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Panscandal
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6/22/2005
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If it is okay for every smelly urban outdoorsman in the city to follow me around asking me for money, why is it considered mean for me to hand them a job application from McDonald's?
"But Dusty" some may whine, "Those afflicted with homelessness (as if it's a disorder) are mentally unstable and can't help it."
NEWSFLASH- If you are well enough to support yourself by asking people for money every day, you are well enough to get a job. Maybe not a job as CEO of a corporation (you have to work a little harder for that), but a job that doesn't involve telling the same stupid lie about losing your bus ticket day in and day out.
It happens all the time, but it never gets much play on the news because it's not depressing or indicative of society's fictitious downward spiral- Homeless guy grows some self-worth and suddenly offers to provide a service in exchange for money- give directions to tourists, mow lawns, play a saxophone, write a blog, shine shoes, whatever. Eventually, he does something worthwhile with the money, gets his act together, and becomes a productive member of society. Don't say it doesn't happen, either, because it does. Believe it or not, people are capable of succeeding without government intervention. Try offering someone a job sometime. Pay the homeless guy in your neighborhood $30 to mow your lawn. You can afford it. Then give him your lawn mower and tell him to mow your neighbors' lawns. They can afford it too.
Giving someone the opportunity to work for their money is the ultimate form of charity. Handing out money is the root of the problem.
It may shock you to know this, but I am opposed to the "No Panhandling Zone" proposed by the City of Atlanta.
First of all, the name is deceiving. People will still be allowed to sit quietly with a cup and a sign (or a pan with a handle, for that matter), just not allowed to approach people or do any begging within a certain distance of ATMs, pay phones, and other structures. Add to that the ACLU lawsuit that will surely follow to protect those who choose a non-taxpaying lifestyle, and the rest of us are suddenly paying for a government program to provide special Gore-tex bum uniforms for Atlanta's homeless, complete with credit card swipers and those stupid government issue blue boxes.
If you are going to make a no panhandling zone, make it effective. Preferably the exact size and shape of Georgia, and enforce it. Make them provide a service (not spitting on your windshield and wiping it off, a real service), and tax them at 30-40% like the rest of us. Make entry into a soup kitchen contingent on passing a test about basic finance, reading, or whatever they need. Make them responsible for getting what they want.
I bet about half of you want to see my head on a pike right now. Usually use of the word "responsible" pushes people right over the edge- "The nerve of that jackass, thinking that people should work for what they get. Why I oughta'..."
Once we have the majority of them paying into the system, the remaining few who are actually mentally or physically incapable of holding a job (the ones who actually need free money) will have more funds allocated to helping them.
And believe it or not, I do believe that they all should be helped. My idea of help is the real kind, not the nice warm fuzzy handout kind. The warm fuzzy shit happens when the person succeeds under his or her own power. If you have ever really helped someone do well for themselves, you know what I am talking about.
Remember when your parents told you, "I know you screwed up. Now figure a way out of it"? What if they had said "It's not your fault. Here. I'll fix it"? Which one helps you more?
Yeah. That's what I thought.
"Build a man a fire, keep him warm for a night. Set a man on fire, keep him warm for the rest of his life." At least I think that's how I heard it...
 Dusty
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posted by Dusty at 7:12 AM |
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37 Comments:
Think you can help me out with just a dollar? My paypal account is onlinebum@yahoo.com
www.Paypal.com, Homelesshotmailman@hotmail.com
You go, Dusty!
Needless to say, we had a huge influx of beggars flying signs, asking for my money.
Our town decided to implement a strategy that asked people to give money to organizations that help the homeless and not to give directly to the homeless.
Guess what happened? All of the "stranded" bums found a way out of town. It's a good plan - a hand up, not a handout.
Thanks Dusty for so eloquently saying what many of us feel!
Speaking for myself, yea, I worked my rear off to earn my Master's degree, then continued to work my rear off because I have a strong work ethic. But, I didn't have the hurdles to jump over that many people do. My parents were educated, loved and supported me, and helped fund my education. So far, I haven't been afflicted with a disability. I am reasonably intelligent. I didn't earn these luxuries...I have been blessed and I am grateful. For me, a measure of compassion for others is a natural consequence of this realization.
My personal opinion is that homelessness happens to good people all the time. I'm proof because I was homeless for a short time. However, during that time in my life I accepted the help that was offered to me and got myself out of it. I never once asked a stranger for help. If I'd gotten to that point I would have been grateful for the opportunity to do any work. Had I, just once, considered my situation hopeless or permanent the only person I would have been able to hold "responsible" would have been me.
Sometimes you make your own reality and other times it makes you.
PS- I've been caught up in a Pork Tornado for the last couple of years. You go!
I just offered up a different solution. Telling homeless people to suck it up and get a job doesn't seem to work. Forcing people who may be mentally ill to be responsible does not seem like it will work either.
I keep it very basic. When I meet a 'spare change' guy/female, I offer to pay for a meal and, if they agree, we sit and talk while he/she eats.
My father died on the street the year I turned 21. I had not seen nor heard from him since I was 8. I buried him.
To me, everyone I meet is someone's father/mother, son/daughter, brother/sister - all the combinations you can think of.
There is no easy answer but, placing money in people's hands, I agree, only enables the addiction to continue.
But for those of you who have not had the experience of addiction in your own families, you might consider some empathy.
He stopped drinking. Period. He then continued living a productive life and lived to the age of 67 (too bad he couldn't stop smoking as well). My grandma now lives a very comfortable life in FL where she never has to decide whether to pay either for food or for medicine. Why? Because my grandfather made sure she was provided for. He CHOSE to be a productive member of society and family man.
Most of the homeless that I've come in contact with aren't interested in food, or work or opportunity to clean up their lives. They are perfectly happy spending their lives high, begging for the next fix. I'm with Dusty; offer them food or diapers or whatever they claim they need the money for. If they decline then I can't help them. God helps those who help themselves.
With that being said, rules 2 and 3 mean that you should stop fucking talking about politics. You know what, your posts here on this blog will not change the minds of any politicians. Your posts here will not make homeless people find homes, or make people with homes lose their homes. The only thing you will accomplish is that you are not doing anything more important (I hope my boss doesn't see how long this post is). All it is supposed to do is entertain those of us who are easily amused. Period. So instead of talking serious politics, let's talk about some of the funniest stories that bums have told you.
stylish - dressed in Northface
Or there is always that guy who walked up to me (while smoking a roach (marijuana)), to tell me that his wife and 2 year old were stuck in their broken down car on the highway. The highway was 3 miles away and it invovled walking up some steep hills. While toking up.
Anonymous
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