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I've stopped to talk with a few people I've seen in my neighborhood. There aren't many to be seen around here though. One man in particular I liked to see, because him and Brian always had a lot to talk about. More than once we saw him there and asked him to wait while we went and bought him a big dinner somewhere. That was my favorite part about seeing him: He was more than happy to recieve food, not just money.
San Francisco is entirely another matter though. I hate that place for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that you can't go ten feet without getting panhandled. It makes me crazy! Last time I was there the only person who got anything from me was a woman with her cat...The kitty looked plump and well-fed at least.
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I think that food, water, and shelter is essential for everyone; that is what welfare and section 8 is for. If someone is on the streets begging, they are
A) already receiving welfare money and are trying to earn an extra buck. (I'd like to say for drugs, but that's judgemental.)
or
B) Not mentally stable enough to use the welfare resources.
Either way, I think we need to work more on getting to the source of the problem. Rather if is is mental care, drug and alcohol addiction treatment, leading them to a dr. to care for their disability, leading them to the welfare office to get help, job training, school, etc...
