Thursday, January 11, 2007

Hey Buddy Can You Spare A Dime

A couple of nights ago as my husband and I were getting into our car at the local Walmart we were approached by a man. He walked up to us held out his hand and introduced himself. Both my husband and I refused to shake his hand and went on loading our things. He went on to say that he was NOT a bum or anything, but he was from Chicago and was trying to get home. Could we spare a few bucks. NO! we told him. How about 85 cents he said. NO again we told him. Sorry buddy I don't have any cash. Off he went to the next person he saw. Jerk I thought. People like that piss me off. It was about 11:30 at night. Chances are he was local, and had more money than I did. Now don't get me wrong, I am sure there are people out there that really need help, but somehow I find it hard to believe if they do they are going to be hanging around a Walmart on a Tuesday night at that time of night looking for a handout.
This was the second time just lately that someone has tried to bum money from me with some sob story about needing to get home. My daughter and I were at the laundry mat not long ago when some guy came up to us with a sob story about how he was trying to get to Florida. That he had been here to see his mom who was dying and he needed gas money. NO NO NO I told him. I could not believe this guy was in a laundry mat. SPENDING MONEY to wash and dry clothes instead of putting it in the gas tank to leave on. Since when is clean laundry more important than gas when your broke.
Like I said people like that make me sick.
There are to many legitimate places where people can go and get real help for someone to be bumming. I know for a fact most churches have a pantry where they keep food for people in need. there are local homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. I don't know why people bum. If either man had approached me and said Hey I'm hungry and I don't have any money I would have went back inside the store and bought him a loaf of bread and some sandwhich meat (or in case of the lundry mat guy I would have went across the street to McDonalds), but I look at it like this. If you need money. Get a job.
Sorry this is just a pet peeve of mine.

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2 Comments:

Blogger Carrie said...

I'm with ya. I don't mind helping people but no one should come up to a person and ask for it.

January 12, 2007 at 4:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

People like that do not bother me. My Dad tells me it is because I am not old enough to get jaded and I still think of all people as my brothers and sisters. Perhaps he is right. I still do not give them money though but I do give money to charities. The ones that help people pick themselves up after tragedy and help them get the job skills to become productive members of society and support themselves and their families. Sometimes to get out of a rut without a helping hand.

But yes, I wish beggars would not come up to me and ask for change, I wish they would go to the shelters and charities and try to get their lives back together.

January 13, 2007 at 12:15 AM  

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