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Panhandlers make more than me?
Posted: Oct 09, 2008 in Things to do, Nightlife
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I have been wondering about this for a long time, so here goes...I was reading an article today that suggests panhandlers make more money than the average US worker. If you have ever been hanging around the 465/Keystone intersection, you can see some have quite the cottage industry going and according to this article, they make up to $40 an hour. What is really amusing to me is the ones who sit right next to the drop boxes downtown and yet the cops don't come along and run them off. In fact, I saw one cop stop and chat with the guy. No wonder the guy was sitting there..my guess is that his cut of the drop box isn't nearly what he can make personally.
I always liked Michael Jordan's philosophy on panhandling..."If they can manage to ask for change, they can say 'Do you want fries with that?'" but I also wonder if my neighbor is right. Could some of them be inhibited by the fact that they may not have a phone number to put down on a job application nor a residence to call "home?"
But what about some of the others? If this article is true, some of these people live better than you and I do. I don't know if anyone remembers the man who used to ride his bike all over the east side and who used to hang out at the McDonalds on 10th and Bosart...We all called him Big John and he looked as tragic as any of them, but secretly, a few of us thought he might be a millionaire. My dad always suspected that. He said "The guy's shoes always look in pretty good shape and he is always bundled up well for the weather." He didn't fit the typical homeless guy profile. The man would save his coffee cup in order to come back and get his "free" second cup during the day, employees would give him sandwiches that were getting old and there was the distinct possibility he lived like a king.
Maybe this article is right. Anyone else want to weigh in on this?
I've known people who survived this way, and surviving is all they were doing. I have no idea how the people who claim this have any idea how much the average panhandler gets. It's not like there are any tax returns to examine. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are some who do quite well, but I just have a hard time believing that the majority of them are living the life of Riley on the side.
I don't know, but I'll never forget the time in college when I tried to give a homeless person a hamburger. He threw it on the ground and said, "I don't want your GD food, I want your money!" From then on, I decided that I was only going to give to organizations who help people who need it and who are trying to help themselves.
Interesting... While I believe you can't make sweeping assessments on any group based on the actions of one...I have a similar story to BuckeyeBabe. I grew up in Miami and lived through Hurricane Andrew. After the storm we were heading down to the keys to work on a friend's house/neighborhood. While we were all volunteering our time, we decided to offer a ride to several panhandlers on the way south. We told them there was plenty of work to be done and they would be paid for their time. We got only one taker out of 5-6 inquiries.
Poverty is rampant and in this day of economic crisis- more and more people are losing their jobs/businesses/livelihood. I believe we all still have a responsibility to try and help our fellow man, and its up to them to decide if they want the help or not.
In regard to the original post- the abuse of the system will always occur and those of us who follow the rules will always react in frustration.
It is just astonishing to me to hear the reports of the money some of these people are making...I agree that they may only be "surviving" but $40 an hour?? Of course we have to assume they do not work a traditional 9-5 and that they can't consistently make that kind of cash every hour like a salary, still...I know people who only make slightly more that in a day and still have to worry about FICA and all the other deductions. I think my frustration is more with the idea that there is something so perversely wrong in this society where it doesn't pay to be enterprising and take pride in a work-a-day life. Yes, I will always help out my fellow man of course, but I prefer organizations as opposed to straight handouts. Seems fairer to me, but I guess if it is working for them, free money is free money.
Hurricane Andrew really? I was at Ft. Bragg during all of that and wondering if my ex would be deployed to that region.
In my job I've just about seen and heard it all. I've had to run off panhandlers many times,I've even seen them drive off,one in an Escalade,one in a Prius,I've seen them bum smokes and them put them in a baggie full of whole smokes. There are those that just won't work and think the world owes them something.The one that really upset me was when she tried to bum money and when an employee where I work gave her a buck she complained and insisted on a twenty.