Topic: Economics
Panhandlers: Seize the Broom Would you be more likely to contribute to a panhandler if they were performing a worthwhile task? Or do you look the other way when you see them walking towards your vehicle?by EJ Moosa
(libertarian)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I admit that it is an economic reality for some Americans that they are out of work, out of money and homeless. I have neither the power nor the resources to alter the history that got them to this point. So I would like to offer this suggestion to you if you find yourself on a street corner, or at the end of an interstate, as I see someone each day of the week. Do something at that intersection that shows you are willing to work for money if you are willing to hold up a sign stating the same. Take a broom and dustpan and sweep it clean.
I look at the intersection at the corner of the exit at I-75 North and Windy Hill Road in Marietta, Georgia, as I wait for the traffic light to change, and it is full of debris from selfish individuals who have decided to use our common thoroughfares as their common trash and butt disposal area. So I see an opportunity here that I would be willing to contribute my hard earned cash towards to make both me and the panhandler better off.
Forgive me if this plan sounds harsh. It is not meant to be. It is an opportunity that could benefit both the panhandler and the general public, and it needs no government program to implement, will not take months to see the results, and can begin today. And you can help make it a success.
Get a broom and dustpan and clean that intersection and show us you really are willing to work. When you do so, I would be more than willing to contribute to your needs.
I also ask you to consider whether or not you would be willing to contribute to someone who, while you were headed to your job, was cleaning up the curbs and shoulder of that intersection? Would you be more willing to donate to someone that you could visibly see making an immediate difference in the cleanliness of an area you travel daily?
I would also like to believe that with thousands of drivers passing by each day, just one of those drivers may be impressed by the panhandler's self-motivation to possibly offer that person a job. It may not happen the first day nor the second nor the third. But it would have to give the panhandler better odds than walking back and forth pass the same trash while asking for a handout.
Would you contribute to a panhandler at an intersection if they kept it clean? I know I would. I do not smoke, and I do not use the roads for my trashcan. I have written to the local government's asking if they could please get a street sweeper to clean our curbs once a quarter, with no luck. So we are forced to look at the same debris day after day. And frankly, it is depressing to think we treat our own communities this way. Here's a chance to help someone who needs some help, and to reward them by doing something that is good for all of us.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of EJ Moosa only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. EJ Moosa is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Once again you are assuming that people in our current American culture have a desire to be something, or even to work for something. I'm not sure when this changed, but I would say we are now a culture that has bred entitlement.
The other question I have is - Would our government (police in general) allow someone to take care of a street corner, sidewalk, or public area and get paid for it. Would this still be considered panhandling (as is illegal in Atlanta City Limits I believe).
We are not fixing mortgages for the majority of mortgage holders, but the minority who bought more than they could afford.
We are not addressing the employment picture by making it a better environment for business. We are trying to do something for the 1 in 10 that is unemployed.
Before the minimum wage increases, you could not find a job in North Atlanta that only paid minimum wage. Now that government felt the need to raise wages for all, unemployment has doubled-not a coincidence.
We are not improving education so the best and the brightest can reach their potential. We slow them down to bring those that are failing and could care less can try to keep up.
Everything the Federal Government is for the tail of the society, and not the body overall. Their belief is to fix the tail and all is well. I would suggest that is flawed logic.
And perhaps it is time to do what is right despite the threat of government intervention. I would love to see someone harrassed for cleaning a public area. "Goverment Prohibits Clean Streets"-how much more clear could it ever be that the public interest is not the government's interest?
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