Why Work?

Discussion in 'Politics' started by pspr, Jul 20, 2012.

  1. pspr

    pspr

    OKLAHOMA CITY - A man arrested on suspicion of panhandling in Oklahoma City told officers there was no point in getting a job, because he made "$60,000" last year.

    According to the police report, an officer spotted Shane Warren Speegle, 45, panhandling near Interstate 40 and Macarthur Boulevard earlier this month.

    When the officer approached Speegle and told him it was illegal to panhandle without a permit, Speegle asked if he could get a permit that day and implied the $200 fee was not a bad price.

    According to the report, the officer asked Speegle why he didn't just get a job and Speegle replied, "I'm lazy, and I made $60,000 doing this last year. Why would I go get a job?"

    The officer told Speegle without a permit and an insurance policy he could not panhandle and gave him a warning to leave, but 20 minutes later the officer reported again seeing Speegle panhandle in the same spot.

    Speegle was arrested on a complaint of soliciting from the street and taken to the Oklahoma County jail.


    http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomane...ear/-/11777584/15620916/-/o4flxb/-/index.html
     
  2. Actually, he has a job, and a pretty good one if panhandling is your thing. Makes his own hours and pays no taxes. Sweet!
     
  3. There are people like this all over the Pacific NW and the Bible belt.

    They take advantage of the innate desire law abiding but naive citizens have who want to help someone when they are down.

    Parasites seek the most generous host.

    The essence of the criminal mind is a belief in the innate weakness of anyone who is not suspicious of them.......
     
  4. Agreed...and I have to even broach the subject, but there is alot of "institutionalized" parasitism with the charity angle. It never ceases to amaze me how people will just throw money at whatever cause they've just been talked into...I doubt even 1% of the people who give the money know just where it goes and how much of it is "skimmed off the top".
     
  5. gwb-trading

    gwb-trading

    I live in North Carolina and some of these "beggars" from major intersections drive off at the end of the day in expensive new SUVs. Our local news program estimated that they pull in $300 per day (or $75,000 per year tax free based on 5 days per week / 50 weeks per year).
     
  6. Yeah, thats about what i've heard too. Although if its a woman and she has a baby, she can pull in about $2k-$3k per week.
     
  7. hughb

    hughb

    A guy with a cute dog on a leash probably rakes in about that much too.
     
  8. Mercor

    Mercor

    If you give money to a "homeless" guy ask for a receipt.
    Tell him you need to write it of against your taxes.
     
  9. I used to joke around about that idea; nobody really believed that it was possible...but if you just watched some of these beggars and how shrewdly they calculated the post profitable intersections, you could generate a decent estimate of how much they were pulling in per hour (perhaps on a daily basis).

    They also love to find the most liberal spots, preferably college towns as well since those will typically lean left. I still think the guy's that sit there strumming a guitar must really bring in alot of dough. People definitely respect a guy who has some talent and is willing to sit outdoor all day for spare change.
     
  10. I was going into Panda Express once to get some food and a guy with a dog asked me if I could spare a buck or two so he could get a plate. I said no and went inside. As I was waiting in line I was thinking that I should've said to him, "Why are you trying to get $6 or $7 to buy Panda Express, when there was a shopping center so close that you could buy more than 1 meal with $7?"

    Well before I could barely finish that thought, the guy was inside, cut ahead of everyone, bought his plate and left.

    Apparently this guy was able to raise $7 in a matter of less than a few minutes, get in and get out, before I even had a chance to order.
     
    #10     Jul 21, 2012