[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Corn is almost as bad. Geese eat mostly seeds, plant roots, berries, whole raw fresh grains (grasses) and stems, and insects.

No need to give homeless people money, but sometimes it's a good thing to offer a kindness - simply because you're a human being connecting with another human being. If you bought a case of water, give them a bottle of it. If you bought a box of protein bars, give them a bar. If you bought a 12-pack of Ivory soap, give them a bar. If you bought a box of tampons, offer the young woman a few. When you get free sanitizing wipes from the Freeosk booth, give it to the person out there. Maybe if there's a BOGO on cheap toothbrushes, get them - and give one to one of those people out there.

Up north we had deposits on cans and plastic bottles - some folks - when they're parking downtown for whatever reason, would gather whatever empties they tossed in the back seat, into a plastic bag, and just give the whole bag to a random homeless person sitting in the park. We get rid of our empties, and they have to actually work for their dollar. Win-win for everyone.

There was also a program downtown that many restaurants participated in. Customers could buy credits, that would be given to homeless people in exchange for a bite to eat (a cup of hearty soup and bread, or a small salad) or a cold/hot drink.

IMO I concur with the last 2 paragraphs. No one (at least not me) is questioning the "goodness" of being properly (?) charitable. The question REALLY debated here IS what is the "PROPER" way to be charitable. For example, I feel GREAT and charitable when I give an item to a THRIFT store. I see that the good of that OUTWEIGHS any possible downside at about a 95% to 5% rate. The 5% is JUST a POSSIBILITY that a particular thrift store is connected to some church character like in the Elmer Gantry movie that is sucking money out of people just for personal greed.
....the point of that IS that each person makes a RISK calculation when they give money (not food or water) to a homeless person - or even money to a national charity. How much is the money you give do you (the giver) think goes to good, or waste, or even greed and bad (that is the RISK CALCULATION)?
.....Many a TRULY good person IS so GOOD or NAIVE that they don't bother to look for any unintended consequences of their action (the giving). I am NOT TRULY good and I tend to be suspicious snd look for the unintended results of mine and other people's actions - even US leaders!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by jagdl

I would often give money during the Pandemic. I have since quit. Sam St. John's cannot find dishwashers (low skills needed) Every fast food and restaurants have help wanted signs. If a person can stand in the sun and hold a sign they can wash dishes, help in the kitchen, get a job they can work up to better positions. When there were no jobs we gave. Now there are jobs and people don't wan them. I have decided with the Walmart and Mcdonald's sign holders I am part of the problem so I no longer hand out money. It is sad because that is not who I am but I choose to channel my giving to extra tips for the workers. When you want to give, give a $5.00 tip on a $4.00 breakfast. The smiles are worth it!!!!

I agree with the contents of this post.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by rmd2

Teeth - not bulimic. It's METH.

I agree with the contents of this post.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by rmd2

Yep, let's turn Florida into California. Way to go!

That would be less humidity....Yeah!
But it would be more traffic and smoke.........double Boo!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by BlackhawksFan

At least this one I photographed was honest.

Copyright 2011. Depth of Field Photo

Need beer AND better tattoos!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by jdulej

California is running a surplus. They are figuring out how to give people money back. But that is beside the point. If any state just pushes their homeless off to another state or ignores them they are shirking their responsibility - period. And shame on them for doing it

I agree with the contents of this post.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Sherry8bal

If you are that naive, you should invite them into your home, give them a place to live and feed them and then watch them rob you blind.

She doth come from the land of all TRUE goodness and light and a little coldness.....I am talking about o....Canada.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

It's time to repeat the story of my college days. I was living in Boston, in a studio at the foot of Beacon Hill (the uber-wealthy section of the city, where the governor's mansion is located). School (Emerson College) was down the street a few blocks, and I walked or took the T everywhere. I had two part-time jobs, plus I was a busker. A street musician. Subway performer - not a beggar, not poor - but accepted by the "underground culture" of Harvard Square, Cambridge MA. Most of them were homeless, but there were a few folks who shared apartments, one guy lived with his parents, and a few had their own places because they had good jobs or their parents paid for it.

At the end of one particular day, some of the homeless people invited me to THEIR home - the cemetery two blocks away. I went, and they shared the food they had bought with what they'd acquired through panhandling, and we passed around a couple quarts of Miller (blech but it's the thought that counts), and I slept in a beat up sleeping bag next to a wino who had his own blanket and pillow. We were up past midnight talking about life, experiences. A couple of the folks were drug addicts and one was having an unpleasant experience with drugs that night, but they gave him his space and he zoned out without incident.

I can't say I'd ever want to be homeless, and I'm not sure I'd want to make a vacation out of sleeping in graveyards. But it opened my eyes to the experience, and gave me some empathy I hadn't had prior to that.

Perhaps because I actually DID "walk in their shoes" for a day, I'm able to be a little less judgmental about the concept of homelessness. For those "christians" who choose to judge - remember your catechism or bible lessons or whatever you folks get when you're kids.

Does this make me naive? Nope. In fact, it makes me a little more experienced and "enlightened" than you. It gives me the "street cred" that you apparently lack. I know when I see an addict, and I can tell when someone actually needs money to survive and is down on his luck, and when someone is doing just fine and is trying to scam me out of my money.

As for the guy eating the McDonald's burger - I actually watched an Sonic Employee hand out bags of food to each of the three people with signs - one at the Walmart driveway corner, one near the Dollar store, and one at the driveway across the street where McDonald's is. Seems minimum wage employees are more generous than wealthy old people. Not surprised. A little disgusted, but not surprised.

Statistically speaking, the poor and middle class of America give more to charity than the upper class. Go figure????

[jdulej]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Statistically speaking, the poor and middle class of America give more to charity than the upper class. Go figure????

Not sure what you mean by "statistically speaking" but in terms of a percentage of income or of net worth, the 1%ers give about as close to nothing as you can get and still say you are doing something. I remember Walmart bragging about giving 200-ish million dollars to charity. Then someone pointed out that that was like 1/10th of 1% of their income for that year. Sure, 200 mil is nice, it's not buying their way into the promised land.

[Opengineer150]

[jdulej]

Originally Posted by Opengineer150

Attachment 90974

Don't worry. Florida is beyond help. BTW, The saying is Don't Californicate --fill in the state---. First time I saw it was in Idaho. Just remember, almost everything that originates in California ends up everywhere else in 10 years or so.

[goodwillie]

NO, it is a scam. They are brought in in several differnt cars and trucks. One day one of them will fall off that little meridian and get hit by a car and then the driver will be the one that gets sued.
This should be stopped by the Marion police, I can believe it is legal.

[Janet1946]

Originally Posted by jdulej

Don't worry. Florida is beyond help. BTW, The saying is Don't Californicate --fill in the state---. First time I saw it was in Idaho. Just remember, almost everything that originates in California ends up everywhere else in 10 years or so.

First time I saw it was in Colorado. And your last sentence is so very true.

[MDLNB]

Should have "No Loitering" laws. If they do, then they need to enforce them. Walmart Rt.441 is a magnet for criminal activity.

[Bay Kid]

Don't be a slave to free things.