Where I live, I just never see people beg. Small town with all kinds of private charities and social services. No need to beg, and the cops will round you up for sure if you’re causing trouble. I’ll admit, back when I lived in the city, I used to give money to people who were obviously bums. If there was some place nearby to get them food, I would, but if not, I would give them money. Sometimes I would do both.
That’s something I learned from my grandmother. She believed her house was “marked” by hoboes, back in the days when there were hoboes, and it likely was. She would give one a huge sandwich, and another one wrapped in newspaper. Then she would have them do some small task like sweep the porch and then she would give them money, figuring they would probably buy cheap wine with the money. But at least she gave them a chance to eat, as well as to quell whatever other pangs they were having.
A person has to consider that bums can’t live on liquor or drugs alone. They have to eat sometime or they would die. Maybe they go dumpster diving for their food, but maybe they sometimes also buy food with the money people give them.
In any event, no bum is going to quit drinking or smoking just because I won’t give him money to do it. That’s all those guys have; their drinking or smoking, and there’s nothing good about putting them through the DTs. Besides, the liklihood is that virtually all of them are insane; cast upon the world by a system that (while it will support them) won’t restrain them because it isn’t the “least restrictive environment”. A good number of them are living on the street precisely because our courts insist on not curbing their freedom. So, who’s responsible for that?
Maybe if I still lived in the city and was accosted by them all the time, I would feel differently.
