Posted on 08/13/2016 6:00:36 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Republican Mayor Richard Berry was driving around Albuquerque last year when he saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that read: “Want a Job. Anything Helps.”
Throughout his administration, as part of a push to connect the homeless population to services, Berry had taken to driving through the city to talk to panhandlers about their lives. His city’s poorest residents told him they didn’t want to be on the streets begging for money, but they didn’t know where else to go.
Seeing that sign gave Berry an idea. Instead of asking them, many of whom feel dispirited, to go out looking for work, the city could bring the work to them.
Next month will be the first anniversary of Albuquerque’s There’s a Better Way program, which hires panhandlers for day jobs beautifying the city. In partnership with a local nonprofit that serves the homeless population, a van is dispatched around the city to pick up panhandlers who are interested in working. The job pays $9 an hour, which is above minimum wage, and provides a lunch. At the end of the shift, the participants are offered overnight shelter as needed.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Perhaps Trump should bring back the CCC and follow FDR’s putting people to work on infrastructure.
Homeless panhandlers unionizing and demanding $15 per hour starts in 10...9...8...7....
This is not something new, invented by a republican mayor. Franklin Roosevelt invented it with the C.C.C. and The W.P.A.
Work is getting done, whether they pay these people in the form of $9 an hour and a hot and a cot, or a private contractor at a lot more.
Either way, cash is going out and work is getting done.
Show me any government function that isn't "in the red"?
School teachers don't bring in any revenue. They provide a service, that the government pays for, via our taxes. Same with these people.
I understand your dislike for HW... but "Know" should be No.
It just looks bad to miss that.
You misquoted me and did not answer the questions I asked.
Absolutely not.
I copied and pasted your exact words. And answered your questions satisfactorily.
You just don't like the answer.
“Show me any government function that isn’t “in the red”?”
This is not what I said. Who provides the shelter and lunch?
FDR works program would NEVER work today. Back then men were sent TO the area,lived in camps, were fed and sent their meager. Money home to their families...uh,duh..how many crack smoking, rapper unemployed homies would go for that today?
Uh, duh!
Not rocket science. So glad someone put the idea to the test.
Does this affect there welfare and snap payments?
I read an article, some years ago, where an independent reporter followed two different panhandlers for two years and determined that they made about $37,000 per year tax free.....
Maybe this will work, I’ll give him credit for trying.
I read an article a while back, Houston I think, they went around and offered jobs to all the people standing with “will work for food” signs and such.
Most declined, saying they could make more standing there with a sign. One woman said OK let’s go. They had jobs lined up, took her to one, the employer hired her full time at day’s end.
A story from another angle, I read this in the Norfolk, VA newspaper about 1977.
A man was walking down the street and was approached by a typical bum asking for change to get breakfast. Figuring it was a ruse to get wine money, he offered to take the bum to breakfast at a cafe right up the street. As they ate and talked, he noticed the man’s shoes had holes in them, and it was mid winter, Christmas time. Trust me, it’s cold there right against Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic.
So he took him a couple of doors down and bought him a pair of shoes. The bum thanked him and they talked for a minute, and it was time for the good samaritan to go to work. The bum said wait a minute, Pulled out a check book and wrote him a check for $1000.
Turned out the “bum” was a retired doctor with a quite comfortable living, he did this every winter just to find such a kind soul and do a good deed. It made the Norfolk paper a few days after Christmas, I think it was 1977. I had just hitch hiked back there from Texas to visit some friends...Ended up back here a few months later.
This sounds like a program that might do some good, who knows. I’ve known a few street people, most had no interest in a regular job, few tried to do more than outright bumming to get by. I was playing music on 6th street in Austin for a while, did pretty good actually, and knew a couple who were mimes, most of the rest were just plain old bums with not much desire to be anything more. A few other street performers would come through from time to time, some pretty good, some almost mediocre.
The bums were always there, usually drunk. One tried to steal change out of our guitar case one night, one tried to start a fight with me, claiming I drank his beer...I didn’t drink, hadn’t had a drop...most were harmless for the most part though. I slammed the guitar case lid on the thief’s fingers, then chased him 2 blocks down the street, he didn’t make that mistake again. I wanted a big chunk of his HIDE...I was surprised he outran me actually...barely, I was still only a step behind when I decided to back off..I was more surprised a cop didn’t show up. The cops there were great guys though, we had a very good relationship with them.
I have a bunch of stories from those days...6th street was great at that time.
SOLVED
Shame on the Republican mayor. His solution is the Government gave the homeless a job. Which is not a job, it is a dog and pony show.
Hey jacka$$, instead SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Give the homeless tax freedom. Cut all the taxes from 60% down to 2%.
A 2% total tax rate for the homeless. They will be working so much the remaining peasants will ask for prosperity also. Problem solved. The rampant societal ignorance is astounding.
The problem is that most of the homeless need mental institutions or drug or alcohol rehab.
Yep. Isn’t the first question ... why is this person homeless?
And what does “homeless” mean?
At one point, my greatest assets were a hundred dollar guitar and a pint of vodka. I sat on the steps of the Salt Palace, and corraled my severe depression into a steadfast calm. It’s that inner calmness that carried me through the next thirty years to today. I put my trust in the lord, and he put his trust in me. I worked my ass off - took out (and paid off) student loans to go to engineering college, and here I am.
Yes, I could have stood at the exit, holding a sign, but I likely wouldn’t be driving a Lexus to work, or have a Tundra to pull my trailer, or my 4-Runner to go rock crawling at Moab. You take your choices.
I’m kinda shocked that the Mayor thinks he can pry a hundred bucks out of homeless panhandlers. For the mayor of Albuquerque he is fortunate to have a non-profit willing to do what they can. I just wonder what his success rate is and can the program be sustained. It isn’t easy or cheap providing for those seemingly unwilling or unable to provide for themselves, and in the case of panhandlers, some would take a pay cut if they were to be “on the job”. Maybe I too need some of dp0622’s free optimism.
There’s very little to go around :)
I think I overstated the amount I have!
You can make 200 bucks in a day on a corner in NYC.
The young women are the jackpot. Seen them give 20s, 50s, tae one into a high end clothing store...lol.
I used to give some bum under Rockefeller Plaza 10 bucks for booze every now and then. At least he didn’t hide what it was for :)
You can make 200 bucks in a day on a corner in NYC.
I am surprised that the family hasn’t taken over the corners and charged for the privilege of working the corner sort of like, the garbage business, loan sharking, gambling on the corner, protection rackets and other such activity.
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