troymazing wrote:I don't think we owe them anything... Giving food is better than money, though, because money can buy drugs, a sandwich can't. I definitely do not think that people should expect the rich to solve the problem... the rich some way or another were smart enough to get there, it's not their fault that some people can't hold a steady job, etc.
OK, the whole idea of the capitalist system is one of philanthropy. The rich get rich off of the back of the workers and then they are charitable in return because that makes everyone living conditions better.
I've only ever worked minimum wage jobs, and I've always had money left at the end of the month, and I like to give to charity. Because it's a good thing to do. Helping others is good.
Nobody is asking you to donate 10% of your monthly salary to homeless people in the street. There are dozens of charities that work with the homeless, help feed them, give them a roof over their head, etc. Donate a couple of pounds/dollars/whatever a month to this charity. If you are telling me you don't have $5 spare at the end of each month, I'm calling you a liar.
And as a general statement, let snot get bogged down in the semantics of words and what they mean. OK, you don't "owe" them anything. But you should try to help homeless people if you can afford to. Of course don't just let them into your house. So give him some spare change. Yeah, maybe he will go and spend that on alcohol. So fucking what? If I lived on the streets I'd want to be drunk all the time too. It must be an imaginably horrid existence. Drugs like alcohol help make it slightly less unpleasant, for a brief time at least, and if they want that more than food, that's their damn choice. They ain't kids.