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You've seen our needy friends at the shopping center exits from Safeway and Costco - people with plaintive signs asking for money. I feel so bad for them. But admittedly, I have used alternate routes to avoid being in their line of sight, because I simply am uneasy being confronted by people begging. It's not that I don't have compassion for their plight -- I regularly give money and donate clothing to charity. I know I shouldn't be stressed, but I am -- for a number of reasons. People should not have to beg as if we're in a Third World country, because it means that our country is failing in its mission to care for its people. (Don't think Katrina...) In other words, are there adequate government services to help these people?
Another reason I'm stressed is I wonder if these folks are actually needy. I heard once that begging was a way of making money while not having to commit to a regular job. Could be true... I HAVE seen recent ads in the TP where one can earn $10/hr waving real estate signs. So what's the deal on the poor at your neighborhood store?<br><br>Post edited by: tmv, at: 2007/05/06 23:20
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