I don't get this homeless person

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Today just before 8:00AM I went to a food store and stopped at the bottle and can machines for returnable cans/bottles. I cleaned out my car of soda bottles and got 50 cents. A guy I assume was homeless had a large wagon you pull with a handle (garden wagon) filled with cans. He was busy putting them in the can machine. Ten minutes latter I saw him at customer service redeeming his can/bottle refund receipt for cash. Next he was at a lottery machine buying scratch off lottery tickets.

People are free to do what they want, but if I had no money and had to pick up old cans and bottles to get by, I would not waste money on lottery tickets.
 
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At least he wasn't buying booze with the money. Which is where I thought the post was going.
 
Really? You understand that a VAST majority of homeless people are mentally ill who refuse treatment, right?

Of course what they are doing makes no sense to you or I?
 
Insane. I try not to judge, but when I saw a guy the other day holding a "Homeless" sign, while smoking a cigarette, I just shook my head...

Similarly, a few years back I was at a gas station, and up pulls this [censored] old beat up Stratus. The lady put $5 in the gas tank, and bought $20 worth of lottery tickets. Again, doesn't affect my life, but I find it interesting to say the least.
 
Originally Posted By: cat843
I had no money and had to pick up old cans and bottles to get by, I would not waste money on lottery tickets.


It's a waste only if you don't win. Speaking of which, I used to get mail from Pubisher's Clearing House telling me "You may already be a winner!" all the time. I don't get that mail any longer.
 
Many street people are living exactly where they want to be. Nice people and politicians running for office often interfere thinking they are doing them a favor.
 
If they had hit for, lets say a million...how long do you think it would be before they were totally broke once again?

A documentary of them spending the winnings would be fascinating.
 
A couple years ago, I was in the City and saw a homeless person pushing a cart with empties in it.

I asked him how much money he makes a day.
He said: "about 30.00"

I thought that was pretty good.
 
Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
A couple years ago, I was in the City and saw a homeless person pushing a cart with empties in it.

I asked him how much money he makes a day.
He said: "about 30.00"


Better than I would have guessed. Which equals about $900 per month and $10,800 a year. Little by little it adds up.
 
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
A couple years ago, I was in the City and saw a homeless person pushing a cart with empties in it.

I asked him how much money he makes a day.
He said: "about 30.00"


Better than I would have guessed. Which equals about $900 per month and $10,800 a year. Little by little it adds up.


Minus Vacation time, of coarse.
 
Another thing I saw recently was an old beat up pickup with a trailer stacked with wooden pallets. They go behind stores and pick them up. Turn them in somewhere for dinero. These things were twice as high as the cab height on the truck. They were strapped down but it looked super precarious oncoming.
 
Weirdly, I had two winners last night on lotto... $20 on a scratch-off and another dude won $420 on regular lotto!

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However.. Most "homeless" people.. aren't.

These grifters play on people's heart strings. Hard not to want to smack the dude that kneels in front or next to people's cars at lights... [censored], dude. [censored]. Really? But. It works...

They have shades and clean shirts on out here on 440. They also likely make more money than I do. And the majority are NOT HOMELESS.
 
Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
A couple years ago, I was in the City and saw a homeless person pushing a cart with empties in it.

I asked him how much money he makes a day.
He said: "about 30.00"


Better than I would have guessed. Which equals about $900 per month and $10,800 a year. Little by little it adds up.


Minus Vacation time, of coarse.


Tax free.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If they had hit for, lets say a million...how long do you think it would be before they were totally broke once again?

A documentary of them spending the winnings would be fascinating.


Ironically enough, I spent time with some homeless folks from McDonald's for like a day or two.. It was either a lie or the truth, but, he was telling me how he had inherited a sizeable sum or inheritance from family or some source.. Several hundred thousand dollars after taxes.. Looking at him dirty and smelly and "believably homeless" in the McDonald's (NOT the guys that live in the shelter and say "I'm gonna go PA handle today" that line up before North Ave on 1&9 North and South, Elizabeth NJ, that sit in McDs and get their little small cup of coffee and out like 12 sugars in there and then take more sugar and then ask for a refill then go panhandle....) I asked the obvious question: "Well, what happened?"

He says "Oh, you know, I made some bad life choices. If my Mom let's me have the $15,000 IL be OK..."

As someone who works for a living it's kind of infuriating. At least for now..
 
Originally Posted By: ramammoth
Next time, try talking to him.


Why? So you can smell his terrible breath, hear his sob story, or have him attempt to scam you out of some money?

No thanks. I don't socialize with homeless people. Don't care about them. Don't give them money. Don't give them food. Tell them forcefully to leave me alone and go away if they attempt to talk to me or ask me for anything.

They are all ex-cons, all drug/alcohol addicts, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If they had hit for, lets say a million...how long do you think it would be before they were totally broke once again?

A documentary of them spending the winnings would be fascinating.


Here you go
 
Originally Posted By: InfmousCornholio


However.. Most "homeless" people.. aren't.


This is sometimes true, for various reasons. Years ago I briefly worked midnights as a construction inspector. When I made my nightly run to Dunkin Donuts for coffee, I'd always see this homeless guy sitting right near the door. He never begged for anything though, but always said hello and was actually quite nice. A little odd, but nice. One night he said something to me about my work truck, and I actually talked to him for a minute. It ends up that this guy has a house... and a family, about 2 miles away in the city. This guy was a little off, but he kept referencing current events and TV shows, etc. that one without frequent TV access would not know about. Who knows, people are strange.
 
There was an article in WSJ or some other paper that looked at hipsters whom panhandle by day then go home shower and change and then party. They were taking in close 60k a year. I was on the train back from the city and saw a girl who looked homeless and was panhandling- she got off at my stop and climbed into mom's Mercedes. Unbelievable.
 
The highway exit that I take when going home always has a panhandler on it with a sign that they are either out of work, homeless or both. There seems to be a rotation of about 3-5 people each having their own day I guess.

A lot of times they have some really good clothes on and a backpack sitting near by. The oldest one would be in late 40's, so still in their prime. I see a lot of people giving them money.
 
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