whitewolf53
Expert Expediter
They used to stand on the corner with a sign that said will work for food.You dont see that anymore.
Beggars
- Thread starter whitewolf53
- Start date
I recall some show, might have been 20/20 where they observed a street corner beggar in a wheelchair with a hidden camera. When he was done with his day's begging, he wheeled up to his front porch, stepped out of the wheelchair, folded it up and walked into his house. Now THAT is a CAREER:7
-Weave-
-Weave-
Hi Weave,
Beggers, one of my favorite subjects at my current job.
A little background for the newbies to the forum, my wife Wendy (she was one of the first moderators on this site) and I ran expedited freight in a "D" unit for about 3 years. Now we are working for the city bus company in Austin TX, as drivers.
We have to deal with these folks riding the bus. Many times I have heard them counting out their take for the day, and have been shocked to find out they are making as much as me, except I have to pay taxes on my money. The usual drill seems to be to then get on their cell phone and make dinner plans, and I'm not talking the dollar menu at McDonalds, but the nicer sit down places.
I don't want to make it sound like it is all gravey for these folks. Many are employed but at jobs which will not support setting up a home. About a year ago I had a group of about 10 men who were working demolition for a redesign in a shopping mall my bus went by. These men had a place to stay but in order to be at work early in the morning before the time the bus started running, they had to camp out in the woods.
Here in Austin they do not let them work the downtown area, but outside of that area there is a good chance you will see all four sides of the intersection being worked, usually by the same folks who have been working the corner for months. Some of these folks I have already mentioned, some have been released back to society from the mental health department due to funding, and of course we have a lot of them that are just out there getting money for drugs and alcohol.
My guess is there are a lot more "Homeless" here because of the milder winters, along with the lax rules they do have. This was the short version of my tale, and I only have one more thing to add which I feel is important. I really do try to treat everyone equal on the bus, which includes the homeless and/or beggers, the gangster wannabees, the gays and crossdressers, UT students, wheelchairs, and the ones who most people would consider normal. Those so called normal people just happen to be the ones that have given me the most trouble. Probably 95% of the people working the streets will not bother the bus drivers, so that does make it nice.
Just remember someday it could be one of us out there
Olko
Beggers, one of my favorite subjects at my current job.
A little background for the newbies to the forum, my wife Wendy (she was one of the first moderators on this site) and I ran expedited freight in a "D" unit for about 3 years. Now we are working for the city bus company in Austin TX, as drivers.
We have to deal with these folks riding the bus. Many times I have heard them counting out their take for the day, and have been shocked to find out they are making as much as me, except I have to pay taxes on my money. The usual drill seems to be to then get on their cell phone and make dinner plans, and I'm not talking the dollar menu at McDonalds, but the nicer sit down places.
I don't want to make it sound like it is all gravey for these folks. Many are employed but at jobs which will not support setting up a home. About a year ago I had a group of about 10 men who were working demolition for a redesign in a shopping mall my bus went by. These men had a place to stay but in order to be at work early in the morning before the time the bus started running, they had to camp out in the woods.
Here in Austin they do not let them work the downtown area, but outside of that area there is a good chance you will see all four sides of the intersection being worked, usually by the same folks who have been working the corner for months. Some of these folks I have already mentioned, some have been released back to society from the mental health department due to funding, and of course we have a lot of them that are just out there getting money for drugs and alcohol.
My guess is there are a lot more "Homeless" here because of the milder winters, along with the lax rules they do have. This was the short version of my tale, and I only have one more thing to add which I feel is important. I really do try to treat everyone equal on the bus, which includes the homeless and/or beggers, the gangster wannabees, the gays and crossdressers, UT students, wheelchairs, and the ones who most people would consider normal. Those so called normal people just happen to be the ones that have given me the most trouble. Probably 95% of the people working the streets will not bother the bus drivers, so that does make it nice.
Just remember someday it could be one of us out there
Olko
