Comments on: on panhandling

By: Shieldmaiden96

Shieldmaiden96 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:29:04 +0000

There was a pretty cool homeless guy that used to hang out down by Macy’s (when it was still open) on Peachtree. (Wheelchair, no legs–if you see him say hi for me.) When I would stay at the Residence Inn I’d make him a breakfast sandwich and hook him up on the way to my meeting.

By: muskrat

muskrat — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:22:17 +0000

Johnny V- Thanks for the interesting link! Guess I gotta move to Denver and find a nice corner. At least the scenery and temperature are good right now.

AKing, Glad you’ve been lucky so far. The knife thing–not all that funny at the time.

Leigh, You’re very kind. My McDonald’s experience is my one and only attempt at buying food for someone like that.

By: leigh

leigh — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:39:22 +0000

growing up in austin, i saw this a lot. whenever i was asked for money, i’d offer to buy them a burger. if they refused food, i figured they were full of shit, which most of them did.

By: Acorn King

Acorn King — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:08:26 +0000

I hate aggressive vagrants, luckily everywhere I’ve lived they’ve been pretty cool. In NY they’re pretty passive, in Connecticut they brandish tennis rackets, and in LA you’re in a car so fuck-um.

Can’t believe that guy pulled a knife, it would have been funny if it was one of those trick knifes that collapses when you stab with it.

By: Johnny Virgil

Johnny Virgil — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:17:55 +0000

I always read stuff like this.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/24/020301.php

When I worked in Albany, I used to watch the panhandlers take the bus in in the morning and leave at night.

By: muskrat

muskrat — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:35:39 +0000

Augusto, I agree about its being sad. A few of us actually served breakfast to a bunch of these folks at a mission on Father’s Day weekend a few months ago. They were kind and appreciative; no one tried to knife me.

AG, that’s funny…especially about the pouting!

Harlin, I think many of these folks get more $ than we expect. They go where the tourists and students are and look sympathetic.

Rickey, thanks! It’s so hard to purchase underpants.

By: Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:21:31 +0000

You sir, have large spiky balls.

By: Harlin

Harlin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:35:24 +0000

Well before Reagan, came Kennedy and Ike. If you are looking for an administration who started poking holes in housing mental health patients. Today, it is estimated that 70% of the homeless would have qualified to live in a sanatorium. Why do you think our prisons are busting at the seams? I work with these folks everyday, most are harmless, but are a drain the federal/state budgets. Very difficult for them to conform to everyday life and its challenges. Sad really, and I often wonder how/where they find the funding for alcohol and cigarettes.

By: avatgardener

avatgardener — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:21:23 +0000

lucky lawyer lambastes lazy loafers.

Homeless hombres harass harried hungry half-lawyer

pathetic painted panhandlers push pre-law past point of politeness. pout.

By: Augusto

Augusto — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:24:14 +0000

I find most homeless are just that because they are wildly unbalanced…and violent…and whatever else afflicts them.

Sad, sure. my fault, most assuredly not. Do I care? A bit. Enough to donate money to the the social worker at my church who has professional training to determine those that will respond positively to assistance from those that will abuse those who give assistance.

I think my attitudes were formed largely in the 1980’s during the Reagan administration when he decided that it was a waste of taxpayer dollars to care for the unbalanced in institutions and half way houses where people could help them make sure they take the medications that made it possible to deinstitutionalize them. I would see the sad souls bereft of their medication wandering the streets so out of their wits that they were just simply an unstable mess.

Heart breaking indeed.