Those beggars really should use one of the other organs in their scam stories. Everyone knows Medicare pays for kidney transplants.
Panhandlers–the joy of living in the city. Since I live in the sticks now, I forgot how fun they are. And the stories are just downright pitiful.
When I lived in Philly I was always on my high horse about not giving to anyone on the street, especially if they gave me some sob story about not having enough money to get home.
BUT THEN, one Sunday, I took the bus from my place in the Suburbs (Bala Cynwyd) to Center City since I didn’t want to drive, park, etc. Had just my one bus token, and I thought a $10. And the MAC card. Didn’t need a lot of cash with the MAC card. Get downtown, go to buy a paper, only have a $1 bill, and some loose change, so I go to a MAC machine that decides it’s keeping my card and not giving me any money. I only have $1.40, and the bus fare is $1.60. I call friends to come get me, no one is home. I thought for 2 seconds about asking someone for 15 cents, but I knew that was the same old lame line every other bum used. So I decided to walk home. The most direct route would have taken me through some of the more, shall we say, “challenging” neighborhoods, so I decided to walk home thru the park, along the river. Hey, I can drive to Center City in ten minutes, so the walk shouldn’t be too much longer. I WALKED NINE MILES, on a hot summer Sunday. Half way home, I realized I could have just scooped 15 cents out of the fountain in the Gallery.
Just so I could stay on my high horse.
His time would have been better spent applying for medical assistance if he was legit, and even Medicare is available to people with End Stage Renal(Kidney) Disease. Methinks scam.
Lately I’ve started asking Boston people, “Who’s your favorite bum?” Without fail, if they have a favorite, it’s the same guy.
There’s this fellow in Kenmore Square who sits outside the Barnes&Noble/BU Bookstore. He just sits there, minding his own business, listening to his walkman. In his hand is a styrofoam cup.
If you ignore him, he ignores you. If you make eye contact, he’ll jiggle the change in his cup once. He’ll only ever speak to thank you if you’ve given him money.
He’s a fixture, basically. He’s there every day, and he doesn’t bother anybody.
Every other panhandler, no one really likes. But this guy, who minds his own business, probably does very well because of it.
Otto-
I know exactly the woman you’re talking about. I gave her money the first time I saw her, but the next hundred-odd times she needed a bus ticket, I walked right by.
Then I saw her in line at Jamba Juice (a smoothie joint). Definitely no more cash for her.
Are they still selling Spare Change in Boston?
Spare Change was a weekly news-ish paper written by homeless people and shelter volunteers. Some news, some poetry, some personal stories, etc. Kinda amateurish, but not all that bad. They’d hand copies out at the shelters for people to sell instead of begging. Each copy was a dollar, with most, if not all, of the money going to the seller.
I bought it every week. No scams, no sob stories, no begging. Just buying a newspaper.
Personally, I belive it’s very likely he had to have been making it up.
For the following reasons:
- It’s very doubtful that you’d raise enough money for a kidney transplant when people usally give a dollar or nothing at all to a beggar
and
- If, you in fact did raise enough money for a kidney transplant, the person would’ve died by then or near death.
Although, he could’ve been telling the truth. Very depressing if he had to resort to that if he did need it though.
People, people, people. Like myself and jmpride62 have already pointed out, Medicare pays for kidney transplants. Even for little kids. The ONLY way Medicare will NOT pay is if the patient nor any of his family members have earned enough Social Security quarters. In that case, all 50 states have a kidney fund that will pay for a kidney transplant. The only way you wouldn’t be eligible for THAT is if you are an undocumented alien. So, please, if they’re using the kidney transplant story, look them in the eye and tell them you are aware it is a scam.
I know from where I speak, I am the reimbursement director for a small chain of dialysis centers.