Am I my brother's keeper? Or my sister's... and her twelve kids... and her cousin?

I live in a really small city (or a really big town, depending on how you look at it) in a more northern area of the US. It doesn't snow, but only because we're on the coastline so the humidity keeps it too warm to snow (for the most part). This area is known for being pretty liberal (although we have our share of redneck conservative types as well), and as a result of being a hippy-haven we have tons of bums. Everywhere. All the time. Demanding money, being rude, and just generally being obnoxious. Most of them are passing through; younger people wandering "the road" with their guitars and their dogs (they ALWAYS have dogs).

                                            Yeah, real cute asshole. Get a fucking job like the rest of us.


These younger "hobo" bums are the real problem. For the most part, the homeless (non-PC, but I refuse to call them "houseless") folks around here are regulars and work regular corners. They have their regular signs, and their regular dogs, and they aren't as irritating as the young ones. They don't really break into your car or start swearing at you if you don't give them money (You wanna protest "the man" then you get none of "the man's" money). This has given me a bit of an ethical dilemma.

I feel sympathy and pity for the homeless people, I really do. But come on... I can spot a tweaker at 200 yards, and I know someone who's nodding out from heroine as opposed to someone who just has narcolepsy. I recognize DT's, pill-poppers, and a myriad of other conditions that are ALL related to hard core drug use. I see a few "clean" bums, and these guys are usually all Vietnam vets or people who are just down on their luck. I don't see them very often as they tend to move on, or to, you know... get a job and get off the streets.  Most of the bums panhandling and following me screaming for some of my hard-earned cash are useless drug addicts. Where does my responsibility to them begin? Or end?

                                                   Ha ha! You might already be feeding two dogs,
                                                             but I'm going to guilt you into feeding mine too!


I find that I get unreasonably annoyed when people ask me to donate money to the Salvation Army (althought that could always be because they discriminate against the LGBT community, and therefore will get no money from me), or contribute to food drives. Why should I lift a finger to help these people? Obviously they aren't interested in helping themselves. There are more resources (especially in this area) for people looking to clean up and get off the streets than there are resources for one person working two jobs and struggling to make ends meet. Why should I waste time or money when no-one is going to help me in return? I have to pay for my food, these guys can get EBT funds or attend soup kitchens... all without changing their life style one bit. Hell, they can go do this while tweaking out of their mind on the drugs they got from stealing my car stereo... meanwhile, I'm eating ramen for two weeks because I had to pay $200 to replace my broken window... forget the stereo, that's a luxury.

Don't even get me started on the people that have kids... homeless kids is a terrible thing. I don't blame the kids, but I really have to blame the parents. You can't keep it together long enough to take care of you OWN CHILD?! And now I'm expected to step in and help you out because I'm not willing to see your kid starve to death?

                                              Give me cash! I demand that you feed me and my child because
                                                                                 I'm not going to do it...

 Let me make it clear to everyone: I am not living in luxury by most people's standards, but having lived in my car for close to a year I know how much I DO have. I have lots of food (I actually horde food since it was always in short supply when I was in my car... I have a subconcious fear of starving), I have a nice warm bed with an electric blanket, and I have the internet and cable TV. I even have a car that (mostly) works! I am well aware of how all of that can disappear and how much this really is in the grand scheme of things... I have sympathy for people that don't have access to this comfort.

On the other hand, I work two jobs. I hunt down odd jobs on the side, and I budget very carefully because I don't have much money. I am counted as living below the poverty line on the census. I am not a wealthy person... I don't have enough money that I can afford to be losing/giving/wasting it away. So how responsible am I for taking care of other people? I feel like I have a responsibility to my community for sure... but I also have a responsibility to myself and my dogs (you know, the people that DEPEND on me for food).  In the end, I mostly just wing it.

I will almost NEVER give cash to a homeless person, but I once gave a muffin that I was not enjoying to a young lady and her dog. We had a pleasant conversation, and I thought that I had chosen wisely. Once, while leaving a restaurant, a thin man with a desperate face asked for money. I told him (honestly) that I had none and offered him my bread pudding that I had left. He took it and then looked like he thought I might take it back and turned tail and fled. I actually looked for him after I got over my surprise because I was going to see if he'd like a real dinner, but I never found him. There was one time I got more chicken than I could eat and gave the rest to a girl and her cat (regular bums, she's always covered with meth-sores... the cat disappeared a few months ago).  I don't know if what I'm doing is enough, and some times I think any aide is too much.

Fuck it, this ethics crap is so much harder than it looks.

                                                Merry Christmas! We're dependant on your charity!