My new hobby, and how to finance it

Quote: KevinAA

There's a reason why most shelters are single-sex. Letting women stay in a shelter with men will result in rapes...

There is that, and also the fact that street relationships often involve a bit of proxenetism (there's your fifty cent word for the day!) by the male partner and manipulation by the female partner, who are both using each other as resources providing for their drug habits. So even if they are a couple he's going to be trading access to her, there are going to be domestic disputes and disputes between males over females, false claims, and nobody running a shelter wants any part of those things.

Because of the people involved and their backgrounds a homeless shelter has to be managed more like a jail than a place of charitable relief.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: KevinAA

There's a reason why most shelters are single-sex. Letting women stay in a shelter with men will result in rapes...

There is that, and also the fact that street relationships often involve a bit of proxenetism (there's your fifty cent word for the day!) by the male partner and manipulation by the female partner, who are both using each other as resources providing for their drug habits. So even if they are a couple he's going to be trading access to her, there are going to be domestic disputes and disputes between males over females, false claims, and nobody running a shelter wants any part of those things.

Because of the people involved and their backgrounds a homeless shelter has to be managed more like a jail than a place of charitable relief.
link to original post

The easiest to understand way to say it is the vast majority of homeless people are double-digit IQ losers who are just here taking up space. Staying high, letting other people and institutions support them until they're finally here no more. Every society on Earth has always had double digit IQ people like this who would rather live in squalor on the streets then work. The difference now is we tolerate them a lot more so there's a lot more of them. We haven't gotten there yet but we will get to a point where our tolerance runs out

Conditions in many shelters are such that people prefer to sleep outside. Having a single sex shelter does little to cut down on sexual assaults.

Quote: billryan

Conditions in many shelters are such that people prefer to sleep outside. Having a single sex shelter does little to cut down on sexual assaults.
link to original post

At least it will protect the women from them. Forcible nonconsensuality by women is uncommon.

The sodomy in male shelters is widely known and not new; doss houses have long been known as places where this is done to males. Worse than prison, where the behavior is usually consensual because you will be there for a while and it is unwise to make enemies in prison.

A careful reading of the Book of Genesis shows that Sodom and Gomorrah were laid to waste not for mere homosexuality but for exactly this behavior- the homosexual rape of men, which has been recognized as wicked and inviting righteous destruction for thousands of years. It is no surprise that someone depraved enough to do that would be living a lifestyle so depraved in every other way as to lead him to unsheltered homelessness. Perhaps your kindness would be better met and more effective if applied to some other population that is also in need, but more habituated to kindness, that would be capable of passing it on after you are gone.

Quote: billryan

Conditions in many shelters are such that people prefer to sleep outside. Having a single sex shelter does little to cut down on sexual assaults.
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There's a YouTube channel where for a living this guy gets people donating to his GoFundMe and gives the money away to homeless people in the form of goods. He takes them shopping, he buys them shoes and Tents and bicycles and food and sleeping bags and you name it. And he keeps part of the money to support himself. He deals with lots and lots of people and he'll come back to an area three or four months later or 8 months later and of course the same people are there with their hands out living exactly like they were living when he left. Because they have absolutely no intention of living any other way except on the take. And why would they, when guys like this come around on a regular basis and spend hundreds of dollars on them in one afternoon with cook stoves and freeze dried food and gift cards from McDonald's and Burger King and Wendy's and underwear and socks and winter coats and you name it. They're not down on their luck, this is 100% their choice to stay high all the time and live off other people. Professional leeches.

Feeding the homeless seems similar to jerking off into a Kleenex. It makes you feel good but accomplishes nothing. And just leads to you repeating the same action endlessly.

There are so many people who need help and who are more deserving of help. Start with your family; then your friends; then your community; then national charities that are well documented to be honest. And think of the money you'll save on Kleenex.

Quote: gordonm888

Feeding the homeless seems similar to jerking off into a Kleenex. It makes you feel good but accomplishes nothing. And just leads to you repeating the same action endlessly.

There are so many people who need help and who are more deserving of help. Start with your family; then your friends; then your community; then national charities that are well documented to be honest. And think of the money you'll save on Kleenex.
link to original post

The homeless use a dirty sock, duh. They cam't afford Kleenex.

Quote: gordonm888

Feeding the homeless seems similar to jerking off into a Kleenex. It makes you feel good but accomplishes nothing. And just leads to you repeating the same action endlessly.

There are so many people who need help and who are more deserving of help. Start with your family; then your friends; then your community; then national charities that are well documented to be honest. And think of the money you'll save on Kleenex.
link to original post

Who are you to tell me what to do? I think I'll listen to Jesus, St. Francis, Dorothy Day, and Pope Francis before the likes of you and Bob.
I'm not sure how any of this isn't thread hijacking, but I guess moderators can get away with things we mere mortals can't.
Comparing acts of charity to jerking off is screwed up. I can only hope that you'll soon be lifted out of the darkness and see the light.

Quote: billryan

Quote: gordonm888

Feeding the homeless seems similar to jerking off into a Kleenex. It makes you feel good but accomplishes nothing. And just leads to you repeating the same action endlessly.

There are so many people who need help and who are more deserving of help. Start with your family; then your friends; then your community; then national charities that are well documented to be honest. And think of the money you'll save on Kleenex.
link to original post

Who are you to tell me what to do? I think I'll listen to Jesus, St. Francis, Dorothy Day, and Pope Francis before the likes of you and Bob.
I'm not sure how any of this isn't thread hijacking, but I guess moderators can get away with things we mere mortals can't.
Comparing acts of charity to jerking off is screwed up. I can only hope that you'll soon be lifted out of the darkness and see the light.
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How by any realm of the imagination can talking about homeless people in a homeless thread be hijacking. You just don't like it that some people disagree with you, you want everybody to praise you and pat you on the back and tell you what a wonderful wonderful person you are. How you somehow miraculously went from the most suspended member for personal insults and turned into Jesus, St Francis, Doris Day, and every Pope who ever lived. I think feeding the homeless in this country is a vast waste of time because all you're doing is prolonging they're homelessness which is what they want you to do. If we lived in Bangladesh I would be praising you, because poor homeless people there have no choice. Unless the homeless in the United states are mentally ill which some of them are, they have choice after choice after choice and this is the lifestyle they choose. It's no accident that the vast vast majority of homeless people are also criminals, they will steal anything from anybody to keep their drug habit going.

Quote: billryan

Who are you to tell me what to do? I think I'll listen to Jesus, St. Francis, Dorothy Day, and Pope Francis before the likes of you and Bob.

Bob and I are joined by at least 4 oother members on this thread who have been raising reservations about what you are doing; that perhaps it does more harm than good.

Your list of wise men (Jesus to Pope Francis) is fine, but I suggest there are many others (Including the likes of George Carlin and Robin Williams, lol) who are worth listening to as well And this is a social forum so please don't pretend to be affronted that other forum members are commenting despite the fact that none of us are major figures in modern religions.

And I think that most societal experts on the subject of the homeless advise us that it is better to donate resources to charities than to distribute food and clothing directly to the homeless yourself. But I guess you consider their advice to be something that you should ignore as well. Because none of them are Jesus nor Pope Francis?

Quote: billryan

I'm not sure how any of this isn't thread hijacking, but I guess moderators can get away with things we mere mortals can't.
Comparing acts of charity to jerking off is screwed up. I can only hope that you'll soon be lifted out of the darkness and see the light.
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Aaah, of course, you think you stand in the light and the rest of us in darkness. Well, you do live in sunny Arizona.

Let me ask you a question. Would you be doing your hobby if you provided the funding, bought the food and articles of clothing and then gave them to a third party (say, a friend) to distribute to the homeless? Because that's how most charities work, right? -most people donate money and items to institutions and allow experienced experts and social workers to handle the interactions with the needy. That's how my wife and I do our charitable giving. Or is it your face-to-face interaction with the homeless the thing that you value? Do you find it rewarding to have people on a lower stratum of society look up to you as a successful, beneficent patron - is that why you have structured your hobby this way? I may be wrong but isn't what you are doing the polar opposite of "anonymous giving?" You seem to want all the homeless recipients of your charitable gifts to know without question that you are the patron, that you are the donor. Am I wrong? If I am, please correct me. I want to be fair.

Quote: gordonm888

And I think that most societal experts on the subject of the homeless advise us that it is better to donate resources to charities than to distribute food and clothing directly to the homeless yourself.
Because that's how most charities work, right? -most people donate money and items to institutions and allow experienced experts and social workers to handle the interactions with the needy. That's how my wife and I do our charitable giving.

a great many who work for or with charities are paid for their service, usually in salaries

when you donate to a charity a portion of your donation goes to pay workers of that charity

organized charities may not all be as wonderful as you are imagining

you are suggesting that bill's actions are misguided. in actuality his actions may be more cost effective than those of organized charities

whether or not these people are all deserving of being helped is a whole other issue. as indicated here a great many suffer from mental illness. I have difficulty seeing homeless people in general as having an easy or charmed life simply because they accept goods from others - whether those others are organized or not

and how would a person who wanted to help the homeless be able to distinguish between those that are deserving and those that are undeserving if he tried to do that

that is something that would be all but impossible

and if bill gets a good feeling from what he is doing why is that a negative thing____?________it seems more like win win to me


AI Overview:

"Yes, people who work for charities are typically paid a salary or wage, just like employees in for-profit businesses. Nonprofits, like for-profit organizations, are required to follow labor laws, including paying minimum wage. While salaries in the nonprofit sector may often be lower than comparable roles in the for-profit sector, they are still a form of compensation.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Nonprofits are Employers:
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Nonprofits hire staff to carry out their missions, and these employees are paid for their work, according to Instrumentl.
Funding Sources:
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Nonprofits use various funding sources to pay their employees, including donations, grants, program fees, and other income-generating activities.
Compensation Structures:
.
Nonprofits offer different types of compensation, including salaries, benefits, and other perks, similar to for-profit organizations.
Legal Requirements:
.
Nonprofits, like all employers, are subject to federal and state wage and hour laws, meaning they must pay employees at least the minimum wage.
Volunteerism vs. Employment:
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While many charities rely on volunteers, they also need paid staff to manage operations, provide services, and carry out their mission.
Salary Differences:
.
On average, nonprofit employees may earn less than their counterparts in the for-profit sector. However, salaries within the nonprofit sector can vary widely depending on the size and type of organization, the position, and experience. "

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Quote: billryan

I'm not sure how any of this isn't thread hijacking, but I guess moderators can get away with things we mere mortals can't.
link to original post

The whole thread is off-topic for the forum, as
the focus of the forum is Gambling, Vegas, and Math. (see rule 19)

In the spirit of that rule, I encourage every forum participant to refrain from incendiary speech.

Quote: Dieter

Quote: billryan

I'm not sure how any of this isn't thread hijacking, but I guess moderators can get away with things we mere mortals can't.
link to original post

The whole thread is off-topic for the forum, as
the focus of the forum is Gambling, Vegas, and Math. (see rule 19)

In the spirit of that rule, I encourage every forum participant to refrain from incendiary speech.
link to original post

As opposed to the I love cats thread, the what did you eat todahy thread, the wordie thread,

Quote: billryan

Quote: Dieter

Quote: billryan

I'm not sure how any of this isn't thread hijacking, but I guess moderators can get away with things we mere mortals can't.
link to original post

The whole thread is off-topic for the forum, as
the focus of the forum is Gambling, Vegas, and Math. (see rule 19)

In the spirit of that rule, I encourage every forum participant to refrain from incendiary speech.
link to original post

As opposed to the I love cats thread, the what did you eat todahy thread, the wordie thread,
link to original post

With all the bums in Vegas, we can calculate the odds that there is at least one who plays Wordle and eats cats. So it's all on topic!

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: billryan

The Cicero Institute is leading the fight to outlaw homelessness, so I doubt they'd publish anything that contradicts their agenda of spreading fear. I always did wonder who reads their crap.
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If you were one of the people who reads their crap, you would know that this article takes a sympathetic position, towards both the homeless and sex offenders.

That these people are sex offenders is well known. Now one discrepancy (and injustice, in my opinion) is that in some states, one can end up a registered sex offender for doing something all men and most women have done at least once- taking a leak in public. That's something a bum does every day, and while it could be done for sexual gratification (as could anything) in the overwhelming majority of instances it is not. One can also end up a sex offender by doing something that is legal in Nevada in a licensed facility- being or patronizing a prostitute- and that is also an act which when between consenting adults is hard to characterize as a danger to the public that we need protection from. But besides that, actual sexual misbehavior is part of the skill set of this depraved and self-centered population. I've seen it.

In Vegas I see a lot of bums, male bums walking around wearing that which pertaineth to a woman. They're not fooling anyone, in the condition they are in. I also see the transvestites on the Strip and Downtown and they don't fool me, but some drunk and inexperienced farm kid, they might well successfully deceive. And I suspect most of them will end up in the former category, as a bum with a beard and a pink ribbon in his hair, staggering around in a skirt. Just one more of a long series of bad choices that leads one to unsheltered homelessness.
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A guy ended up on the sex offender list for peeing in his own backyard. What happened was that he ended up peeing in his backyard and didn't know that his neighbors young kids had their faces up against the privacy fence on the other side and saw him peeing and told their parents something like, "We saw Mr Smith's peepee!"

The Parents confronted Mr. Smith who admitted he peed and didn't know the young kids were even in their yard, much less saw him peeing. The Parents had him arrested and he ended up being put on the sex offender list for the pee incident. 😫 Poor Mr Smith who was just innocently peeing in his own backyard and didn't know the neighbors young kids were looking at him through the privacy fence. 😫

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the link gives examples of serious financial problems with some well known charities

https://blog.charitywatch.org/some-of-the-worst-charities-in-america-2024/

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Quote: gordonm888

Feeding the homeless seems similar to jerking off into a Kleenex. It makes you feel good but accomplishes nothing. And just leads to you repeating the same action endlessly.

There are so many people who need help and who are more deserving of help. Start with your family; then your friends; then your community; then national charities that are well documented to be honest. And think of the money you'll save on Kleenex.
link to original post

what the hell?!

Someone hijack Gordan's acct?

I have received a complaint about hijacking in this thread. I haven't followed it for a while, but see it has drifted from one person's hobby to feed the homeless to sodomy in male homeless shelters.

For now, I'm issuing a warning to keep the topic directly on feeding the homeless. Let's also keep it family friendly.

Quote: Nathan

A guy ended up
link to original post

What is the source for this. URL?

Has any of your "a guy did this" or "a guy said this" posts reflected accurately what exactly transpired?

Quote: Wizard

I have received a complaint about hijacking in this thread. I haven't followed it for a while, but see it has drifted from one person's hobby to feed the homeless to sodomy in male homeless shelters.

For now, I'm issuing a warning to keep the topic directly on feeding the homeless. Let's also keep it family friendly.
link to original post

As for myself I always try and keep my posts in this thread about the pros and cons of feeding the homeless. That's what the topic of this thread is, feeding the homeless. So if it's being hijacked it's certainly not by me.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: Wizard

I have received a complaint about hijacking in this thread. I haven't followed it for a while, but see it has drifted from one person's hobby to feed the homeless to sodomy in male homeless shelters.

For now, I'm issuing a warning to keep the topic directly on feeding the homeless. Let's also keep it family friendly.
link to original post

As for myself I always try and keep my posts in this thread about the pros and cons of feeding the homeless. That's what the topic of this thread is, feeding the homeless. So if it's being hijacked it's certainly not by me.
link to original post

This post may be one that people were referring to.

Quote: EvenBob

The homeless use a dirty sock, duh. They cam't afford Kleenex.

Quote: DRich

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: Wizard

I have received a complaint about hijacking in this thread. I haven't followed it for a while, but see it has drifted from one person's hobby to feed the homeless to sodomy in male homeless shelters.

For now, I'm issuing a warning to keep the topic directly on feeding the homeless. Let's also keep it family friendly.
link to original post

As for myself I always try and keep my posts in this thread about the pros and cons of feeding the homeless. That's what the topic of this thread is, feeding the homeless. So if it's being hijacked it's certainly not by me.
link to original post

This post may be one that people were referring to.

Quote: EvenBob

The homeless use a dirty sock, duh. They cam't afford Kleenex.

link to original post

A post about the homeless in the homeless thread and you seem to find that odd somehow.

Alll legitimate roulette players I know of are all sodimisers who refuse ro feed the homeless.
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Quote: AxelWolf

Alll legitimate roulette players I know of are all sodimisers who refuse ro feed the homeless.
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link to original post

I'm calling that a week long suspension.

What's the difference between a hobo and a bum?

Quote: KevinAA

What's the difference between a hobo and a bum?


link to original post

Hobo: an itinerant laborer. Travels and works.
Tramp: travels, does not work.
Bum: neither travels nor works.

That got me thinking, this might be why people get very sensitive about the idea of feeding the homeless. Does it make them more like bums, and less like tramps or hobos? It would be a lot easier for me to be charitable towards someone who I know is just passing through, you don't get that feeling like you are being exploited.

It works that way with migratory birds too. People feed the geese, and because they have a steady food source they stop migrating. That can't be good for them, even though they like being fed and will gobble it all up. It changes their behavior and they take on attributes that remind people more of rats than geese. And we get very annoyed at the geese congregating in and befouling our backyards, ponds, picnic areas and the like but we never get mad at geese flying overhead, or just briefly stopping at a pond or field in the course of their migration.

This might be the answer: to keep them moving if they want to be fed. Turn them into tramps. We won't weary of them so quickly, and there is a chance some of them will find a place and a role where they will fit in and not have to even be tramps anymore.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: KevinAA

What's the difference between a hobo and a bum?


link to original post

Hobo: an itinerant laborer. Travels and works.
Tramp: travels, does not work.
Bum: neither travels nor works.
link to original post

That's funny. When I lived in Santa Barbara in the late seventies and early '80s we never ever called them homeless. We always called them bums because that's what they were, they were always wanting something for nothing. They wanted a free drink from the bar, they wanted you to give them money, but they would never have anything they wanted to exchange for the freebies. Once in awhile to be nice someone would call them street people. I remember when the media started using the word homeless, I was greatly offended. Such a cutesy word, because instead of bums and drug addicts it made them sound poor and misunderstood. It made them easy to pity where before that I don't remember anybody pitying them. I did meet a few hobos who traveled the circuit in California up and down the coast. They were usually older and had a totally different attitude than the bums. They were usually intelligent and I never met one who was a drug addict. They drank sometimes but stayed away from the drugs.

For those who seem fascinated with hobo's, the 124th Annual convention will be held in Iowa later this year.
Attendees promise to uphold the Hobo rules of conduct, which surprisingly are very close to the Jerry's Kids ethos. It's just a promise to try and leave things better when you are done, and to remember that your actions will directly affect the hobos that will follow your path.

The hobo code of conduct( adopted in 1894)

Decide your own fate. Don't let another person run or rule you.
When in town, respect the local law and officials, and try to be a gentleman at all times
Don't take advantage of anyone who is vulnerable or another hobo
Always try to find work and seek out the jobs no one wants. Do your best so you'll get hired again, or the next hobo will.
If no work is available, have a craft so you can make your work
Don't be the stupid drunk who gives others an excuse to maltreat hobos.
Respect handouts, but don't abuse them. Others will need them down the road.
Respect nature. Keep yourself and your belongings clean. Boil your clothes often.
Be respectful, take no stupid chances, cause no problems, and lend a hand as needed.
Do not allow anyone to molest children, expose all molesters and encourage runaways to return home.
Help your fellow hobo and all you come across; you'll need someone's help someday.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Now one discrepancy (and injustice, in my opinion) is that in some states, one can end up a registered sex offender for doing something all men and most women have done at least once- taking a leak in public. That's something a bum does every day,

a homeless person going behind a tree or bush to take care of no. 1 is obviously quite common

but taking care of no. 2 has gotta be a lot more difficult and challenging - and disgusting to think about - I guess they try to get into a store's bathroom if possible - not really sure - don't wanna spend much more time thinking about it___________________:)

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Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Now one discrepancy (and injustice, in my opinion) is that in some states, one can end up a registered sex offender for doing something all men and most women have done at least once- taking a leak in public. That's something a bum does every day,

a homeless person going behind a tree or bush to take care of no. 1 is obviously quite common

but taking care of no. 2 has gotta be a lot more difficult and challenging - and disgusting to think about - I guess they try to get into a store's bathroom if possible - not really sure - don't wanna spend much more time thinking about it___________________:)

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link to original post

The 24-hour gas stations in Tucson seem to have an understanding with the homeless, where they get limited bathroom and microwave use in return for not stealing and panhandling. Otherwise, Tucson has lots of open space, and homeless camps are pretty sanitary. It's no different from camping. A bucket, a kitchen bag, a shovel, and some self-policing are all you really need.
Adult diapers, pads, and body wipes are much-requested at the food banks.

Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Now one discrepancy (and injustice, in my opinion) is that in some states, one can end up a registered sex offender for doing something all men and most women have done at least once- taking a leak in public. That's something a bum does every day,

a homeless person going behind a tree or bush to take care of no. 1 is obviously quite common

but taking care of no. 2 has gotta be a lot more difficult and challenging - and disgusting to think about - I guess they try to get into a store's bathroom if possible - not really sure - don't wanna spend much more time thinking about it___________________:)

.
link to original post

I had a friend in NY who got a ticket for public urination. It should have been for public stupidity as he did it in plain sight of four cops.
He never went to court for it, and a few years later, a stop-and-frisk turned up the old warrant. He spent four days in jail before facing a judge and paying a small fine.

Quote: billryan

Quote: lilredrooster

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Now one discrepancy (and injustice, in my opinion) is that in some states, one can end up a registered sex offender for doing something all men and most women have done at least once- taking a leak in public. That's something a bum does every day,

a homeless person going behind a tree or bush to take care of no. 1 is obviously quite common

but taking care of no. 2 has gotta be a lot more difficult and challenging - and disgusting to think about - I guess they try to get into a store's bathroom if possible - not really sure - don't wanna spend much more time thinking about it___________________:)

.
link to original post

The 24-hour gas stations in Tucson seem to have an understanding with the homeless, where they get limited bathroom and microwave use in return for not stealing and panhandling. Otherwise, Tucson has lots of open space, and homeless camps are pretty sanitary. It's no different from camping. A bucket, a kitchen bag, a shovel, and some self-policing are all you really need.
Adult diapers, pads, and body wipes are much-requested at the food banks.
link to original post

that's Tucson, but other areas of the country such as Manhattan have to be quite different
per google, there are about 176,000 homeless people in Manhattan, NYC
my experience living in a big city is that many stores and restaurants and gas stations bathrooms are locked
and you have to be a paying customer for them to give you the key

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You have to be careful with those numbers. NYC plays fast and loose with its homeless numbers. I'd guess the number of people who sleep on the streets or subways is closer to 25,000. The others are in shelters, couch surfing, living in vans, living at their jobs, etc.
People also take NYC numbers and think they mean Manhattan rather than the whole city.
Honestly, when I lived in NYC, I mostly ignored the homeless. A few years ago, there was a homeless guy who hung out around the town railroad and was an aggressive panhandler. He mostly avoided me, and when he inevitably passed away, I was shocked to find out he was a classmate of mine from 7th grade. But I digress....

As a student of the Civil War, I recall learning the term Hobo came about at the end of the War. Lee's surrender in Virginia left thousands of Southern soldiers stranded far from home. The men from the western Confederacy were stuck on the east coast with no money and no food. For months, and even years after, HOmeBOund war veterans were treated with dignity and respect.
Sadly, this story appears to be bullshit. The term Hobo seems to have originated in the Pacific Northwest a generation later, when a group of young men adopted the Bohemian lifestyle then sweeping Europe.
During WW1, hoboes were welcomed in many towns as the labor shortage was severe. It seems to be only since the Great Depression that Hobos have been looked on in bad terms. Many hobos in the 1940s to the early 1960s were WW2 Vets, many suffering from what is now known as PTSD. Sadly, that is true among this generation of homeless.

Quote: billryan

As a student of the Civil War, I recall learning the term Hobo came about at the end of the War. Lee's surrender in Virginia left thousands of Southern soldiers stranded far from home. The men from the western Confederacy were stuck on the east coast with no money and no food. For months, and even years after, HOmeBOund war veterans were treated with dignity and respect.
Sadly, this story appears to be bullshit. The term Hobo seems to have originated in the Pacific Northwest a generation later, when a group of young men adopted the Bohemian lifestyle then sweeping Europe.
During WW1, hoboes were welcomed in many towns as the labor shortage was severe. It seems to be only since the Great Depression that Hobos have been looked on in bad terms. Many hobos in the 1940s to the early 1960s were WW2 Vets, many suffering from what is now known as PTSD. Sadly, that is true among this generation of homeless.
link to original post

You always have military vets among the drug addicts and homeless because let's face it, the lower ranks of the military are usually not the sharpest tools in the drawer. A lot of them are there because it's all they can do, put on a uniform and be told what to do all day long. All this thank you for your service stuff is very very recent. You never heard talk like that 20 and 30 and 40 years ago. It was just another gig that you got drafted into or volunteered for because you couldn't do anything else. Why is everybody so shocked that so many of them ended up drug addicts and homeless. Most military jobs don't teach you much, but what they do is take care of you like a mama takes care of its little baby. So when they get out they're totally lost because they're not very bright and there's nobody to take care of them anymore.

Quote: billryan

You have to be careful with those numbers. NYC plays fast and loose with its homeless numbers. I'd guess the number of people who sleep on the streets or subways is closer to 25,000. The others are in shelters, couch surfing, living in vans, living at their jobs, etc.
People also take NYC numbers and think they mean Manhattan rather than the whole city.
Honestly, when I lived in NYC, I mostly ignored the homeless. A few years ago, there was a homeless guy who hung out around the town railroad and was an aggressive panhandler. He mostly avoided me, and when he inevitably passed away, I was shocked to find out he was a classmate of mine from 7th grade. But I digress....
link to original post

Hey now that gives me an idea! We're supposed to keep this thread on topic, and the original question you asked was how to finance your activities.

Make a racket out of it. How about some +EV insurance? You have contact with these people and can surely get information from them to buy a life insurance policy on each of them, with you as the beneficiary. As you noted, bums do not have a long lifespan when in that state.

But this is how it goes +EV: the insurance company doesn't know they're bums! Only you know that. Just like if I'm at the blackjack table and I place a big bet, I know I have the advantage but the dealer and pit boss don't, they think I'm just a gambler. That's because they're not looking at what I'm looking at.

So you're paying normal insurance premiums for these youngish guys who are probably going to croak within 5 years or so. When that happens, you get paid, you pay yourself for the premiums you paid, then take a vig for your own trouble and risk, and you can split the rest up among your morbid little moneymakers then wait for the next one to convert.

There are a lot of insurance rackets that have been done out there but this one is unique in that you don't have to whack anybody. You're just using information from your own observations to pick people with a high risk of whacking themselves with their own lifestyle.

.
the hobo song from Roger Miller "King of the Road"

Trailer's for sale or rent
Rooms to let, 50 cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes

Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road

Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination Bangor, Maine
Old, worn out suit and shoes
I don't pay no union dues

I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around

I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road
.



.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: billryan

You have to be careful with those numbers. NYC plays fast and loose with its homeless numbers. I'd guess the number of people who sleep on the streets or subways is closer to 25,000. The others are in shelters, couch surfing, living in vans, living at their jobs, etc.
People also take NYC numbers and think they mean Manhattan rather than the whole city.
Honestly, when I lived in NYC, I mostly ignored the homeless. A few years ago, there was a homeless guy who hung out around the town railroad and was an aggressive panhandler. He mostly avoided me, and when he inevitably passed away, I was shocked to find out he was a classmate of mine from 7th grade. But I digress....
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Hey now that gives me an idea! We're supposed to keep this thread on topic, and the original question you asked was how to finance your activities.

Make a racket out of it. How about some +EV insurance? You have contact with these people and can surely get information from them to buy a life insurance policy on each of them, with you as the beneficiary. As you noted, bums do not have a long lifespan when in that state.

But this is how it goes +EV: the insurance company doesn't know they're bums! Only you know that. Just like if I'm at the blackjack table and I place a big bet, I know I have the advantage but the dealer and pit boss don't, they think I'm just a gambler. That's because they're not looking at what I'm looking at.

So you're paying normal insurance premiums for these youngish guys who are probably going to croak within 5 years or so. When that happens, you get paid, you pay yourself for the premiums you paid, then take a vig for your own trouble and risk, and you can split the rest up among your morbid little moneymakers then wait for the next one to convert.

There are a lot of insurance rackets that have been done out there but this one is unique in that you don't have to whack anybody. You're just using information from your own observations to pick people with a high risk of whacking themselves with their own lifestyle.
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The concept of writing policies on high risk of death individuals is sound, but generally such individuals have some circumstances to their past or present lives that would necessitate, if answering truthfully, YES answers to questions on life insurance application forms such as related to
-past or present health problems
-past or present alcohol or drug abuse problems
-past or present criminal convictions
and yes answers to those questions usually result in denials of coverage or sky high insurance premiums.

Answering NO, assuming the insurance company is unable to flag the answers as untruthful through its own research, would result in denial of payout at least in California, if death occurs during the first two years (and the insurance company then finds out the applicant was untruthful to material questions posed on the application). Once two years have elapsed, the life insurance company in California is precluded from denying the claim for any reason related to nondisclosure or lying on the application. (California has a two year contestability rule as to life insurance.)

Also, sometimes any denial of coverage is documented in a database these companies use, such that the next company to which the application is presented finds out that a prior application was denied, and even that question is sometimes on the policy application, about whether any application for life insurance has been denied during recent years.

So with these homeless, you'd have to hope they don't die within two years if you withheld any information about their issues, or disclose everything and pay very high premiums.

I have very little from my childhood. This guy was lost for well over forty years before I stumbled upon him in my Mom's basement while cleaning up her estate.
In 1965, my Uncle had one of these, and after I admired it, he offered to give it to me. For some reason, my Dad didn't let him, but a few months later, I got one for my birthday. It got lost when we moved in 1973,or it might have been the 1976 move. I'd forgotte n about it until I discovered it in a box that had all sorts of 1970s era stuff in it.
We were reunited in 2017, and he's been around ever since.

I've written before about my work with the US Census. I'll give you another example of how NYC manipulates homeless numbers.

Rikers Island is a very large NYC jail that houses mostly pre-trial defendants, and some sentenced to very short-term sentences. It is so large that it has its own zip code. In the 2000 Census, it was kicked back for re-examination when it was determined there were no homeless living on the island. In 2010, NYC changed their rules so if you were homeless when you were arrested, you were counted as homeless- even though the taxpayers were paying for your room and board.
2000- no homeless. 2010-several thousand homeless

A mural by the Catholic Workers overlooking US 10

Quote: billryan

A mural by the Catholic Workers overlooking US 10

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Doris Day? What? Oh...

Neber mind..

Quote: EvenBob

Doris Day? What? Oh...
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Totally different person, in two different ways.

Doris Day is not, and never has been.

Doris Day, I still would.

Oh, so they do exist!
I have another idea - I only ever opt for genuine maple syrup on my pancakes and waffles, but there is another syrup that typically has to be homemade and is superior to real maple syrup - brown sugar syrup!
... Has another of my great ideas been stolen?