I went to Wal Mart yesterday, and was approached by at least 3 people

[CatWoman]

begging for money.

First -- don't yell at me for going to Wal Mart. I needed some ingredients to make chicken noodle soup, and it was a lot closer than the Farmer's Market :P

I remember being approached like with much frequency back in 1991 when I was living in El Paso.

Then, it was mostly Mexican women with their children in tow, or disabled veterans.

The three women who approached me yesterday were all black. I suppose it's a regional thing.

Then it hit me: in 1991 we were winding down from the reign of Bush Sr.

I wonder how much worse the fallout will be from the reign of Bush Jr.

[Kahuna]

1. I mostly get panhandled by crack heads..Know what?

I give it to them too. :shrug:

[CatWoman]

3. heh!!

:hi:

Kahuna is a softie!!!

Kahuna is a softie!!!

[Kahuna]

10. I AM a softie..They can tell...

:hi:

[notadmblnd]

9. I do too

they'll come asking for money for the bus. I try to keep change in my car for that. But what I really like to do when I have extra money, is to give it to some one not asking for help. Last time I had extra money, (I had gotten lucky winning $$$'s bowling the night before), there was a lady in the gas station paying for her gas with some change. It was only like 3 or 4 dollars. She had an older car and she looked like she worked hard trying to make ends meet. After I paid for my purchase at the drive in window, I drove over to her at the pump and handed her a twenty. She tried saying no, but I told her I had extra and I wanted her to have it. It was back when gas was four bucks a gallon.

[Kahuna]

11. Awww...bless your heart..

:yourock:

[CatWoman]

12. you are SO sweet

:)

[Kahuna]

14. Back to what you were saying about the bush 1 recession.. I had

to travel through Port Authority in NYC during that time. And yes, I got hit up every single day. And yes, I gave every single day. But as bad as it was, I think it was worse under Reagan. The amount of homeless people was shocking.

[DearAbby]

15. I did something like that at the grocery store

woman with children, came up short on her bill. She was scrounging around in her purse looking for it, gave up and was looking at her purchases, what she didn't really need, to take off the bill. She must have needed everything, the the decision was hard for her to make. I said, quietly, I would pick up the difference.

I am not swimming in money myself, but I know how that feels. It wasn't very much. But I hope when we are ever in that position again, karma comes.

[rvablue]

16. God bless you for doing that and it must have made you feel that

much better when her humble soul refused.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't take help when they need it or that it's bad....it's just there are some people who will just struggle all alone and not ask...and it's wonderful that your two paths crossed in her time of need!!

Nice story!

[meowomon]

2. Hey, I shop Wallyworld

I can't afford Publix prices.

[CTyankee]

4. Yup. Here in New Haven we have the same conditions as when Bush Sr. left office.

Small businesses had been going under, city government was in a terrible budget crunch, library hours/days open cut, a real spiral down. Then we came back to life when Clinton took office. New Haven experienced a transformation.

It's probably worse this time, tho. At least having Yale operating here gives us some stability that other CT cities (Hartford and Bridgeport in particular) do not have...

[Cleita]

5. I noticed more people begging around our shopping centers here on

the West Coast as well. We need some liberals in Obama's government to solve the homeless problem. There is a solution but we aren't going to get it with the DLC retreads from Clinton's administration anymore than they did anything about it during Clinton's administration. They have the mistaken notion that elevating the working class to middle class will solve the problem and it's untrue. Chronic homelessness is a problem unto itself that requires social solutions. Business types can't seem to think outside that box that business and capitalism solves everything.

[Parche]

6. Oh Meow>>>>>>>>>>

:hi: :hug:

[CatWoman]

8. Febreeze kitty?

:rofl:

:hi:

[onehandle]

7. Electing a Bush = Massive Financial Disaster

This is what we knew back in 2000, but America wouldn't listen.

Hopefully, with the trend proved, there will never be another Bush in the White House, Hell... in public office of any kind.

I've been approached by down and out people a lot more recently than I had been in years.

Hold on to your jobs and pennies, kiddies.

[enlightenment]

13. If you'd like to have your heart wrenched from your chest

every day, come spend some time in Las Vegas - off the Strip. There have always been a lot of indigent people here, but the increase in the number of homeless and destitute lately is frightening and very, very sad. Yesterday, I saw a man towing a shopping cart through the streets of the housing area I live in; he was looking for tin cans, I think, as he had a big bag full of them in the cart. I haven't been to any shops in the last few months that haven't had at least one person haunting the parking lot, asking for help. Some of the homeless are permanent fixtures at major intersections.

My circumstances are not so bright at the moment and I can't help as much anymore. It's heart-breaking.

[JuniperLea]

17. Don't feel bad about shopping at WalMart...

I know a lot of people who are grudgingly shopping there because they can't afford to shop elsewhere... and their last quarterly earnings statement tells me there are a lot of people out there in the same boat. Your shopping there as a convenience saved some gas at least, and WalMart isn't going to go away anytime soon. Our misery is their gain.

You know, people are busting a gut whining about former Clinton people returning to the White House with Obama. If they stopped to think a minute, it was Clinton's administration that got us into a great recovery from Bush I's miserable reign. It's so much worse now, we should be grateful for people who know the score and have done it before.

[TahitiNut]

18. Wal*Mart!??!?

I'd eat chicken soup without chicken rather than shop at Wallyworld.
I'd eat tomato soup without tomatoes rather than shop at Wallyworld.
I'd walk rather than buy gas at Wallyworld, even if my car ran out of gas right next to their pumps.
I'd go nude in the snow rather than buy clothes at Wallyworld, even if I found a way to carry money without pockets.
I'd ....

Oh ....

You said "don't yell"? OK. (Sigh)

:eyes:

:hug:

[CatWoman]

19. Now THIS I gotta see!!!

I'd go nude in the snow rather than buy clothes at Wallyworld :rofl:

you gotta remember where I am, Hon.


Wal Mart OWNS Georgia.

[BronxBoy]

20. I stopped for gas the other morning...

And a young woman approached me asking for some gas money. I gave her my last 5 bucks.

Getting bad and only going to get worse. Getting ready to do my annual shopping for the food bank but donations were way down. I'll get what I can. Good thing I know how to stretch a dollar

Hey Cat!

You need to come over to the farms so I can load you up with some veggies

:hi: