Guest Post by Martin Armstrong
Many of the homeless are not exactly social. Every time I drove into Philadelphia, I always saw the same man on the street with a sign saying he was homeless. He seemed to have all day to stand there with traffic, so the real question is why would he prefer to do that than just get a minimum wage job?
When I was growing up in my home town in the 60’s, there was a woman who pushed her shopping cart around and slept outside. Everyone got really upset when they found out her son was a doctor in the next town. He replied that he tried everything but she would not come inside. She died, and when they took all the boxes in her cart away they found over $200,000 in cash. Obviously, she seemed to be homeless as a matter of choice.
I would not pretend to be able to reduce the entire issue to a single simple solution. There are clearly mentally ill people among them, others down on their luck, and then there are the frauds. I have offered to buy food for some who claimed to be hungry only to be rebuked. I am not sure. I met a guy who played the violin really well.
You could tell he had class and style. I gave him a $100 tip in his cup and he started to play very lively. I suppose you could set up shelters and outlaw people on the street. Then perhaps you might be able to sort them out. There are certainly different reasons and we cannot create a one-size-fits-all approach to that problem.
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My father-in-law used to help “homeless” people from time to time and without exception, they told him they were “homeless” by choice. They simply wanted ZERO responsibility.
And as long as misguided people keep feeding them, giving them money and making it easy for them this will continue.
Bingo! That which you subsidize you get more of.
It’s not the government’s job to subsidize homelessness with tax dollars. There are plenty of charitable organizations to provide assistance to people who really need it.
Most of the bums don’t need it. It’s a lifestyle choice.
Many of the people holding signs aren’t the real homeless, just shysters on disability who want more money for booze, pot or lottery tickets. There are three big reasons people are truly homeless- drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness (usually self medicated with drugs and/or alcohol). All of these have obvious solutions. Stop the flow of drugs and a rehab center on every urban street corner. The mentally ill should be institutionalized, perhaps in an apartment building with their doctors and dentists on the first three floors. There was an elderly apartment like this where I used to live, it also had a little post office, salon, and a mini market there and worked quite well for the people there.
so true, in my town there is an intersection, that different people work on a daily basis, they live a few blocks away, always have fresh clothes and basically well kept, they are all on the dole, the girls are on food stamps, the boys are on SSI for mental defect, and they spend their days collecting spare change (spanging, as they call it) for booze/drug money.
Never feed any of these fools, they are all scamming the system. put your spare change into a legitimate charity jar.
In the DC area- Montgomery County Maryland, there was an expose’ recently about how organized they are.
A Hispanic guy put an ad in the Wash Post for pregnant Hispanic women–guaranteeing $100 cash a day. What he does is drive them to major intersections and ramps on/off the beltway. The poor, pregnant illegal women with their anchor babies are raking in large donations from the liberal, white guilty of affluent Montgomery County.
The Homelessness Pimp, gets everything above $100 that they get each day in exchange for rotating corners, bottles of water and rides to/from their jobs as beggars……. it’s insane.
Was Jesus an anchor baby, Anon?
No, Jesus wasn’t an anchor baby, he was a citizen, his parents weren’t illegally in the country and sucking up the welfare including having their baby birthed in said country for free. His parents were traveling to be counted in the census for taxation purposes so they were for sure citizens…..illegals don’t pay taxes….unless they use fake SS numbers and claim false child credits…
Only legitimate charity jar is my kids education fund or business fund, or my retirement fund. All others can kiss my ass.
Increasing freedom from government will certainly help the problem. The number of people who have been rendered homeless because of government policies, incentives, taxes (mostly property), labor laws, etc. is enormous.
I was homeless for four months. I went camping in the woods and woke up every morning and went to work. Got off work stopped at the grocery store, bought some meat came back to camp grilled it over the fire. It was not typical homelessness as I actually enjoyed it. Just me and nature. Finally I saved enough money to get me an apartment.
No, but surely one of these ten pennies, while i drive by at 55 mph will connect with your smartass…..
One problem with homeless getting a job is that they don’t have an address to put on the job application.
Annie, many urban centers have outreach programs that have a physical address homeless are allowed to use for applications. The resources are there for people who TRULY want to get off the streets. But many do not want to stop drinking destructively. They want to remain out there to do as they wish.
And some cities outlaw the homeless and kick them out if/when they find them. YMMV.
That is what should be done. Squatting, camping out in parks, vagrancy, begging – all of it should be illegal and dealt with accordingly. The mentally ill deserve mercy. The mere drunks and druggies can’t be afforded mercy. If there’s no money or capacity to arrest them and take them to court, they should just be run off. Take them ten miles outside of town and drop them off along the highway. They shouldn’t be allowed to destroy the environment of decent people who work and maintain their homes and businesses. If shitholes like Seattle don’t get tough, they’re going to need roving death squads to clear it out. So be it.
That is how they do it in S. America. The rich hire death squads to clean out their neighborhoods. We can’t be that far away from that as we have plenty of young men with military experience.
This is a homeless encampment….do you want that in your neighborhood? Really? Because someone is homeless doesn’t mean they have to be filthy and nasty. Lazy, drug addled equals nasty, the truly poor are often very clean.
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Chairman Mao solved the opium addict problem in China. He told the addicts to quit or be killed. Seems that incentive worked….
So you drop them off in my rural area just like people drop off kittens and puppies? We’re not decent people who work and maintain our homes? Thanks a lot.
haven’t seen too many homeless in rural areas, unless they’re passing through. So, you object to having them in your neighborhood? Make up your mind. Are you a NIMBY?
My response was to Iska Waran saying he wanted to “fix” the homeless problem in the cities by just dumping all of the homeless they have generated in rural neighborhoods like mine with the implication that decent people don’t live here. We are decent enough to take care of our own who are down on their luck so they don’t become homeless, which is why you don’t see very many homeless in rural areas. However I do object to urbanites thinking they can “fix” their homeless problem by dumping them on us by the thousands just like we get their trash, sewage, live trapped rodents, and unwanted puppies and kittens. I do not appreciate my hard earned property being used as a dump by people who haven’t learned how to solve their own problems.
Tax-paying citizens are getting rather tired of this shit on the streets. I couldn’t agree more with your p.o.v.
Ten miles then dump them, where, on the rural folks! Why is that ok. Why would dumping them outside the city where theres fewer people be ok? Where they can get desperate and do desperate things to nice folks in the burbs? Or are you city folks hoping they die and buzzards take care of it or hoping redn3ck bubba does it? Because you created the prob and have no solution like most libtard snowflakes.
Homeless in Japan…they aren’t filthy….
Seems I’m in the position of …do I help this person or drive on…a good bit . I think they look at truck drivers as an easy score .I usually give anywhere from 5 to 20 dollars depending on the situation. I don’t know . By the grace of God I have always had a roof over my head. We have always had plenty of food at home and after having open heart surgery I have learned to have gratitude just for life.
Mt 5:42. Give to those who beg from you.
That was before there was SSDI, etc., though.
Bless you, sir. You said it correctly,”By the grace of God.”It’s easy to become hardened especially if you’ve been scammed but it pays to take the high road. That poor slob could be you, your brother, father or son.
or an angel of God…
Sure they do; downtown LA, California, USA, Western Hemisphere, Earth
I once met a guy while in Boston,young kid,asked for monies for a meal,said to him what do you want and he said a meatball sub,got us each one along with a drink and ate with him while talking on the Boston common.Seems he was a college student who worked part time but still having a problem making a go of it between all the costs.The only reason he had a place was the students would throw keg parties and proceeds go towards his rent,made me take a look at college students in a new way.He was going for a engineering degree at NorthEastern and said when he made it and believed he would was going to contribute towards the food banks ect.,every story is different.
Saw a news report on “homeless college students”– actually quite fascinating how many there are and how the resourceful kids with no family or resources manage to get themselves through university.
I bet this group doesn’t waste their time and effort for a “humanities”, ____ studies degree, or gender/race ____ degree.”
In the mid seventies when I was around 13-14 I did janitorial work in a real run-down set of 100 year old tenement buildings. Rats, roaches, the whole nine yards. Long story. It was populated by a crowd of true detritus. Living in single rooms, sharing bathrooms, cooking canned food on a hot plate. They weren’t homeless, but they were as close to homeless as possible. There were a dozen or so – mostly white, maybe an Indian or two who – every day – bought a couple cases of the cheapest beer and sat outside – spring, summer, fall and winter and got drunk enough where they passed out and sometimes pissed or shit themselves. Eventually the city declared the place unfit and ordered everyone evicted. Fast forward a couple years and I saw one of the most notorious of the drunks working as a security guard. He was probably still an alcoholic, but being forced out of his hovel seemingly forced him to get a job.
“I am for doing good to the poor, but…I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed…that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”
― Benjamin Franklin
“Helping the poor” is not the same as supporting them forever.
I’m both retired LEO and forest officer and have dealt with the homeless for more than three decades. It was usually easy to spot the begging frauds, junkies and alcoholics vs. the individuals who were genuinely down on their luck. As Tom wrote, there were many that just enjoyed living with no roof over their heads and were actually employed. Of course there were always the mentally ill who just couldn’t do any better.
I often made it a practice to spend some time assessing the situation – each case was different. I met many folks that I enjoyed spending time with, and in many cases bought them food, gave them supplies. and even bought feed and medicine for their dogs, and in one case hay and grain for two pack mules. Like I state … each case has it’s own story.
I remain totally bumfuggled as to why this country continually opts to invite and care for mega hordes of illegal immigrants in every manner that exceeds the lifesyle of the average American that struggles daily to just pay the bills, put food on the table, and pay home mortgages and the property taxes. But, the Democrats in Congress thrive on votes from the illegals.
Something is wrong here and totally amiss!
It’s obviously being done on purpose. Once you accept that, it all gets much clearer.
Why do anything? Private charities are happy to help the truly destitute and drug/drink addicted. The mentally ill should be institutionalized if they can’t afford private care or have no one to care for them. The rest should be arrested for the most minor of violations to properly motivate them. How about work camps poor houses etc. Seemed to work pretty well before and yes they are exploitive….which is the motivating factor to not end up there. We encourage this behavior now, the left sees it as justification for more government, more government workers, more leftist voters and more perniciously as a way to debase the culture.
E.g. the shit infested streets of San Francisco…….very effectively destroying all that was good about “Murica.
Martin, you forgot to tell us how you solve the problem.
Martin either doesn’t know or doesn’t want to say. He leaves it up to us and the commentators above pretty well covered the viable solutions. I like reading a comment string where people make constructive comments instead of taking shots at each other.
I flip flop on this issue. A lot.
Experiences:
-Physical appearance is sometimes a tell. A guy who looks ratty, with a beard, claiming to be a veteran…
Him I’d give more consideration, even if he’s battling an addiction.
Never liked giving to someone to feed a substance addiction; that’s enabling them.
I do feel many are gaming the trend. And it is a trend because I see more of them on corners now than ever before.
We have a Menards on a 6-lane busy street a couple of cities over in the burbs where I live.
This one guy was out front begging, and the Menards manager reportedly brought him inside, and gave him a job. He quit. He made more money, tax free, without working as hard by begging.
This is all hearsay, but reportedly Menards then put up a sign: “Job offered & declined. Do not support”,
or something to that effect.
At times, the Scripture admonition hits me, and if someone looks down and out, and sincere, I’ll flip ’em a 5-spot. Isn’t much. Maybe a small burger and coffee at McDogfoods, but better than ignoring them.
In each case, almost every one of them is grateful, and says: “God Bless You”
To which I retort: “He already has.”
See, when in that frame of mind (grateful and willing to help out), I’m a bit like BB I supposed.
But also, like him, I get furious at the scam artists, thieves, and spooks who just look to take advantage of people; especially easy marks with kind hearts.
So other times, particularly if I see the same bum at the same corner more often than not, well, that’s
‘their corner’, as if they have staked out a turf, and it’s a system they play.
Avoiding eye contact is one method to skip them. Never outright mean to them, flipping them off, or yelling at them to get a job. That’s rude shit that arrogant, spoiled kids do.
Ma always said: “There, but for the grace of God, go you and I”, whenever she hear me mock someone.
Bums in particular.
Hows that one adage go: “I grumbled because I had no shoes. Until I came upon a smiling man, who had no feet.”
Christ said: “You’ll always have the poor among you.” This was in response to Judas, who bitched because Mary Magdalen broke open an alabaster container of perfume and anointed Christ’s head with it.
Judas reportedly was the purse keeper among the disciples, and he thought the spikenard could have been sold for a lot of money, to be given away to the poor, instead of wasting it on his Savior. Bankers, eh?
Some things never change.
It’s a fine line to earn / obtain for a comfortable living, and constantly strive for filthy lucre.
Many, many people cross it, with greed as the backdrop toward evil decisions.
Then, at the Last Supper, Christ looked him in the eye and said: “What you are about to do, do quickly”
It’s been surmised Judas interpreted this as to obtain the 30 silver shekels as money with which the disciples could use to live on, by reporting to the Sanhedrin what they wanted to hear.
Yet Christ perhaps knew His own destiny, His Father’s will, and didn’t want Judas to second guess the opportunity. Who really knows?
Getting back on topic, My Girl’s picture tells the tale of despicable, lazy people who claim no job, but trash their surroundings, with no sense of obligation.
I see that at the solo bums’ spot, at the Woodward Avenue overpass that bridges Eight Mile.
(Yeah, of Eminem’s tale)
Shit piled high, scattered about. Blankets, shopping carts, boxes, sleeping bags, food wrappers.
One guy even has a dog that hangs with him. I asked: “What’s the pup’s name?”
“Lucky” he heh heh…I shit you not.
Dude was white, in his late 30’s, and had dreadlocks.
Nasty, matted hair, and you know for sure he stunk to hell and back with those ugly, mangey hair styles.
I flipped him a 5-spot.
Hell, I’ll blow through that and a bit more, when I order a pint, the following weekend.
Buy a guy a coffee. Give him some coin or fiat to get a pita wrap for an afternoon.
With regards to the charities and their food pantries, they usually put out a list of stuff they need badly.
And it’s always garbage food. Sugary cereals, cookies, crackers, mac & cheese, canned meats.
It’s all sludge.
Another thing: the beggars get shitty if the canned food is past the “Best before:” date on the can.
My thoughts: MFer, beggars shouldn’t be choosers. Someone’s offering you free good, and you’re going to demand fresh? It’s not rotten. It’s not spoiled. If I’m working the pantry, my inner prick might come out, and I’d be inclined to tell them to piss off, then, if you don’t want it, someone who is really HUNGRY will take it instead of you. Hit the bricks!
One last bit. If you’re sympathetic, but don’t want to feed a substance abuse habit, one always has the option of grabbing a few $10 gift cards to the fast food joints.
Any higher denomination, and they might sell the gift cards to buy some smokes, booze or whatever.
Hell, man, with cigarettes at $8 / pack or more, quitting those ought to be priority one for mooches.
That too, is an addiction.
If you give, on a regular basis, you’ll get played for a sucker from time to time.
It’s those pricks who create more and more folks who say Hell No, and the legitimate souls down on their luck suffer, or have to work a bit harder and longer at begging, to scrounge enough for meals.
Lastly, if I see some poor schmuck begging, out int he pouring rain, or on a cold hard winter’s day,
I’m usually a bit more sympathetic.
I bitch about the cold, going from my house to the car, and both of those have heat.
Closing chuckle…pretty soon, it’s gonna be:
“Say, brother. Can you spare a twenty spot for a hamburger and a coffee?”
It’s the frickin’ money. Fix the money, and everything else would fall into place.
Everybody wants more & more of my money, and if we said Yes to everyone, well then Hell,
I might have to pick up a cardboard sign, strap on some rags, and let the scruff grow a little more noticeable. Might even wear shades, and spray paint a cane white and red, so people could see. Get it?
Cheers, monkeys.
Throw a bum a bone every now and then. He needs it, and it’ll do your soul some good too.
~Later
Letter to local newspaper june 27th here in vancouver.
“The truth is that Canadians are allowing a magnificent country and its citizens to deteriorate to third-world standards,” writes Terry McGarry
Coming to Canada from Australia every year for the past 30 years, I see things and changes from a different perspective.
Canada preaches to the world about its clean, eco-friendly environment, yet the truth is that Canadians are allowing a magnificent country and its citizens to deteriorate to third-world standards. Your caring, giving and friendly traits are your own worst enemies. What you are allowing to happen in the Downtown Eastside shows that your “compassion” — lenient drug laws, feel-good policing and community blindness — needs to change. You are destroying your city.
I sympathize with the many Canadians who believe, as I do, that your great country is heading down a destructive path at an uncontrollable pace. Instead of allowing slum, ghetto environments to prosper, money needs to be spent on rehabilitation, medical attention and housing to restore Vancouver and Canada to what it once was.
Terry McGarry, Brisbane, Australia, and Sun Peaks
Resurrect government programs of work camps as the W.P.A. and C.C.C used to be: employ the able bodied for work, dignity and some money to get back to a semblance of economic self sufficiency.
Plenty of Federal infrastructure could use a refit.
Or Soylent Green.
The choice shall be made in the U.S.A. by us or for us -voluntarily or via compulsion – soon enough.
Easy. Stop immigration, legal and illegal, for at least the next century. Secure the fucking border. Deport all the non-whites.
Solves the homeless and unemployment problems. If your ‘company’ depends on cheap foreign labor, fuck you,
Some old homeless guy told me he hadn’t had a bite in a week so I let my dog bite him.
They went Galt and all you sheeple are giving and helping while they enjoy and laugh…..lmao