Put your alms in my palm...

You know, Americans are the most generous people in the world—not the most generous spirited—but we do set aside more money and resources for the poor, the needy, the “less fortunate,” the homeless, the deprived, the downtrodden, the down-on-their-luck, the mentally ill, the physically handicapped, and the weak than any other nation out there. Sure, we do it begrudgingly sometimes; we do it periodically without a lot of metaphysical, philosophical thought; we budget it into our schedule and accounts as a matter of business. So, no…I don’t claim that Americans are the Mother Theresas of the world—but the material benefit we provide people, not only of other nations, but our own, pretty much kicks ass over any soup or bags of flowers Ole’ Tess ever brought to any Bangladeshis.

So, it makes me want to go and beat the ever-loving turds out of these lazy, entitlement-crazed, good-for-nothing, lying, cheating whiners in Atlanta. Read the story then come back to me.

(cue elevator music)

Got it? Great. The time and energy with which these people are fighting the panhandling ordinance could be better spent finding a job, joining a generous church, or even just thinking about doing those things. They scream and cry and demand of other people who do that which they refuse to do themselves—what spoiled, fat, lazy bums.

Mind you, I’m not addressing the mentally ill or the utterly physically infirm—no. They have no choice but to rely on the generosity of others; I have no problem whatsoever with an altruistic person or altruistically acting government providing them with a chance to gain back the life they might have had, had they not suffered a stroke, been struck by a drunk driver, or not smitten with cerebral palsy or a similar problem. No, I speak to the physically and mentally capable malcontents who salivate at the opportunity to collect a government check—money produced by the effort, education, sweat, care, and time of others.

The only essential difference between the majority of these homeless and you and I?—it’s not necessarily smarts or strength. It’s pretty much a matter of choice. You and I choose to take control of our lives; we’ve decided to work and better ourselves and situations, rather than cry, carp, and squeal about how tough and mean life is.

I’m not saying it’s easy being homeless or poor and, yes, bad stuff beyond your control can and does happen. But expecting others to clean up your mess for you is plain impolite and greedy. You should see the footage of these people on the lawn of Atlanta City Hall: the crying, the sniveling, the spitting, the frothing at the mouth.

…all this because Atlanta had to make a law saying that the homeless couldn’t panhandle near stores, on college campuses, or on the property of museums and attractions.

Nope—I have no major problem with a poor guy asking me for some change. I’ll either give him some, or say no. But once you’ve spent a week going to Georgia State University and had some aggressive, smelly, and all-together scary person not just ask you, but demand of you your money—and upon turning them down, been yelled at or even threatened by a group of these folks, you’ll no longer view it as an innocent little “freedom of speech” interaction.

Besides, it’s only been truly recently that the panhandling has gotten out of hand. There has been lots of it through the years, but the swarms have gotten large—the homeless fight and kill each other now for their spots. They accost passersby, they become physical eyesores that deter customers from entering and patronizing restraints, stores, and offices. Don’t the proprietors of these places have rights, as well? Don’t the customers?

((edit: I'm sure the main reason I support this law, besides this crap I'm spewing, has a lot to do with my nagging conscience--the little angel on my shoulder that says, "You should be kind! Give the poor urine-drenched beggar some change!" If they can't bother me at the Coke Museum, Underground, Turner Field, or GSU, they won't bother me at all--I go nowhere else in Atlanta, really.))

If it were a matter of “some homeless dudes just asking for some change,” the ordinance would be a complete waste of time (like most government intrusions). But it’s the entitlement-minded activists and the growing number of poor (not the poor Atlanta produces, but the poor Atlanta imports from surrounding states who hear about the free stuff poverty-stricken Atlantans get) who brought the issue to the table.

I know it sounds far-fetched, ludicrous, and even stupid to say that a poor person could be greedy, but it’s a distinct possibility, even if not likely. The compounded problem is that they’re also likely lazy. Sorry…I don’t buy into the “noble poor” idea. It’s not noble to be poor. It’s not a quality. It’s not an achievement. To be poor, all you have to do is nothing.

It is the greedy mob of poor people, along with their well-meaning but misguided activist friends who truly set the homeless up for a fall here. By feeding the greed, the entitlement-demand, and making excuses for laziness and poor choices, they’ve pushed the Atlanta City Council to intrude upon public life and pass this law...and put any and all panhandlers, aggressive or not, bothersome or not, totally out of commission...at least, near the nice parts of town.

Hmmm...good game, Panhandle-law Fighters!

That’s just my two cents, but I hope it makes a difference. Hell…you’ll probably just buy booze with it, anyhow.