New York's New Beggars

[Dark Capitalist]

Remember! Forty million Americans are in "poverty"! :rolleyes:


NEW YORK'S NEW BEGGARS


September 14, 2003 -- THEY have cell phones. They've got e-mail. They shop free at Old Navy, McDonald's and Virgin record stores. They have free access to acupuncture treatments, yoga classes and massage therapy.

Welcome to the coddled lifestyles of New York's new "homeless" - young kids who, besides getting pampered by charities, rake in hundreds of dollars a week begging on the street.

Cell-phone toting Dawn, who like most interviewed for this story did not wish her full name revealed, is one of their number, and she's staked out a corner at Fifth Avenue and 14th Street as her begging spot.

A sign at her feet reads, "Hungry, broke and miserable . . . All I want is a warm, safe place to stay until I . . . get back home . . . or back on my feet here."

Dawn told The Post she averages $40 a day panhandling - what the new homeless called "spanging" - but recently a stockbroker handed her $600 cash, saying he'd once been in similar straits.

"I don't spend my money on drugs, so I'm able to afford a cell phone, buy clothes and go to the movies once in a while," she said. "Part of the reason I'm living like this is to get away from the material life."

Each summer, hundreds of the new homeless arrive from as far away as Texas and California, looking for jobs, handouts and companionship. Then they retreat to warmer climates around this time of year, when the first chills set in.


More (http://nypost.com/news/regionalnews/5734.htm)

[redstar2000]

An interesting look at the kind of stuff that Murdoch's Media is handing out these days.

Yes, I don't doubt that the young woman averages $40 a day pan-handling...and that her boyfriend makes half as much.

Young people are more successful panhandlers than middle-aged or old people; whites get a better daily "take" than minority groups do; and a young, white woman of at least average attractiveness should do best of all.

The funny part of the story is in the lines that were not written. Do you think the young couple could rent an apartment in Manhattan with a combined income of $60 a day?

That's $1,800 a month...and from what I understand about rents in Manhattan, the cheapest and smallest apartments there go for around $1,500 a month (with huge deposits required, of course).

Perhaps if they gave up that silly extravagance of daily eating for a while...

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[Hampton]

Upper class white kids acting poor and begging on the street to get away from the "material life", this is so sad it's pathetic. It must be nice to know that they have the option of going back to mom and dad's penthouse if it gets to tough. These kids don't know how good they have it, instead of acting poor, use daddy's money to actually help some real poor and homeless people get their lives together.

Fucking stupid.

[dancingoutlaw]

Who says you have to live in Manhattan? Commute to your begging on the PATH train from Hoboken.

[synthesis]

Carefully created to irritate both fiscal conservatives and cynical leftists.

Nice.

[sliverchrist]

material life? it doesn't sound so bad that i would run away from it.

course, i think that if i ever begged for something, i would at least have the decency, and dignity to actually need it first.

but hell, thats just me.

[Marxist in Nebraska]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2003, 12:00 AM
Carefully created to irritate both fiscal conservatives and cynical leftists.

Nice.
Yep! Murdoch's propaganda at its best (or worst, hard to say)...

[Saint-Just]

These well-off 'homeless' are a sympton of capitalist society more than anything.

A Conservative politician in the late 80's (George... something I can remember his name) said: 'The homeless? Aren't those the people one steps over after coming out the Savoy'

[Sabocat]

Remember! Forty million Americans are in "poverty"!


I know it must seem like 40 bucks a day is a lot of money when you're living with mommy and daddy and they keep you in Nike's and Tommy Hilfiger, but it's not a livable amount of money in a metropolitan area. It's probably alright if you don't mind living in a cardboard box, or over a subway grate, but not even close to support rent, electricity, food etc.

They recently did a study for my city (Boston), and they found that on average, a person living in Boston needs to make $22.50 per hour to live and survive here. Keep in mind that is a minimal figure. By my math, that comes out to $180 dollars a day just to get by. Boston is a fair representative of most U.$. cities, although definitely not as expensive to live in as NYC. That 40 bucks a day doesn't seem like so much now does it?



Didn't you say you were leaving?..... We're waiting.

[dancingoutlaw]

Look I live in NYC. I do see these people. I don't think they are as prevalent as the article makes them out to be, but they do exsist. This is a city where the junkies around Penn Plaza have a better cell phone than me (not that I want a really cool cell phone but one is neccessary, since I am a freelancer, if I want to find work for myself) These people are taking advantage of the system plain and simple. Are there people who need help? Yes. Even though I consider myself Libertarian in most respects I do beleive it is an indicator of society of how the most needy are treated and I will work towards a good balance. It does drive me crazy though the leeches that atach themselves to such a system. These young poeple in the article could get a job in NYC. Even looking like a complete dirtbag they could get a job and make a living contributing to society. Believe me I know. I have worked with the most incompetent and stupid of people. These people if they tried hard enough could make it for themselves.

Peace

[redstar2000]

It does drive me crazy though the leeches that attach themselves to such a system.

It's actually a pretty easy call.

Would you trade places with them?

If they have such a "great hustle" going for them and you feel "outraged" by that, then give it a try yourself and see what it's like living on the streets.

As for the "fountain of infinite employment opportunities", I think you'll find out that it dried up a long time ago. After all, why are you a "freelancer"?

Because you couldn't find a real job, of course.

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[dancingoutlaw]

I am a freelancer because that is the nature of the business that I am in. When I have no work I do not apply for unemployment even though it is my right because I feel that it is there for people who need it. Instead I look about two months ahead and try to plan. Work tends to show up but not always.

The fountain of employment oppurtunities has not dried up. It all comes down to what you are willing to do to make an honest living. Even with the crappish and sluggish economy in New York there are plenty of "help wanted" signs in the windows. I would bet that a good portion of these jobs pay more than $40 a day. Usually if a worker is smart and just has the will to show up on time they will get promoted (in the service industry jobs) A freind of mine moved to NYC. Got a job at the Barnes and Nobles on Union Square. Within two months because he basically kept showing up for work was promoted to a managerial postion and later transferred to BN.com who hired him again after a year study in China. He uses his "real" job to help pay for a film production career that he has with his girlfreind. Yes you can get a job, meet your responsibilities, and be a productive force in society. Once again I do believe that a just culture should and will take care of the most unfortunate among us. Would I trade places with those in the story? No, I could not live with myself being so self centered and self serving as to believe that the world owes me anything and that leeching off the hard work of others is a correct and ethical way to live my life.

Peace

edited for the embarrasing typos

[redstar2000]

No, I could not live with myself being so self centered and self serving as to believe that the world owes me anything and that leeching off the hard work of others is a correct and ethical way to live my life.

Translation: I have a better hustle than those stupid kids.

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