and vacation time. Be thankful for what you have, if may not seem like much at the time but others are worse off.

To put the wage into perspective - my uncle works at the local power plant make just a titch over $30 an hour, my grandpa retired out of John Deere with a yearly income after taxes totaling roughtly $72K...........deputies in my county make $15.21 an hour. It would be easy for someone doing what Im doing to qualify for state aid - if you had a wife that didnt/couldnt work and a few kids you would be fairly well screwed financially. Thankfully I only have 1 kid and 1 wife that doesn't work (wouldn't have any more of those even if they would let me ) and I no longer need the assistance.

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Rob

For those ex-military members that were in during the 90's...

Remember your LES statements? I actually started to get them with a message in the lower section stating that I qualified for food stamps due to my low income...and I was single with no kids!!!

Working in the military and having to file for food stamps. Unbelievable.

Sorry, slight deviant from the topic but relevant nonetheless.

Rob

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aaronrkelly

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob For those ex-military members that were in during the 90's...

I didnt even graduate high school until 1998......wow your old.

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Rob

Quote: Originally Posted by aaronrkelly I didnt even graduate high school until 1998......wow your old.

Don't worry...that kick in the n&ts didn't hurt that bad.

I was wearing my Depends!



Rob

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Wordbiker

When I lived in CA about 15 years ago, a local radio station did an interview with a "homeless" man that panhandled at one of San Diego's intersections. As it turned out, he had a 3 bedroom house in a nice area, 2 cars (although he panhandled on foot) and cleared $700-800 in cash every week. That is probably not the case with every single person that begs in public, but a good test is to offer them food. You might be surprised to find that they'll refuse anything but folding green.

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Spectrum

Quote: Originally Posted by Wordbiker When I lived in CA about 15 years ago, a local radio station did an interview with a "homeless" man that panhandled at one of San Diego's intersections. As it turned out, he had a 3 bedroom house in a nice area, 2 cars (although he panhandled on foot) and cleared $700-800 in cash every week. That is probably not the case with every single person that begs in public, but a good test is to offer them food. You might be surprised to find that they'll refuse anything but folding green.

That's what I do. If I have any money at all with me, I will buy homeless people food. You never know.

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AntiM

Panhandling has been a huge scam here in the valley and elsewhere. They had film footage of one "beggar" leaving a busy intersection with his "support 3 kids" sign and getting into a 40 thousand dollar SUV and driving off. A couple of DJ's in Albuquerque made $500 dollars apiece in about 3 hours on a busy corner wearing dirty clothes and looking pathetic.

I used to pass a guy almost everyday who carried a sign, "Must support family, Will work for food". It occured to me if he spent half the time looking for work as he did standing on that corner he'd have a job. And even with the incredibly pathetic look on his face, it was very obvious he hadn't missed many meals himself. I stopped one day and offered him a job for the day and told him I'd buy him groceries for his family. He refused, he wanted cash.

Panhandling is a crime in most states for a good reason. In the small town where I grew up, the cops simply round them up and buy them a bus ticket to the next town. If you want to do anything, give them the address of the local human services. But my advice is keep your money in your pocket and let the local authorities deal with them. And when you see the next local food or clothing drive, then let your caring and generosity show. At least that way you know you will be feeding a hungry child and not supporting some leaches drug or alcohol habit. Or buying a slimey yuppie a new car.

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godfoot

You know, I have nearly been in this position myself as I was homeless for 2 months in San Diego after getting out of the Navy due to problems with a former roommate which I won't go into. The only job I had (temporary until I could find something better) at the time was as a cashier at a frikkin Del Taco (still my favorite fast food mexican, btw). It could have been much worse for me though as I was in San Diego rather than Chicago in the middle of winter, but I had to find creative ways to even take a shower and shave since all of my belongings (most of the furniture from the old place was not mine) were crammed into my CRX Si which often served double duty as my bed if I could find a place to park it where I wouldn't get towed. I won't go into the creative ways I got food sometimes.
So what did I do? I still had access to the gym on base since I had friends still in the Navy so sometimes I would get to shower and shave there, other times I would use the showers at the beach if I could get away with it. I had maxed out my Navy Exchange credit card within the first 2 weeks just for food and gas, so I then started parking the car at friends houses and riding the skateboard (kept me in shape too, funny how I overlooked that then..... too busy trying to survive) or catching the trolley and/or bus when I had the scratch.
About half-way through the second month, I got a message on my pager (the one thing I always made sure to find the money for so potential employers could get through to me) and I called back to find that this was indeed an employer that wanted me to interview the next day. I landed the job and 2 weeks later put down the deposit on my new apartment, and that took all but $17 of my paycheck but it had to be done. I ended up moving into that apartment and getting utilities all turned on after only working for a month and a half.
I was completely humbled by this experience yet I realize at the same time how lucky I was to have gone through it. I was fortunate enough to actually have a skillset to work with, unlike many of our homeless.
It taught me valuable lessons that I could gain by no other means and in retrospect, I am grateful for having gone through it all.

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Spectrum

Double posts, sorry, I was just talking with my grandfather, and he was telling me about some beggers. Well, my family is Muslim, so we're religously obligated to a trip to Mecca, in Saudia Arabia. He's gone a few times and each time, there was the same begger, so the second time, my grandpa talked to him. He learned that the begger went there every year, and since no pious Muslim would not give him money, he made enough for the entire year during that time. No job, no taxes, just sitting there got him through a year, putting his daughter in college. People are just so lazy nowadays.

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Fu3lman

i remember when Pimprig.com was about pimp rigs....thats all i have to say about this...

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SexyPants

I was walking back to my car once and a guy comes up trying to sell me cheap jewelry. I had no use for pretty little girls' necklaces and I asked him why he thought I would. He persisted saying I could give it to a girl, I didn't have a girl (boohoo) and he finally caved in and said his wife and kid were at the Burger King and he needed money. He said he needed 8. I only had a 20.

I thought about it. Where's my money going? There's about an 80 percent chance that that 20 is going to buy a CD. Meanwhile, we're talking about feeding another human being with 8.

Meanwhile it could be feeding somebody. I was a little hungry myself so I invited him to come with me to Dunkin Donuts. I bought a donut, shelled out 8 dollars. On the way back he said, "Man, really tripped me out a little white boy like you would go through all this trouble" (or something like that) and I told him I'd just buy a CD otherwise. He shook my hand happily and went back to BK.

It was one of the best things I felt I'd ever done. I knew that I hadn't just handed out but I'd really made the guy grateful. I think Rob's idea of buying canned foods was great because it's showing that you really want to help the guy. I might even talk to him, find out his situation. Give them a human touch, and they'd really feel like they have to do something, unless they don't know how to get out, which is where talking to them helps. That's how I feel at least.

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