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Pete O'Hanlon wrote: Does this make me a liberal?
No. It makes you a super sensitive man. Is that a bad thing? who knows.  Do you still care? Probably not.
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If they honestly tell me it is for drugs... then I give it too.
What I don't like is being fooled.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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To be fair, no one has ever told me they need the money for drugs.
This space for rent
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Once: "I need money for drugs before I get my abstinence syndrom and things get ugly for me, I don't want to rob anyone"
Other: "Hey, do you have any cash? I could tell you it is for whatever, but the truth is that I want it to buy me something to drink"
and a couple of times more...
My answer to all was something like "You could have lied to me but didn't. That's something I respect. Here you have" and gave them what I had on that moment.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Much respect from myself. Much respect.
I have a weak spot around drug abuse. A girl I knew years ago, oh, she was a lovely girl; came from one of the nicest Irish families you'll ever meet. She got into drugs and we lost touch. A couple of years later, I bumped into her and she was telling me about how she was turning her life around. She was back in contact with her family and she did look like things were turning around. A week later, she was found dead in her flat. Thinking about this, 30 years later, it's still hard. I still keep in touch with her sister and brother.
This space for rent
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I lost 5 school mates before the age of 21, I know what it is.
The second last once tried to rob me, when I spoke to him and he recognised me... he went away crying. If I had not known him, the situation would have ended fully different for me.
Exactly for that I respect so much when someone comes to a stranger and say the truth, their lives are already dificult as hell, but at least they go straight and try to not hurt people. And this is somehow to be "rewarded", so yes... to those, I give the money.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote: Thinking about this, 30 years later, it's still hard.
For me will be 20 soon
Pete O'Hanlon wrote: I still keep in touch with her sister and brother.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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That's because you haven't been to Portland, Oregon yet...
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Hoy! I used to like Portland OR. Now you've done gone spoiled it for me! 
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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It's quite a nice place to live - don't get me wrong. The good food, friendly people, quirky culture and activities, etc outweigh anything bad.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote: Does this make me a liberal? Possibly. Do I care? Nope.
Honor, valor, truthfulness, generosity, coming to the aid of anyone who is in need. There is a much older name for that: chivalry.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote: I have been lucky in life. Very lucky. I am well aware that others aren't so blessed
All luck, huh? Nothing to do with hard work and making good decisions?
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Shhhhh! You'll blow his cover! 
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As a genuine liberal Liberal, let me give you my philosophy:
The greatest blessing one could hope for when giving charity is to never miss the money.
Conservatives are allowed to consider the above, as well
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Years ago, I saw a co-worker being approached by someone asking for money. As my co-worker was reaching for his wallet, we were interrupted by the beggar's iPhone. After he was done, the conversation then turned to how happy he was with it (I can't recall which generation, but it had come out a few days prior).
Then my coworker finished the discussion with something along the lines of, "well, if you can afford a brand new iPhone, you're better off than I am right now", and we walked away...
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I've given money a handful of times _and_ followed up.
FYI - My experience is that every time it has been a scam.
Here's a few stories...
story 1
I'm eating lunch in my car (as I often do) a man approaches and asks for money -- it is thursday -- and he explains he has to be in a city north of where we are by Monday for an important job interview.
I give him $3.
Cut to Monday, I'm in another parking lot on other side of city eating lunch.
Man approaches asks me for money.
I say, "Hey, you had to be in North-City by Monday for the important job interview, right?"
Man runs away.
story 2
Man approaches me in my car with my family pulling out of parking lot.
He says, " My car caught on fire and now I need money to get a cab to AnotherCity."
I ask quickly, "What color is your car? What kind of car?"
Man: "Uh, well, uh...it's orange and it's a mustang."
Me: "Ok, where is the car?"
Man: "It's right over on the other side of that gas station."
Me: Okay, I will go look at car and if it is there I will come back and give you $5.
We drive over and there is no orange mustang and no car over there.
I have many stories like this.
Ask Yourself
In what case would someone need money just one time? It would be a very rare situation indeed. That is why when someone asks you for money it is probably always a lie. Unfortunately.
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I gave money to a guy begging in front of a gas station and holding a gas can.
Before I drove off, I saw him walking out of the convenience store with a brown bag (at the time - the way malt liquor was purchased and carried) and no gas can.
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That guy is seriously industrious.
You know where the gas can was?
The next guy had it and he was acting out his drama now. 
"All the world's a stage." ~The Bard
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My wife used to say if there was a beggar around, he would find me.
I used to help a lot of folks, just because I could. I've since learned to give to specific charities instead of guys on the street. Now if someone wants money, I can offer to help them by directing to said charity.
If learned a lot of people don't really want help!
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Pualee wrote: learned a lot of people don't really want help!
Yes and it is unfortunate. I (and many others) have learned the same thing.
Here's another story.
When I was 20 I went to a Music College right in Boston -- in the middle of the city.
One time I went into the Store 24 and there was another music student in there.
We happened to walk out at the same time and the student (who obviously had some kind of problem) pulls a sub sandwich out of his shirt and says, "I don't know why but I just stole this sandwich. I'm not even hungry."
I had no words.
Then there was a beggar to our left who said, "Change? Any money?"
The music student said, "Hey, you want this sub?" and he tossed it to the beggar.
The beggar caught it, threw it onto the sidewalk and said, "Give me money. I don't want your f#@!ing food."
Quite educational.
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Cornelius Henning wrote: What would your reaction be?
I would not give him anything. I would tell him to leave or I would call the police.
If I were JSOP, then I would shoot him where he stood for trespassing....or something like that. 
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Quote: Would you give cash to this fellow?
It depends on how heavily he is armed.
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No I would not help him.
I have helped people knowing that I would not get it back but someone coming to my door asking for money...NO!
Someone's therapist knows all about you!
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This happened at my house on Christmas eve around 11pm. Got the late night knock, guessing he could see by the lights that we were up and about. Gave him some money "for gas" and wished him a happy holiday. I was too tired to validate his claims, and worried about the stuff sitting out after we went to bed.
Hogan
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Yes on a few occasions and only one outright negative experience:
I was taking a walk during lunch.
A car pulls up and in it are a middle aged man with a young family.
The man opens the door, steps out and in an Irish accent tells me his wife and children have not eaten, cue the big doughy moist eyed act from the young woman and children.
So I dig in my pocket thinking I want to be rid of this chap.
I give him £1 after feeling a £5 note in my pocket. He looks at me and as though psychic says "Come on you can do better than that!"
I lie and tell him that's all I have, walking away fairly quickly thinking that was a lucky escape.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Something very similar happened to me at the central train station. A guy with a suitcase asked me for money. He claimed to have fallen asleep in a train, missed the station he wanted to get out and slept all the way to Munich, where he was woken up by the train's conductor and fined for having no valid ticket.
Poor sob. He wanted cash, nothing else. Perhaps we can go over there and buy you a ticket? No? Why? You know what? Let's go over to the police office. They will help you when you are stranded.
Suddently he had something important to do - somewhere in the opposite direction. A few months later, same place, he comes and tells me the very same story. This time I needed only two words to send him running: "What, again?"
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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