Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.
But look where the Rambamis today!
My God, yes! As excited as I am for the long Memorial Day weekend, I just remembered that it’s the start of the aggressive panhandling season on the train. "Ladies and Gentleman, I am a homeless Vietnam vet…blah blah blah…just got out of prison…blah blah blah…
And, of course, the ones who cross the street, stop you, and then try to pretend they’re not asking for money. Right, it’s 1230 am, you crossed the street where the 7/11 is and you decided to stop me and get in my face because you’d like to discuss the Brahms symphony I"m listening to while walking to the train after work!
No, they shouldn’t be begging in the first place. They dont need the money, except to buy drugs or booze, etc. Food is readily available.
Dead for 880 years?
Maybe he’ll get better…
He certainly can’t get worse. 
He’s not hungry, and he needs no gasoline.
And they know that it’s easier to hand them a few bucks than to fiddle with the pumps for a few bucks worth of gas. So if they ask for gas, they might still get the money.
Given all the accounts of people asking for gas and then turning down the gas, I’d say they’re relying on that chance.
You don’t owe jackshit to beggars/homeless people asking for money. I’ve been asked numerous times, and never give them anything. In many cases they get verbally abusive if I don’t give them anything - and in some cases I have come close to getting into physical fights with these assholes. Junkie scum-bags.
Agreed - I’ll have to use that line sometime. I’ve got a ten-year old car that’s a piece of shit (appearance wise) at this point, but still runs well.
My gut reaction is not to want to "support’ drug or alcohol abuse, but I think those things are health issues, not moral turpitude. Affected people can’t stop until they get to the bottom and get a good motivation to do it. If somebody lies to me to get cash and then uses that cash on drugs, it’s a bit less money that they have to obtain by illegal means like burglary or shop stealing.
None of these social and health issues are easily fixable. In general, it is a better idea to support the organisations that are trying to help in an effective way, but if someone is “out there” in real need of help I’d feel better not judging and rejecting them than I do about losing a couple of dollars to a scamming fraudster. Begging is not legal here, and we have good universal social security, so it’s not a common thing to have to deal with. I was quite shocked when I travelled to Europe and saw so many people on the streets and begging. Then it wasn’t a question about helping all of them, so it became easier to pass everybody by. Here, I assume people are really in dire straits to resort to asking strangers.
I give these people gas gift cards, then I find out if their story is true.
I’ve traveled all over the U.S. & Europe, and have seen beggars everywhere. Many of them are just lazy & entitled scammers who are just trying to rip you off with a sob story. Anyone that thinks that all US beggars are really down & out is an incredibly naive & clueless person:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/beggar-scams-kentucky-town-article-1.1275097
“Most” is probably correct. Ergo, there are some that are not scammers. Anyone that thinks that all US beggars are scammers is an incredibly jaded and callous person.
Well, they dont need the money for food. So, if they say so, they are lying, which makes them a scammer.
And by giving cash to beggars, you encourage them to beg, instead of seeking out other avenues. Some get angry and aggressive when no cash is forthcoming. I had a co-worker in SF that was sacred to death as a homeless guy followed her for blocks, demanding cash.
I don’t think that all US beggars are scammers. However, despite being unjaded I’m still callous, and thus (does mind trick gesture) not the mark/donor they’re looking for.
Are you referring to me? If so, I don’t have any opinion at all about US beggars, I’ve never been anywhere there (which includes whichever specific “there” your links all refer to, they do identify a specific location, don’t they?) and I made no pronouncement about all of anything. That would be as clueless as pulling out a few links and stating that that indicates that there are “many” of anything on that basis alone.
My husband put together some backpacks of helpful supplies to have on hand to give to some homeless people who tended to be near his office - including some McD’s certificates.
They were all thrilled.
I’ve been hit by the “gas money” thing a few times. I’ll hand over a couple of dollars; I figure if it’s real, it’s helpful; if not, oh well.
Fight my ignorance…what’s the big deal with socks?