My litmus test to tell if someone is a good person: homeless people...

[rockymountaindem]

When you see homeless people out on the street, what is your immediate reaction?

Pity? Sadness? Or do you get mad at them and feel hatred and scorn?

I know people who despite their claims to being good Christians et. al. like to go out of their way to insult homeless people. One guy I was driving with even once rolled down his window and yelled at this poor homeless fellow to "get a job!"

One time I was discussing (more like yelling about) this with my conservative friend. We were both in high school at the time and had never had real jobs. All she could say was that homeless people don't contribute anything and that we shouldn't have any sympathy for them. Then I replied with a statistic I'd seen on a VFW ad... 1/3 of homeless people in the US are veterans. I told her that those people have already contributed more to America than she probably ever would. That made her even more angry...

While I'll be the first to advocate for the vitrues of gainful employment, I understand that some people are just so non-functioning inside (mostly for reasons beyond their control) that they can never get a job, and that some people are just *really* unlucky.

That's why I always give money (if I have any on me) to homeless people who ask. That's especially easy in Canada because they have dollar coins here and it's easy to give them out.

Not to brag, but I like to think that's something that sets liberals apart from neo-cons and the fake purveyors of religion.

[boobooday]

1. I think it is a valid criteria

For judging people. I'm no biblical scholar, but didn't Christ say something like you will be judged by how you treat the least fortunate among you?

It blows my mind how people can be so cold.

But I also judge people by how they treat waitresses, receptionists, and janitorial staff.

Eugene Debs forever!

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[Dookus]

2. I've given (and raised)

a lot of money for a local homeless shelter. I don't give money away on the street. But I'm never rude - just a "no, sorry", or "not today, good luck!".

[KamaAina]

3. It's actually not that easy in Canada

That's especially easy in Canada because they have dollar coins here and it's easy to give them out.

What they don't have, being a civilised society, is the hordes of homeless people we have in the States, thanks to the Bush* recession and the general Bush* mean-spiritedness.

Edit: I remember being in Toronto about ten years ago and seeingfront page news about how a very few homeless people were just then starting to turn up on the downtown streets.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. Umm I don't usually argue,- but as a lifetime Canuk, I beg to differ

.
.
.

Canada "buries" their homeless in the welfare system and municipalities like mine (North Bay Ontario) deny that there is a homeless problem . .

But I see people crawling out of dumpsters in the morning, and hotel lobbies that aren't locked . . .

Canada's own stats declare over 1 MILLION children living under the poverty level,

That's quite alot for a country with only 32 million . .

Even the UN has dropped Canada from the top 2 or 3 to about 16 or so in in the last decade or so as "best places to live"

We can thank our Mike Harris's PC Government for that . . .

(oh - oh - gonna piss off a fellow Canuk or two here)

OH well . .

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. The uninformed would be surprised

.
.
.

To find out how many of the homeless were successful people that fell out of the loop so to speak.

I suggest that most of them are people whom society has failed, discarded whistleblowers and so on . .

IN my opinion, they did NOT fail society, society failed them . .

So my normal emotion is OUTRAGE,

not at the individual,

but at the rest of society for downgrading, ignoring and failing them . .

[MrSlayer]

5. Indifference is my reaction. Does this make me bad?

I don't tell them to get a job nor do I give them money. I have my own family to worry about.

[BlueJazz]

7. I give money to the homeless when I'm in my car.

Here in Florida the homeless folks hang out at stoplights with signs.
I usually slip them 5-10 dollars ...also I watch the people behind me and let me tell ya...I can tell by the expression on their face whether they are Democrat or Repug.

[maggrwaggr]

8. if you lived where I live, you'd be constantly broke

Santa Monica CA is literally littered with homeless.

It makes me angry more than anything else, that in the richest country in the world, our mentally ill are simply thrown out into the streets.

What's even worse is downtown LA. There's a place around these old flop-house hotels where one of the alleys is nicknamed "piss alley" because it's just a big open toilet for all the homeless. It's disgusting. They stay in these hotels when they can afford it for $11 a night, if they can find the money somehow. The people who work at the hotels have billy clubs, guns, and handcuffs, and are basically prison guards for people who aren't prisoners.

It's really fucked up. They're all basically insane as hell.

[Ysabel]

9. as i see myself...

or as i see anyone else...

i've been homeless...

my husband has been homeless...

my ex husband has been homeless...

one of my brothers has been homeless...

my (adult) children at any given moment either are or could be homeless...

etc...

[juajen]

17. Unless they're an alcoholic or drug addict,

none of my adult children will go homeless, as long as I have a home. I do believe that compassion for people, rich or poor, is the mark of a liberal democrat. I am proud to be one.

[DBoon]

27. And you are a better parent than many

n/t

[DBoon]

10. I'm never sure

if the person asking for money is really homeless or is someone trying a scam.

I *have* been panhandled by people who it turns out were running a scam (the "I just ran out of gas" thing got real old a few years ago).

I'd rather give to a non-religious charity that helps them, than hand out money on the street to someone who may or may not really be homeless.

I may be cynical, but I live in LA.

That said, nobody should have to live on the street, ever. The difference between being a working person with a good job and one of the homeless is just a few paychecks.

[blondeatlast]

11. I smile and nod as I would to anyone but I refrain from

giving money. I work in a civic building and we are all but prohibited from it. I once offered money to one who got violent for whatever reason.

I've seen some horrible rudeness directed towards them. No one deserves that. whatever the cause of their plight.

[The empressof all]

12. It's so sad and some advice

It is so sad to see folks out in the street-I feel particularly affected by those who are drug and alcohol addicted or the many mentally ill who are unable/or unwilling to get the help they need due to their illness.

I do however feel strongly that giving those people on the road with the signs does nothing to help the problem. There are many good agencies and shelters who could use your few bucks to help these individuals. Contact your local community mental health center, shelter or feeding center and send them a check. They do not receive adequate funding to do the work that needs to be done.

[joeprogressive]

13. Thanks for posting this

As you stated many are vets. Additionally, most are mentally ill and can not function in society. The homelessness problem in America is one of our country's greatest shames (right up there with our president). People who think homeless people choose that lifestyle by being lazy should live that life for three days. I guarantee they would realize that nobody would choose that life.

[Ysabel]

14. myth / mentally ill...

MYTH:

Homeless people are all crazy or drunk. That's why they're homeless.
"The vast majority of homeless people are, by anyone's definition, mentally ill... and most are drug addicts, alcoholics, or both."

Philip Terzian, The Providence Journal-Bulletin, December 3, 1997

FACT:

Only 20-25% of the single adult homeless population suffers from severe mental illness; similarly, while there is no generally accepted "magic number" about the percentage of homeless adults with addiction disorders, the frequently cited figure of about 65% is probably at least double the real rate for current addiction disorders among all adults who are homeless in a year. These rates apply only to single adults, not to families with children, who represent approximately 40% of those who become homeless.

http://nch.ari.net/myths2.html

editing to add:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=homeless+mentally+ill+myth&btnG=Google+Search

[vetwife]

29. 45 percent are veterans..combat veteans

110,000 vn vets have died by their own hand and almost 50 percent of all homeless are veterans.

[AbbeyRoad]

15. My immediate reaction is a mixture of sadness and pity

I live in a college town. It's bigger than the town I grew up in, but those of you who live in real cities(L.A., etc.) would think it is incredibly small. I know I don't have to face the issue as much in my daily life as those in cities, but I still see homeless from time to time on the street. They usually try to hang out by busy intersections or by stores like Walmart.

I have given money before. I was in my car at Kmart with my window down when I was approached by a guy probably in his forties who asked for a couple dollars to get something to eat because he hadn't eaten all day. He didn't fit the homeless stereotypes we're all familiar with. He seemed incredibly normal. I gave him 5 dollars, and I know a lot of people would think it makes me gullible. In fact, I've been told that. I sincerely believe that there but for fortune go I. I do realize that in cities you can't help out every person you cross paths with.

I do not believe compassion is a weakness, nor do I think it's something we should be ashamed of. Liberals are often portrayed by the Right as being wimpy because of this. I have also heard them say that we have "feminized" culture. I find these arguments laughable. I'd argue that many of them need to grow a heart.

[Cleita]

16. I don't think there is any reason anyone should be homeless,

either here or in Canada or Mexico, or whereever, unless it's their choice. Some people like to wander, like myself, but most of the homeless are out on the streets because society has failed them. Most have hit a bump in the road of their lives that puts them on the street. Some recover. Many can't. There was a time in America where no one had to be homeless. There was always some sort of shelter somewhere for those who needed it, no matter how humble and run down.

Remember Ralph Kramden, of the Honeymooners? These were working class people, uneducated, who could barely afford a cold water flat in Brooklyn, but they could have a roof over their heads and a place to keep their stuff and live, with food on the table and even a movie on Friday night. Jackie Gleason did his skits about these people very eloquently because that's the way things were back in the fifties.

What happened?

[Catherine Vincent]

18. I pity them and hope that I don't end up in their situation.

I just hate that we see one on every corner and we all just accept it without fixing the problem.

[kimchi]

19. I feel pity; and relief that it isn't me.

I always give at least one dollar; but never when my husband is in the car. We've actually had a huge fight over a dollar I gave to someone one day. He thinks they will just go get drunk. (as you might guess he is a recovering Repuke...)

I don't really care what they do with the money. Once it leaves my hand it is their responsibility; and their karma. It makes me feel better to know that they can buy a soda or french fries if they need to. And if it is a scam? It will catch up to them somehow; I have to believe that.

[lostnfound]

20. FSRN tonight: In Tampa, it's illegal to give them food in the parks

So some Food Not Bombs activists just got arrested for civil disobedience. (FSRN = Free Speech Radio News)

Honestly I used to be a little irritated but also pity and sadness. The irritation was at not knowing if they are con artists or not.

Now I just give them some fruit. There's a man on my route home I give a banana to every day. I asked him if he liked apples better, but he said bananas were easier because of his teeth.

One day not long ago I saw the toddler that each of those homeless guys once were. I started to cry. If my toddler grows up and has hard luck and finds himself on the street, I hope people won't just drive by and leave him hungry.

[opihimoimoi]

21. Where is the War on Poverty and Ignorance?????

As we see, its not on Bushies agenda, not even on the back burner. They got their yachts and their golf memberships, screw everyone down there.

I have a homeless living in my house. A Nam vet, down on his luck. He is mentally challenged but almost autistically brilliant in certain feilds. I do my share in helping but wish the Gov't would do much more. Its all easy to solve but the Selfish among us refrain to help.

I am disgusted with Bush and his Pub Masters.

[lostnfound]

23. Speaking of golf memberships, a big shot Enron guy requested money for 1

to be 'unfrozen'..he asked for $225,000 or thereabouts to be 'unfrozen' from his frozen assets while his trial was going on, to support him & his family for a year. One item on it was his golf club membership.

Tough times. They didn't give it to him..

[Tru Believer]

22. Not All Consevatives

Not all Conservative people think that homeless are a waste. I know a good amount of people who consider themselves Conservative and do many wonderful things to help the homeless. I think there is hatred on both sides.

[Cleita]

25. Handing out alms to people in need is not enough.

Conservatives still believe everyone is responsible for themselves to the same extent that they are responsible for themselves, but that isn't true. Not everyone can march to the beat of the same drummer. Throwing out hundreds of people into the street, who were cared for in institutions before Reagan's terms, did untold harm to the infrastructure of our safety net systems.

People don't fall on hard times because they are lazy. As a matter-of-fact, the laziest people I have ever met in my life have trust funds.

[rockymountaindem]

28. Most definately.

I didn't mean to imply that all conservatives were like that. One can be a conservative and still care. Speaking as a memeber of the Jewish faith, I certainly realize that the message of Christianity is one of caring and empathy for your fellow human beings. The people that make me angry are those who only act nice on Sunday and are mean people the rest of the week.

[newyawker99]

34. Hi Tru Believer!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cetasika]

24. bragging is worse

anyone who talks about it must want a medal or some recognition.

[Lisa0825]

26. I generally do not give to homeless people on the street....

but I also do not hold them in contempt. But here in the Houston area, there are so many scammers, raking in big bucks on street corners pretending to be handicapped, for example (I personally saw a guy put his cructhes in the car he had parked behind the gas station and drive away).

I volunteer my time to two charities (one food bank and one literacy foundation), and I donate food and money (when I can) to shelters. I am not sure that giving money to the people on the street is good for them... does ensuring they make it OK on the street keep them from seeking help to get OFF the street, for example?

I would NEVER shout anything demeaning or rude at them, but I prefer to help them through non-profit organizations, because I personally feel that is more likely to make a difference in getting them off the street.

[ConsAreLiars]

30. Beggars are just people who are suffering.

All kinds of people. Good, bad, whatever. The best solution is a society that actually cares and offers the many kinds of help needed, but we aren't there yet. In the meantime, however, they beg, and we who are not (yet) reduced to that level face a choice:

Dismiss them all as subhuman;
Try to decide which one is "worthy;"
Or simply recognize that even if it is a drugs or booze addiction that brought them to this place, rather than the more noble path of job outsourcing or catastrophic illness, they (we) all need "a little help from their friends."

When traveling in a more civilized society (India), on confronting rows and rows of beggars I eventually learned that, for those who could, giving each a few paise (a few fractions of a penny) was the ethical solution. I never really was able to cope at that time, but the lesson stuck with me. Just do a little, whatever insignificant bit you can, and it will help.

Don't worry about who is "deserving." Whether the recipient needs the temporary oblivion of a hit or is attempting to get a meal for his/her kids is unknowable, and thus irrelevant.

And, for what it is worth, if you take the time to look that beggar in the eye and say hello, you just might not only discover someone who is as human as you, you quite possibly might look into the eyes of someone who is is stronger and better, if not so fortunate.

(edit grammar)

[Kanary]

31. Several years ago, I interviewed several homeless people

I put together a small book which was published by a church, and used as an educational resource.

Your "Get a job" quote made me think of one of the men... here is what he said to me:

"About a year ago I was driving my big red truck with the big tires down the street and I passed by all these guys, waiting in line outside the shelter. I just thought they were lazy bums so I yelled out the window, "Get a job!" I went back to the nice, big house I was building in the mountains, and forgot all about them.

A few months ago, a garage ruined my truck. It was necessary for my work, so I lost my job. Things went from bad to worse, and I ended up down here on the streets, homeless. I'd give anything to have a job. All I want is to get my tools returned, and get back to work.

A couple of days ago I was waiting in line here, trying to get into the shelter. A guy went by in a big ruck, almost like the one I had, and yelled out the window, "Get a job!"

It felt awful, but I guess I had it coming."

The mighty can fall, too.

Kanary

[realdeal22k]

32. If they have a valid excuse for not seeking work I'll toss a few coins

If their excuse is that they can't find a job then I close my purse.

I have been homeless and worked my back into home ownership by schooling and working 80+ hours a week instead of drinking away my self-pity. I expect nothing less of those with an able body.

[ermoore]

33. Eh . . .

Yeah, this is possibly a good asshole test, but I don't think it says jack about ideology. First of all, I have two roommates, one liberal and one very conservative (not in a religious way, but in an asshole neocon way, which is really my favorite). It's the neocon-ish roommate who is much more likely to give money to the homeless or just not ignore them and there have even been arguments between the two because my neocon roommate is a big tipper at our favorite Mexican restaurant (blows were almost exchanged over a %45 tip once).

Also one of my best friends in high school was a huge repug and also very religious. He is also one of the most compassionate and nicest people I have ever met. Most of his beliefs on politics, wrong though they might have been, stemmed from his believing that they were the best way to help the downtrodden.

Furthermore, I don't even know if this says much about anything. You could just catch people on a bad day. Also, many people prefer to give through organizations than to individuals who may not spend it wisely. They have good reasons for doing so. I was in India for a while and I know there were times when I was probably rude to beggars, but there is only so much you can give and you can't help everyone.