or just Lansing?
I was in Colorado Springs a while back and did not see ANY there.

It seems like every ramp at every highway has 2 or 3 moochers out there now. Typically holding a vague sign like "Homeless, anything will help"

They gave up on the "WILL WORK FOR FOOD" probably because some few folks tried to put them to work.

I fell for that many years ago when it first started, I felt good about "helping" the poor unfortunate. Then I saw the TV show that followed the poor girl... to her parents' house, then to the mall in much better clothes, to spend my money.

So, the other day, I am driving the RUSTY POS 1985 mind you, stop to get a quart of oil on the way to work. Have the hood up, adding oil to a rusty POS.. I see a car being pushed to the gas pump. Next thing I know a large lady is starting in on her sob story about how her dad "just" needs some gas. I said no, I am late for work, and have my own troubles. She comes back with "but it's not for drugs, you can put it right in the tank!"

Getting on my nerves now.

Literally 100 ft away is the hiway moocher ramp.

I says, look, get yourself the "anything will help" sign and go stand right over there, like many others. I am sure you will have plenty of money in no time. Now, as I mentioned, I am late for _work_... and I might have to buy a whole car, so please quit breaking my heart with your troubles."

I still see 'em collecting handouts just about every day.

Same thing in Wash. DC last spring. Old dude rummages thru the trash to get a coffee cup.... then heads off to stick it in front of people and collect mooching money.

 

It happens a lot around here, too. And, if you tell them you have some work for them and offer to take them to do some work, they somehow have some reason why they can't work right now but that if you can just spare a dollar or the change in your pocket, that would be fine...tell them you'll come and pick them up later when they are ready to work and you'll find out they can't do it then, either...just sayin'...I'm not evil hearted but people who beg for a living (and lie in the process when they hold up signs saying they will work but then not do it) rankle my feathers...


Randy C.

 

Austin Texas is over run. Every intersection is staked out. I think they work in shifts. They may collect more this way than actually working at an unskilled job.

 

Big article in paper here recently about this exact issue, telling everyone to not give these people money. This is their 'day job', and they make a killing, tax free.
The ones I find hardest to resist are the ones with their big old sweet dog laying on their lap, or at their feet, with the big sad eyes.........

... must re........sist.....

 

hi here in phx az they will go between the cars while waiting for the light to change ....and at the safeway there is this couple in there 20s methed out who on a daily thing will stop you and give the same story forgetting they saw me the day prior.. and well I always rip into them ..cant help those not willing to help themselves out ...oh yah and also they have a full name brand pack of cigs ..

 

I really got a chuckle out of this guys sign in Fresno several years ago. I gave him 5 bucks. Sign said "Why lie, need bud" LOL. Then he would flip it over it had a big smilie face on it.
Different and creative, he got alot of handouts.

 

We have them all over Indy also. Maybe I'll make a sign "Need more Oldsmobile parts!"

 

They are in Reno too. A couple of months ago, on my way to work, I see this
older guy, requisite sign in hand, in the middle of a major hiway offramp, begging for money for "food". Next day, I was a little ahead of sked and see the same guy, same sign, same intersection, getting out a very nice caddy deville. My sign would be "will work for front bumper for 65 cutlass". that oughta work, right?

 

In San Francisco, San Jose and surrounding areas as well.

The ones that **** me off then most are in SF, young guys in better shape than me begging for money. If they are handicapped I understand but some of these hippie kids are just lazy bums that come here from other states to party.

 

Similar scenario here in Florida, especially during the winter months... there is a Caddy that drives around town and drops them off and picks them up every few hours.

 

They are so bad here in FL they actually passed a law saying they have to stay out of the road, be either in the median or on the sidewalk. Figure a dollar on each light cycle (it is more than that, though) and they are making $20/hour sitting on their azzes.

 

Yesterday same deal at the intersection , young guy in the middle of the median island has his sign, sitting down, legs crossed , not looking at traffic but....................... typing on his laptop.
Today,guy always in front of the pharmacy, has his sign, "please help me yada, yada," ................talking on his cell phone!


Pay good money to be a bum these days. Not that I am going to try. I like working for my money.

 

A few years ago, I parked in front of our grocery store and walked in. When I walked out, our town bum said "hey buddy, I watched your truck"
I said "what".
He said "I watched your truck,so know one would mess with it. That'll be a dollar".
I said "a dollar".
He said "yep, a dollar to watch your truck, so know one would mess with it".
I said "OK, but you owe me five dollars".
He said "five dollars for what"?
I said "because I watched you thru the window, watching my truck, so know one would mess with you, watching my truck. Got my five dollars?
He just put his head down and walked away?

 

Love it!

 

Same guy same corner here in Trenton NJ for at least 2 years now. Yeah he takes weekends off too. Starts around 8am while people are coming into town then disappears for a while and returns from 3 till 6 pm or so when traffic is heavy pulling out of town. Never got a penny from me....

 

There's a group in my town that appears to have shifts, I say that because I watched the shift change while sitting at a light. Dude had packed lunch with a cafe latte and showed up on a nice bike which he tried to hide behind a shrub.

I also always look at their shoes, you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes and some have better tennies than me.

 

When they ask me if I have any spare change, I say "Yeah, I'm good" thanks though. Reminds me of Henny Youngman, "A bum says to me, I haven't eaten in two days! I said, force yourself!"

 

I used to work at the city bus yard. They have a commuter shuttle that runs back and forth about 30 miles to a busy travel center outside of the city. One of the bus drivers told me about these two guys that could barely afford the fare on the way out every day. On the way back into town (after a day of panhandling) they we're flush with cash. I guess it is still capitalism even if I don't agree with it.

 

When this topic comes up I'm reminded of this story from 2006:

http://www.mailtribune.com/article/2...39999/0/SEARCH


ASHLAND ' Sudden notoriety and public condemnation have surprised an Ashland couple who make a living as panhandlers and refer to themselves as affluent beggars.

Jason Pancoast and Elizabeth Johnson, who have three children, think the public has been taken aback by their unconventional image of a well-fed, well-dressed family that lives off the streets.

What has happened is that we're going along with a lifestyle that you couldn't imagine we should have, said 34-year-old Pancoast.

A story in Sunday's about the couple, who sometimes make up to &

$300 a day and once made & $800, triggered an outcry from local residents and sparked the interest of national media.

People in downtown Ashland have yelled at Pancoast and threatened him since the story was published, he said.

— Angry e-mails and letters to the and freelance writer Jennifer Margulis have described the couple as tax evaders, bad role models for their children, common thieves and abusers of a food stamp program designed to help people temporarily down on their luck. Pancoast and Johnson said they receive & $500 a month in food stamps.

Local radio talk shows have spent airtime taking calls about Pancoast and Johnson, and the couple appeared this week on a Portland radio show. Fox News also expressed interest in interviewing them.

Instead of the usual image of the homeless begging for money to buy alcohol or drugs, Pancoast and Johnson are relatively clean-cut and use their money to get a safe place for their children to sleep, a warm meal and good clothes, they said.

We're challenging the stereotype of being a beggar, said 30-year-old Johnson.

But former Ashland mayor and local businessman Alan DeBoer, who gave Johnson & 200 before Christmas, said that after learning more about the couple, he believes they are conning people ' even using their 3-month-old baby as a prop.

DeBoer said he now regrets his generosity toward Johnson and would not give her any more money.

I wouldn't, he said. I may never give anybody a dime again.

DeBoer said he would prefer to give donations to local organizations such as ACCESS Inc. that screen their clients. They have the training to verify this stuff, he said.

He gave the money to Johnson after she gave what he thought was an eloquent speech at an affordable housing committee meeting.

DeBoer said begging has become so commonplace that you find people at almost every freeway off-ramp.

You almost have to make panhandling in Oregon illegal, he said.

Pancoast, who estimates he and his wife can make & $30,000 to & $40,000 a year panhandling, said he doesn't understand why someone with the kind of wealth and influence of DeBoer would begrudge him from using the money to keep his family safe.

He said the rich in the country have certain expectations of the homeless that are vastly different from the way he tries to live.

He said that he and his wife have no assets and are currently living in an Ashland motel. The couple were staying at another local motel, but the manager asked them to leave because of negative publicity, Pancoast said.

The couple say they stay in motels because it is difficult for a family with no consistent income and three children to find housing.

Pancoast, who is outspoken in many of his beliefs, said Ashland is being run more and more by the rich who can't tolerate different lifestyles.

Pointing to the expensive homes on the hills surrounding town, he said, Is this community theirs or is it ours?

He said DeBoer could do more for the homeless if he found a solution to the affordable housing problem locally.

Pancoast, who admits he has a different perspective on reality than most, said he would like to get a job and stop living off the street.

Ultimately it may seem like a cakewalk, but it takes a lot of energy to deal with it, he said. We have to stay on the run usually.

Pancoast and Johnson said getting jobs would mean sacrificing time with their children.

Patty Claeys, chief executive officer of ACCESS, said all parents would love to stay home with their children, but the reality is that most people have to work to support their family.

While she applauds the couple for apparently taking care of their children, she said, As long as people live in that kind of lifestyle, what are they teaching their children?

She said ACCESS could help the couple find a house, but they would have to show some kind of income.

Claeys thinks the couple would be better off getting a job, and because of their large family they would pay little in taxes.

However, because some people have difficulty fitting into a job situation, she said, I almost feel they would be more successful if they called that (panhandling) their business and paid taxes on it. That way they could legitimize what they are doing and have something to show for it.

Claeys said many of the people begging for money never come to her organization looking for help.

During her 15 years working there, Claeys has passed her business card out to the homeless who stand on street corners asking for money. She has instructed her staff to let her know if someone has shown her business card.

In all these times no one has come in and asked for food and shown my business card, she said.

Johnson, who said she has unsuccessfully tried to get housing through ACCESS, said she would like to have a more stable lifestyle for her family.

Pancoast said, All we want is housing so I can pursue other ways of functioning without wondering where my family is.

 

The 'Spare Change' gimmick was rampant back in the 70's in Calif. The stock answer became, "No man, I need it all". They would walk away with this dumbfounded look on their face.............

 

Pancoast and Johnson said getting jobs would mean sacrificing time with their children.

Sacrifice? Oh no, not sacrifice! This article makes my blood boil.

 

That was 8 years ago... I wonder what community their mooching off of now?

I've heard the phrase "entitlement mentality" and people like this are extreme examples of those who believe they're somehow owed something. I agree with the Mayor and believe its better to donate to my favorite charities rather than give money at street corners.

John

 

Our old shop was on the edge of an industrial area, with free housing on one side, and a liquor store on the other. It was getting so bad that I needed chains across the door, a .38, and this sign.

 

Love that sign.

One day I came out of the local store and a big black woman axe me for "a nickle"
I says, no, I do not have a nickel
I know this because I empty my change into a change drawer and pay for stuff with a card mainly.

She gets all offended, "WHUT? You ain't got no NICKEL!?"
I just walked away

WTH is a NICKEL gonna do for anyone anyhow? go find a damn 10c bottle littering the parking lot and run it thru the machine.

One day at the convenience store I was approached by a 20-sumthin with a sob story about bus fare, boyfriend left, get back home, Just need a ride, blah blah blah. I was jobless and told her that, sorry, I need all my money. I get home 10 blocks away a few minutes later, see a car pulling up on the street. It stops and lets out.... the moocher girl, who heads back to the store to ply her trade.

"Just"
Just need a little money
Just your spare change

 

Here in Portland the homeless problem is out of control. there's quite a few on the street corners, but our parks are full of them to the point in some cases where they are becoming unusable. There's a couple of trails that run through the city for running and biking, but they're becoming choked with homeless campers. In the summer it's worse because there's this transient population that "migrates" here and just hangs out in the parks and the streets. Granted Portland has always had a higher than average homeless population for a city of it's size, but this is way way worse than it used to be.

Anyway to make matters worse there's other kinds of moochers that aren't homeless and are blinged out or are clearly wearing ipods, yet they still ask for money if you pass them in the street or are waiting at the bus stop. Which is one of the many many reasons I took up car ownership.

 

I just tell them I don't have any change since I use a debit card which is actually true.

 

In 1970 I was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Some nights when we were not working, some of us would go down to Waikiki and hit some of the bars. One night a panhandler stopped us and we just talked awhile. He had a Masters degree in aerospace engineering and made more money over ($50K a year) panhandling than he could working as an engineer. In 1970 that was top wages for his line of work. He said he and his wife lived in a chicken coop on the North shore that a native rented to them.

 

hi ok so last night on the news ,they showed this old lady about 77 yrs doing the begging a guy gives her money and was leaving turned back saw she was leaving too and goes into brand new Fiat car .felling jipped he follows her to another spot and confronts her with cell camera and she goes off hitting him then continues to beg at traffic .......

 

When I am asked if I have and spare change I start with. I have a truck payment, A bike payment Gas in those. Insurance. A wife... A girl friend. A house payment, electric bill, gas bill, trash bill, phone bill I have to pay for food and then I say. Darn... I need some money.. Do you have any spare change? One guy got rather ticked I made him walk 30 feet telling him all that and why couldn't I just say no to begin with. hahahaha Poor guy had to work for 30 seconds..

 

I was wondering if that would be brought up. It was on the nw side of okc. That lady is all over the news crying saying she's not a bad person. refuse to give money to these people. I've been talking to the wife about not doing it. Her friend just decided to give a guy some cash. He reached in to get it. Grabs her and snatches her purse and takes off. I have no issues helping people that need it. I refuse to give a hand out to anyone
I

 

This guy is doing it right.

 

I always wanted to stand there well dressed and hold a sign that said I'm not needy I'm just greedy. Just to see the response from the people driving by.

 

John Stossel dressed like a bum and sat on street corners begging to see what would happen. He said just sitting there with a sign, no effort, he got about $10 an hour. And a sign that said "Need Money for Beer" was just as effective as "Need Money for Food".

 

 

she has a pan handlers permit??? kind of like a hunting permit??

 

They have made it illegal here in Dallas to panhandle on street corners. It hasn't made a difference in numbers of bums on the corner that I can see. It has made them use smaller cardboard signs that can be folded up and stuffed in their clothes when they see the cops coming. I give street corner bums nothing but grief when thay ask me for something. I drive the crummiest looking 83 Dodge work truck to maintain my rental houses. Why would they think I have two nickels to rub together? Back when I was building houses a guy had a "Will work for food sign" and was on the corner. We had an extra box lunch that the carpenter's wife had made and I gave it to him. He cussed me and threw it on the ground. The carpenter got out of the passenger side of my truck and before I even knew what was going on he was thrashing the guy, threw him down and was kicking him very hard in the *** as the guy tried to scramble up the freeway embankment. About 3 days later when he saw us pulling off the freeway at the same exit he took off running.

Back in the late 90s I used to work at a print shop running a press, there was a guy who begged every day at Webb's Chapel road and I-635 in Dallas. I mentioned the guy to one of the delivery drivers and he said the guy drives a brand new white Trans Am that he parks behind the office supply store. One of the bindery guys overheard this and was mad that he had been giving this guy on the corner his hard earned pay yet he had to catch the bus on that very corner. It is my understanding that the T/A got all the windows and t tops broken out and the plastic front fenders all busted up. I believe some old printing ink got all over the car too.

I get asked almost daily for money, usually more than once by people who look and appear to be fully employable. I always tell them when I was at the bank they only gave me what I asked for, they didn't give me any "spare"or extra. My buddy always asks them for a smoke, he doesn't give them money either, but almost always gets the smoke.

 

Portland, Maine (and the Greater Portland/Cumberland County Area) is in the same situation (homeless/panhandling) as Portland, OR. There is a rusty Chevy camper "in need of gas money and/or "broke down" cruising Forest Ave or Margial Way.

 

This country has gone down the tubes
Steve

 

Noticed one dude was walking over and hitting the cross walk button to stop cars.. what a douche.

 

[QUOTE=illumined;751410]Here in Portland the homeless problem is out of control. there's quite a few on the street corners, but our parks are full of them to the point in some cases where they are becoming unusable. There's a couple of trails that run through the city for running and biking, but they're becoming choked with homeless campers. In the summer it's worse because there's this transient population that "migrates" here and just hangs out in the parks and the streets. Granted Portland has always had a higher than average homeless population for a city of it's size, but this is way way worse than it used to be.
________________________________
True story: several years ago when I lived in Portland OR. I was walking back to work from lunch when this bum comes at me telling me he knew I had money and he needed some so could he have ten bucks? It made me angry and I told him "why don't you get it the same way I get it and work for it." His retort made me laugh. He said, "You think it ain't work begging from S.O.B.s like you?" He still didn't get any money.

Everything said above about Portland, Oregon is true. Downtown is blighted with what the local cops call "campers". One of the many reasons I moved across the Columbia river into SW Washington. Now they are in Vancouver, WA. and even up in some of the little towns along I-5 standing at the end of the off ramps with their sob story. Don't give them anything. Nada. Rien. Nichts.