Another side to begging (Beggars are business people too!)

The Denver Post ^ | 12/9/05 | Reggie Rivers

[Millee]

If we want homeless panhandlers to leave downtown, we should figure out where we'd like them to go and then create a set of incentives that will attract them to that location.

I agree Reggie. I think one-way bus tickets out of town should do the trick.

[wideawake]

Panhandlers smell bad and are haranguing people aggressively for money to buy liquor and crack.

Comparing them to clean, law-abiding citizens who are taking time out of their day to politely collect money for others is offensive.

[SIDENET]

If we want homeless panhandlers to leave downtown, we should figure out where we'd like them to go and then create a set of incentives that will attract them to that location.

"Homeless empowerment zones?" Good Lord.

[samtheman]

on Labor Day when firefighters, just a block away, are walking into traffic lanes to collect funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association

They are just as irritating. Even more so. There is an aspect of coercion to uniformed government enforcers "asking" for money.

[Sergio]

What if a homeless man were asking for cash to buy gifts for his children on the same day that the U.S. Marines were asking for contributions to their Toys For Tots program? Would the cops arrest the homeless man while letting the Marines continue?

Reggie . . . hey Reggie. You smell something. Oh, it's that red herring you're waving around.

Let me explain the difference to you. The Marines, Salvation Army, etc, are panhandling to benefit others, and the funds are used to purchase toys or needed clothing.

The "homeless" person is panhandling to benefit himself, and the funds are usually used to buy booze or drugs.

But in the eyes of those who embrace relativism, both these situations are equal, aren't they Reggie?

Best Regards

Sergio

[rlmorel]

Good God. Thank you for putting in words the thoughts that were just seething in my brain after I read this!

[MindBender26]

There used to be a man who would work the executive bathrooms in NYC. He would say that he had finally gotten an interview with a great company, but needed $40.00 for a great interview tie.

Cleared about $100K a year.

[Pylot]

And the idiots at this newspaper agency wonder why their numbers are trending down?

[onedoug]

They're may or may be homeless. But they're bums nonetheless.

[SampleMan]

Why post commments here? Send them to Reggie. Here is the one I sent him.

Mr. Rivers:

You sir are too obtuse to be writing opinions in newspapers. If you can't tell that there is a difference between bums begging for drug money and the Salvation Army, without having someone hold your hand and explain it to you, then you aren't lacking information. You are lacking intelligence. What to do? Stop giving able bodied people money. They soon discover a quaint solution called employment. Or perhaps they can go and stay with you. Non-able bodied people already have a plethora of governmental and nongovernmental safety nets. Please stop your better-than-thou wining.

[Pessimist]

"In an effort to encourage the evaporation of homeless people"

Homeless people can evaporate?

[kajingawd]

...bout 3 weeks ago i was driving into town...came to an intersection and had to wait for the light...i turn to my left and i see a * beggar*...on his placard is said...and i quote " HALP, NED MONIE AND CLOSE, WILL WERC FOR FUDE...HALP MI AND MY FAMILIE"...

so i look at him, he's got a brand new Carharts on, brand new boots, but unshaven...

i pull down my window and say " Nice marketing ploy, bet it works " ...and just smiled at him...he just looked at me, smiled and nodded.

[Sterco]

The Mayor of Denver gladly accomodates illegal aliens. Guess the poor on the streets aren't a rung on his ladder of importance.

[Millee]

Our mayor is building all the homeless apartments (no joke). A local radio personality calls them the "Stay Free Maxi Pads".

[Polyxene]

"Homelessness is generally not the problem - it is a symptom of usually serious problems with substance abuse and / or mental illness."

Not always. Some choose to live that way. When my husband was a cop, one of his frequent flyer bums showed him his bankbook. The bum had more money in the bank than my husband and I. He chose to live on the streets.

[VeniVidiVici]

Maybe Reggie will open his front yard to the homeless. SF, from where he probably moved, has some spares that Reggie is welcome to.

[Maceman]

There is an aspect of coercion to uniformed government enforcers "asking" for money.

I agree with that. In our town the police and fire departments have outbound telemarketing efforts aimed at asking people for contributions to causes such as widows-and-orphans support funds.

These causes may or may not be worthy, but it is kind of chilling to get a call from the police department asking for money. It feels like a shakedown, and you can't help at least wondering whether your name's absence on the donor lists somehow means slightly less favorable treatment from local law and order agencies.

I don't think that would happen, but it is uncomfortable and intimidating to be solicited by the local police department.

[samtheman]

exactly

[layman]

create a set of incentives that will attract them to that location

Like what?