“So here I am, standing on the corner of 14th and 4th, questioning my morality. “
There must be a better streetcorner to question your morality than in the heart of Greenwich Village.
My method for homeless Vets:
Where did you do basic?
Who was your Drill Sergeant, DI, etc?
If they can’t answer or stumble they won’t get the time of day. I’ve had them say they don’t remember their DS, give me the name of a place that doesn’t have basic. These are things you don’t forget.
BTW, Fort Knox, KY. 1985. DS Fizer. B-19-4.
But then I realize that Jesus is their judge, not me. I have to act according to the facts in front of me. If I'm being scammed, then that's on them, not on me. And in that case, they're still poor... only in a spiritual sense, and they are really in danger of losing their soul. So I say a prayer for them, too. Either way, I'm giving them something they can't get themselves, whether it be money, or spiritual aid.
And so I do it judiciously. I don't forget that my wife and kids have the first claim on my money. If I'm meeting my obligations to them, then I can give something to a stranger who appears to need it. If they need lunch... well, I'm fat enough to go without lunch today.
I don't remember Jesus ever telling us to ask the beggar what he's going to use the money for before we give it to him.
I rarely even carry cash these days, problem solved.
Giving money to “homeless” people almost always causes them harm.
Don’t give them money — give them food or food vouchers.
not if the homeless guy is called Obama...
Liberals care less about the homeless and more about enslaving the wealthy and middle-class to do their bidding, so I’m not surprised to read about how the homeless man had no money.
That being said, directly giving money with no strings attached to the homeless is a terrible idea, as it just feeds into the entitlement mentality and tells the homeless (and other people) that you can make money just by being poor and making appeals to the flag. Many of the homeless are lying when they say they are veterans (to say nothing about panhandlers), so Mr. Wargas may have been frauded anyways.
I would give the homeless directions to a place which could give him a hand up, rather than a handout. If the homeless complain about that, then starving on the streets might be an appropriate fate for them.
In Communists countries private charity is illegal for that reason. It is an affront to the stipulated omnicompetence of the Party and the Government.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy [Catholic Caucus]
The Corporal Works of Mercy [Catholic Caucus]
Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: The 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy
Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy
Catholic Caucus: Spiritual Works of Mercy
Introduction to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
The Corporal Works of Mercy
Lest We Forget - The Corporal Works of Mercy & The Spirtual Works of Mercy
Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy
To feed the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the naked
To shelter the homeless
To visit the sick
To visit the imprisoned
To bury the dead
Many of these so-called homeless beggars are phonies with extensive criminal records. Recall one day seeing a beggar with a can and a sign proclaiming “will work for food”, offered him a job cleaning the yard, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Recall a few years ago a young NYPD cop observed a homeless man with no shoes. The cop took the man to a shoe store and bought him work boots. It turned out the homeless guy went shoeless as part of his act of “homelessness”, and made a good living begging and actually lived in a middle class apartment.
1) The vast majority of beggers are lying.
2) They only write "God" on their cardboard because they know religious people give more.
3) Most of those who say they served, didn't.
4) They CAN sleep in a warm bed every night. Some simply choose not to.
5) They eat every meal for free, every day.
6) Most make over $100/day begging. Cash. Untaxed. Every. Day.
You get what you pay for.
So, if you give cash to a drunk on the street, don’t be surprised if you find more drunks on the street looking for a handout.
When a skinny homeless guy is trolling the garbage cans for dinner, I’ll buy him a burger, shake and fries in person. That’s as far as I’ll go.
I’ll also give to the religiously based homeless shelter that requires improved behavior in order to get in.
Otherwise, I gave at the IRS.
Hope not because last week I saw a guy in his 60’s with an Army hat on that was so pathetic looking I gave him a wad of cash from my pocket. Probably about 30 bucks. And no I am not naïve enough to be convinced that we served in the same Army or that he would not get drunk again that night. But there was just something about the guy....
Never ever give money,you can feed them,get them some clothes or donate to a homeless charity.
I worked as a firefighter for twenty five years for a city with a reputation for having the most crime and social problems in the state. Many of those in my crews were veterans and any time we came across someone who was begging and claiming to be a veteran we almost always checked it out. We had many contacts with resources to help veterans. Unfortunately, during my entire career working as a firefighter my crews and I never met one person who was begging and claiming to be a vet who actually was a veteran. Up until about ten years ago most were claiming to be Vietnam vets a vast majority of whom were not even born or were still in grade school in March of 1973 when the last US Combat troops pulled out.
My experience is not unique. I was talking to a man who runs a non-profit that helps actual veterans with substance abuse problems by giving them jobs and a place to stay while they go through a counseling program. He said that in the twenty years that he had been working at it... he had also not met one person begging who claimed to be a veteran who actually was a vet.
There are many programs and resources available to help veterans with psychological or substance abuse problems. If someone wants to help homeless veterans... the best thing that they can do is familiarize themselves with what resources are available in their community and if they come across someone who is having difficulty... try to help them make contact.
What you will most likely find is that the person you are concerned about is a scam artist who is not a veteran. Also the person most likely wants only your money and has no interest in making any changes to their current lifestyle. This is strictly the voice of experience speaking and not the way that I want it or wish it to be. As a Christian I think that it is our calling to help those less fortunate than ourselves. But we should also try to make sure that our “help” is not perpetuating negative lifestyle choices.
IIRC there was a time when New York subway cars were all entirely covered with graffiti and amazingly this problem was solved. BTW New York is not a capital city.
I walk to work in Richmond, VA everyday. There are a number of corners that have our professional beggars with their cardboard I’m a homeless Vet and God Bless signs. I see the same cadre of beggars and noticed that they rotated corners. They never seem to pile up on any given corner and then I discovered that they actually have a scheduler. One day the scheduler was on the corner (with HIS cardboard) and another beggar walked up and he said where where you? and other less kind things. Finally he left the replacement beggar to the corner and walked off. I see them with coffee and lunch purchased at the local convience mart. I also saw someone had one his lunch (from his car window) and as soon as he drove away the “beggar” walked to the sewer and tossed it down. Never even looked inside. Do I give to beggars? sorry, no I don’t. My church does in the form of a soup kitchen and handing out clothes and even helping with paying for prescriptions, But I don’t hand money to the street corner beggar. But, that’s me.
I don’t hand money to beggars, it encourages them.