May
22
2007
6:06 am
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And lo, the people did comment thus:
6 Comments
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Hey, we all want to share our voice. And I particularly love comments, especially if you took the time to read my blog entry. I'll take the time to read your comment, I swear! But due to spammers, robots, and the fact that I want my blog to be PG rated, I need to approve the comments. This should be same day, but please don't get mad if it takes me a while to approve the comment.
although I can’t skate worth [a crap]. I’d end up...
Did you know that Austin tried to set up a deal whereby anyone pan handling on the streets would be arrested? But you know what happened? Those dam*ed liberals stopped it, saying “No, that’s a part of Austin culture, and it’s what keeps Austin different and weird.”. Up here in Dallas and the ‘burbs, it’s illegal, and we don’t have them, except in Garland. Dallas got it right.
At a minimum, we should discourage it, and the more aggressive option of discouragement is arrest. I definitely don’t like what we have now, which is appeasement.
I prefer to help the needy in a more constructive way and not reward panhandling behavior. I’m not acting niggardly when I refuse to hand out money; rather I feel I’m helping to enable them. Our family has made care packages and delivered them during the colder months (blankets that our kids have made, toiletry essentials, a little food, and a fast food cash card). I believe in charities and churches being a source of help. I don’t believe in welfare as a long-term crutch. I would rather host a meal for someone in need and sit and chat with them and open up our hospitality in a personable way (and have done so frequently when I travel) than coldly give out money.
People helping people is so much more constructive than governments helping people. A cold hard brick building being the source of sustenance versus a warm, loving, helpful stranger is just plain wrong. When someone gets help from the stranger, the person receiving the help is more apt to help themselves the next time, and feel good about it.
I have another view on giving to money to panhandlers.
I will give a few dollars, food or a t-shirt that I’ll never wear to a homeless person in my line of sight. Although I can’t do it everyday, I will gladly give to someone that I believe is in need.
I cannot judge anyone since I don’t know their personal story or situation. Many of the homeless that do ask for money are people that have some sort of history that has put them into this position and no friends or family who care. Sometimes when you listen or look them in the eyes, you can see or feel some sort of serious pain - what the pain is…we may never know or comprehend, but it’s there. It maybe a mental illness, substance abuse, alcoholism, personal issue that they’ve never been able to cope with, etc. These are all things that need medical attention and they cannot afford that since they have no insurance.
Next time you see someone who needs help or ask for help, if you are able, give them a couple dollars or something to eat that you have in your car (candy bar, drink, granola bar, snack, etc). I don’t know how they will spend the money - maybe on food, maybe on their children, maybe for somewhere to sleep or heck, perhaps on a beer. I don’t care how or what they spend it on, all I know is they need help or they wouldn’t be out there asking for it.
We definitely have the ability to choose our own destinies by the decisions we make. There’s also that factor that our destinies can also choose us, and unfortunately sometimes those are things beyond anyone’s control. You can’t beat destiny.
Keep in mind that panhandlers or the homeless are actually an important role in the Austin community. They are visible to us and represent the amount of poverty in our society. This means there is a problem and it needs to be addressed. If they weren’t out there in our public eye, it might be easy to forget that poverty exists in Austin and homelessness is an issue.
A good analogy…
The homeless provoke impromptu contributions the exact same way that commercials provoke us to purchase a specific product. McDonalds comes on TV — why? So we’ll go out and get McDonalds! Without the homeless on our streets, our awareness would diminish or be forgotten.
The panhandlers are not getting rich off a dollar or two - it’s giving them money for something they need. They need to eat to survive, so you know they are not dumping it all to booze for those that believe that they do.
The thought, “They should get a job.”, prolly runs through many minds. It’s tough to go on an interview when you haven’t showered for days and no clothing to be presentable on the interview. They have no chance of making a good impression. There are many things that are involved with getting a job:
1. Presentable clothing
2. Ability to take a shower daily
3. Ability to create a resume
4. Transportation to the job
5. While filling out the application, they have no home address, no phone and no references that they can provide - so it’s a half blank application.
6. The ability to do a specific job well - have the experience or the education to do it.
We all know how hard it is to support ourselves - we have bills, responsibilities, and most live paycheck to paycheck with a decent paying job. Imagine how hard it is to survive without that income?
It’s tough - I knew someone (brilliant and hardworking) that was homeless, not by choice, but by situations that happen that are way beyond our control. Getting a job was almost impossible - he could not go on an interview because he only had one set of clothing and no place to live. We take for granted that getting a job is easy. It is, if you have transportation (public or a car), clothing, a place to shower and the skill set. Many of the homeless do not have that.
I support 100% of what the Salvation Army does; they provide food and shelter to those who can’t get out of the situation they are in. If you can donate to the Salvation Army - blankets, food, etc…Please do. I realize it’s not a permanent solution to always provide help, but it’s definitely the right path to helping solve this issue and for the homeless to find a way out of poverty.
Aggressive panhandling is something that should not be tolerated and police should arrest them as they would anyone else (homeless or not) that was doing the following:
1. Confronting someone and intent to cause bodily harm
2. Touching someone without consent
3. Continuing to harass someone after they refuse to give money
4. Intentially interfering with the safe passage of a person or vehicle
5. Using obscene language towards someone
Let’s not close our eyes and push them out of sight — we really need to work on pushing them out of poverty. They are still human beings.
Your points are very, very good, and we share many views.
Fortunately, it looks like unemployment rate is at a record low, based on this news story: http://letters.statesman.com/W5RH02E0B44994B92974531BFDFA30
Keep in mind that unemployement rates are only based on people actively seeking employment. While this may sound logical at first blush, it ignores the category of people that have given up after a long and fruitless search.
So apathy can improve unemployment rates…. Alas, I care not.