http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-20-Thu-2006/news/8589438.html This is an interesting idea. I'm a firm opponent of giving beggars much as a general rule as it's negative reinforcement, but this idea doesn't sit too well with me. I should be able to give food to anybody I damned well please. Having said that, I'm a sucker for homeless folks that do something that's either helpful or funny. For example, there's an army of homeless folks that sell the Houston Chronicle here, and I make a point of buying the Sunday Advocate from one of them. I respect the entrepreneurial effort. Same thing goes for signs -- if I laugh out loud, or think I'll tell somebody how funny the sign was, I'll give 'em cash.
i always assumed those homeless guys selling papers have stolen them from a machine, yunno, putting 50 cents in and taking them all. on one hand i hate homeless peeps, because they small bad and are generally terrible. but on the other hand my impression of them is that they are not actually lazy, but insane, so i gues i feel bad for some of them. never give them money though.
In most cities, I think you're right. But here, they load up box trucks with them, slap a Chronicle shirt on 'em, hand 'em a stack of papers and post them at most major intersections. For example, my commute is about three miles, and there are two guys hawking papers every day of the week. Of course, I don't buy the weekday papers, but I'll occassionally wave to one of them. The other one is a stark raving alcoholic (OE 800 at 7:00 am is a good sign, paper bag or not) lunatic who hates me. But I digress...
oh yeah, back to to the point: it definitely seems unconstitutional as anything to tell me who i can and cant give money or food to. i think the ACLU is often right and people go crazy when i agree with them, but they are right here again. i hope they win or whatever here. in this case i actually think it is better for the homeless if we give them nothing, but that, of course, is our decision. if we want to ruin them further by enabling their lifestyle, too bad for them.
Don't limit it just to tourists!! I agree completely -- just forbidding people from giving other people food seems like the wrong way to go about it, constitutionally. Houston has tried quite a few alternatives, with mixed results. The most effective way has been to build on the areas that they like to congregate. The Proposed NLMD Solution has largely fallen on deaf ears -- sneak 'em into Mexico, or arrange for their one-way transportation to West Texas.
Horrible idea, you should be able to do whatever you want with your money or food it's not like we live in communist Russia. On a side note, one Saturday morning when I was living in Tigerland this guy came and knocked on my door. Me being the idiot I am opened it to see an old homeless guy standing there with an alarm clock. He told me that he would see me the alarm clock for $5 because he was an alcoholic and he needed a drink real bad (which he did the drinking motion as he said it). I figured hey the man was honest here's $5, in hindsight it probably wasn't a great idea as I furthured the man's addiction but what the hell it's a great story to tell.
If cities want to do something homelessness they should either do like Rudy Giuliani and have them all secretly killed or like in Seattle where they put them in houses and feed the malt liquor until they drink themselves to death. What’s cheaper bullets or booze?
In Denver in the 80's there was a popular charity meal for the homeless, but there was a catch. They had to bring in a paper bag full of aluminum cans to trade for the meal. This served to help defray the cost of the meal a small amount, but more importantly it kept the bums moving around so they could find their cans and they didn't just sit outside the soup kitchen all day. It also kept the streets cleaner (of cans at least). And it forced the bums to actually do a little bit of work for their daily bread.
West Texas is already taking care of Eastern New Mexico. Send back just a little of the money we keep sending to Austin and we might be able to help you out.
