See... Now I'm all fired up and pissed off....

 

I HATE that.

Was a guy by the on-ramp for I-20 a week ago or so and I got stuck at the light. I had my windows down, and when he got to me he shook his cup at me, and I told him I didn't have anything.

Of course he gets all mad and just keeps on goin "com on man, everyone bein so stingy" or something like that...gimme a friggen break.

 

You guys are right on with the amount of money they bring in.
I see this in NYC every day, one guy every day on the ramp from the Cross Bronx to the Maj Deegan, and almost every car gave him something in the bumper to bumper traffic. Guess they were scared not to give because he might do something to them or thier car. He had a sign, "Homeless with aids, please help, God bless". You do the math if every car gave a dollar for 4 hours in crawling traffic.

We also have the window washers here (known as squiggee men) who wash your window for tips (and make it worse). They don't take no for an answer. One guy in front of me the other day had an interesting solution to the problem. He directed the washer jet on his hood to the complete left. When the person started washing the windshield, he just hit the washers and got him square in the face. I wouldn't be suprised if he had ammonia in there or something.

 

I don't know where else in the world people are doing this, but when I was in Abu Dhabi last month, there's someone selling newspapers on almost every street corner.

They wait at every intersection, and when they light turns red, they go up and down between the waiting cars trying to sell a newspaper.

To me, this isn't like begging because they are providing something.
I wouldn't want to do it, imagine standing in the 90 degree heat all day, selling papers, making a few cents on each sale.

At least it's not "begging" for the sake of begging.

Anyone see this practice taking place elsewhere?

 

In the Philadelphia (Philly) area, they sell newspapers like this also.
The thing that I found odd when I moved to the area (but now take for granted) is the "pretzel guys" in the city. Philadelphia bakeries are known for making large doughy pretzels. Men & women will stand on a median divider all day and sell pretzels to people in their cars as they stop for traffic lights. These people are not usually what you would call "well kempt", not to mention their bag or crate of pretzels lying on the ground as the cars go by...

Mmmm, pretzel anyone....?

John

 

Someone selling newspapers or food I wouldn't have much of a problem with because like you say they are offering something so at least they are attempting to work and "earn" an income.

The ones with signs SHIP THEM THE HELL OFF TO THE DESERT!

 

Nice cell phone

 

When I was in Turkey the little buggers who washed your window had two rags, one "clean" and one with oil. If you gave them money your windshield was bad if you didn't your windshield was covered in oil.

 

I ran into a guy (beggar) in San Diego back in '77 . Long story short he was making 80k and drove a Mercedes.

He came to California to become an actor but didn't do well in Hollywood. So every morning he would get into his "dirty beggar" costume and go to the streets and play the role of the beggar.

So to him , it was just a long term acting job.

 

About a year ago, my local newspaper uncovered a guy who lived in a fairly ritzy neighbourhood, walked out of his house under his own steam each morning, put a wheelchair in the trunk of his car, and went downtown to "work".

They put him on the front page of the paper, complete with pictures. I felt like going over to his house and give him reason to use that wheelchair, but there was already a huge lineup...

 

Habibi,

A lot of those "newspaper Peddlers" in my city Go around to the machines, put in 50 cents and empty the machines of all the papers, then sell them for a profit.....Nothing more than thieves usually

 

Thieves? Entrepreneurs! Low overhead equals a fatter bottom line.














Just kidding. I used to be an over the road truck driver. I've been to just about every state in the nation repeatedly, as well as several Canadian Provinces. Elizabeth NJ is the only place I ever had to physically remove scammers from my running boards at the interstate exit ramps. Truck stops in general were bad places for scammers as well. I've had people wake me up in the middle of the night just to ask me for money. I've got story, on top of story, on top of story. I hate scammers with a cold hearted passion. I'd give money to an organization that rounded them all up and sent them off to somewhere very unpleasant.

 

They are a tough bunch too. They usually show up here in early spring while it is still cold (0*f and below) and they will just stand there. There has to be a better way.

When I drive around in my stang they will usually hit me for some cash, I once told this guy that cash was obsolete, people use credit these days, he was shocked and walked away. Seems to work anymore.

 

I bet a lot of these guys would be happy to work, if there was some way to do it without benefiting anyone but themselves. I think they are too impressed with themselves to work for, or answer to, someone else. I don't know if I could stand outside, in the hot sun or in the cold, and beg all day. That's harder work than most people put in each day.