I once met a panhandler in DC who shared a cabin in West Virginia with several other people. They would take turns during the week panhandling. He figured that among them all they pulled in about $40K a year. I think they may have even paid taxes on it (though how much you pay if you only make $10K I don't know). They lived pretty well for a bunch of "bums". I no longer give money to people on the street.
Does anyone remember when the local crackheads on Capitol Hill were knocking the heads off the parking meters and stealing the coins? Several hundred meters were damaged, it was a huge deal for awhile in town. That was 7-8 years ago. > Ian wrote: > And how many ditches are dug by hand anymore? I believe that vast > majority of ditches are done with a backhoe, which I'm sure takes some > training of some sort, that the average homeless will not have, nor > have the resources to get, before getting a job. In the developed world, sure, but go most other places and that just isn't the case. I saw laborers in minimal clothing and sandals using picks and shovels to dig out the path for a major north-south freeway in India several years ago. Made me appreciate what I had, that's for sure. > Besides all the other problems mentioned, there are just so much less > opportunities for somebody with no training or education to be > gainfully employed. I would like to know how many of those who try, > by going to the places where one can pick up unskilled day labors, > somewhat above board, go away unselected because there where more > laborers available then positions available that day. That happens, but as someone who has hired a bunch of people like that through a local spot in Pacific Beach, I can tell you the guys who want to work get their early, get their names on the list, and get hired. Like Tony says, if you want it, go get it. The guys who get drunk the night before and can't get up go without work the next day. And this is a spot where most of the people I hired were of two sorts- young Mexicans who generally kept their noses clean but often didn't speak english, and homeless Americans (many of whom had problems with alcohol). The one thing they all had in common is that they worked hard without complaint. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:157923 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
