Real objective

[Greg]

After years on the road, I've heard a lot of stories from people in truck stop parking lots. The oldest ones have to be "I ran out of gas, can you help me out?" Or " I haven't eaten in X amount of days, can you spare a few bucks?"
I think I'm a pretty compassionate guy, but perhaps a little jaded by the sheer number of these requests over the years.
Sometimes I will help, IF I can (and if it seems legit) and if I pump the gas and SEE the fuel gauge. I've been known to buy a few some food, but I will not give cash.
I bring this up because it seems that recently the story most offered is "I just got out of the hospital and need a few bucks to eat or get home"
The amazing thing to me about any of these requests, is when I reject them because their story fell apart and they become indignant. "How can you say no? I know you can spare a $10 or $20!"
It's really funny to me when a person asks for money for food, and you offer to buy them a burger and they refuse!
Or they "need" gas, you offer to pump it and they insist on the money!
The stories may change but the real objective hardly ever does.

 

[layoutshooter]

The majority of these sob stories HAVE to be faked, after all, we have spent trillions upon trillions of dollars to eliminate poverty. With all that spending poverty was eliminated in 1997.

The REAL objective? To relieve you of YOUR hard earned money, AND, to increase their OWN wealth without the benefit of work. In other words, lazy thieves.

 

[Greg]

Without a doubt, that IS the objective, it is rarely attained. And the new ' hospital' story just makes me upset. IF it is true, then what they are saying is " I just got free healthcare, you'll get the bill for that later, but right now, can give me some cash?"

 

[muttly]

When something like that happens, I will give them a small amount . Don't know for sure if their story is true or not . Probably the story is often not true, but maybe the small amount might help them in some way. I know I hate being stuck somewhere and needed my battery jumped or something. Never needed money, but appreciated someone taking the time to help.

 

[layoutshooter]

Helping people with an obvious problem, like jumping a dead battery, is one thing. Empowering beggars is another all together. I would bet money that if you gave the vast majority of beggars, a card with the address of a place that was hiring, instead of giving them money, few, if any, would ever show up for that job.

 

[Greg]

I will try to help someone with a REAL need, but when it' s obviously a fabricated story, I send them on their way. I know what you mean about being stuck, sometimes it seems like I'm the only one on the lot that carries jumper cables, and willing to give a fellow driver 20 minutes to get their truck started.

 

[layoutshooter]

I have some!! LOL!!

 

[Greg]

Helping people with an obvious problem, like jumping a dead battery, is one thing. Empowering beggars is another all together. I would bet money that if you gave the vast majority of beggars, a card with the address of a place that was hiring, instead of giving them money, few, if any, would ever show up for that job.

That is a big step, offering employment. Try offering to buy them the food they say they the money is for, and many will refuse.

 

[layoutshooter]

Very few that I offered food have taken it.

 

[Greg]

The guy that DRIVES his crown vic all over the lot, stopping at each truck asking for gas money, made me laugh the most. He was wearing more gold than a man asking for money should. I told him if he wasn't DRIVING around the lot that A. He wouldn't need as much gas and B. He might stand a better chance of getting some money if he walked the lot and C. You could always sell some of that jewelry