Homeless family

[earl&patricia]

Everything we do in life is a choice. And every choice has either a good outcome, or a bad outcome. Study tonight and get a good grade, or play video games and get a poor grade. Make dinner and have a full belly, or skip dinner and be hungry. Metal detect that park and find that silver, or pass so you can watch a sitcom. Work hard with good morals and succeed, or work just enough to get the next paycheck. Pass on the next drink, get in the car, and drive home safely, or have one more that gives you that buzz and then get pulled over for a DUI (or worse). Pass on trying out a new drug, or take that hit and have problems.

Every homeless person that isn't physically or mentally disabled made a choice at some point in their life that put them where they are now. They didn't think something through, and now they are dealing with it. Want my help? I'll tell you to figure out what choice you made in the past that put you on the streets, and that you should try and correct it for yourself. Don't come to me looking for a handout, a meal, or anything else. You want a job? Sure. I own a business, and I usually have an available position, but make the choice to at least try to look and smell presentable. If you choose to come to me in jeans held up with a rope, and you smell like you've been on a three day binge, I choose not to hire you.

I tell this to my kids all the time. It's up to them to make the right decision, and nobody else's fault if they made the wrong decision. My son (20), is now at Western WA University, and it costs me $0 per year, because in 10th grade he realized that his future was up to him. He went from an average student that went to school and then played video games and what-not, to a student who was determined to get at least one scholarship. He ended up with 4 scholarships and numerous grants, and now gets to go to a private university at no cost. He said he didn't want any school loans to have to deal with, and ended up with more then he needed.

Choices and consequences. It's what life is all about. Just don't ask me to fix your decisions.

Well I am going to disagree on some of this. I do believe in helping people. God says help the needy. I don't need to know what he does with it. That's between him and the good Lord, i'm just doing my part.

Second, I do believe that where we are at this point is because of a choice we have made in the past. But i do believe that everyone on this forum has made wrong choices and has came out okay, some not okay, Thing is everyone makes mistakes some maybe worse than others, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve another chance. I guarantee if a man can up to me stinky and using a rope for a belt, i would find some kind of job for him because that just means he is at least trying, not out there with a sign that say feed me please. I'm not saying that all those people out there with signs are lazy either. God says not to judge one another, tells us to get the log out of our eye before trying to get the speck out of theirs. Christians or not, that is good advice. We can even begin to know why those people are there, Its not for me to judge, if I feel convicted to do so I will, if not I wont, My wife on the other hand does most of the time, especially if a child is involved. Do i tell her no you cant do that, no way, that is her convection, not mine. I seen when we didn't hardly have anything to eat, and just leave a dollar store and make me pull over and give them the bag of food we just bought for us. Of course God took care of us and we came out just fine. This is why I love my wife the way I do, she loves with her heart, not her head.
And as for your son,He ended up with 4 scholarships and numerous grants, and now gets to go to a private university at no cost. That's an awesome thing, But not everyone has that chance, not everyone is smart enough to do that well in school to do that. I had a very hard time in school, couldn't pass a test to save my life. Not everyone was made to be the same, think the same. If that was the case, who would work in all the other fields in the world, fast foods, mail, trash pick up, mow your lawn, WORK FOR YOU, Guess what I am saying we shouldn't be judging others, we should do what is in our hearts, and not judge those who do and don't do, That is why God gave us free will, and will be judged on how we us it. (THIS IS MHO).....

 

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[Peyton Manning]

I will always help someone who asks me for a few bucks.
I will always feed the birds in the winter.
I will always take in a stray cat or dog.
I will always try to save a turtle from getting run over in the road.
I will always try to help an injured animal.
I will always do these things because it's the right thing to do.

please send me $50, I am low on beer

 

[Duckshot]

I don't mean to knock down your generosity aa battery, but I would never do what you did.

And here is why- Suppose I see a guy on the street with a "will work for food sign". Maybe the guy is hungry, but maybe he has a fridge full of food at his apartment and is pulling a scam. Or, maybe the guy is honest about needing food, but would prefer to have some refreshing crack cocaine. There is no way I could justify giving this person money. But, I keep a couple of cans of soup in the back of my car and I might offer him these. Or, if I am in a position to do so, I might give him some work in exchange for a meal of value equal to the work preformed which is what the beggar claimed to want in the first place.

Y'all know the saying that beggars can't be choosers? There is a lot of wisdom in that saying if one thinks about it. I'm not in the habit of giving the responsibility of money to beggars, or bus fare to hickhikers. The hitchiker needs a ride, not currency to buy a ticket for a ride. Beggars can't eat money, and only witches can ride dollar bills.

That's the way I see it.

 

[jerseyben]

Yet ANOTHER thread that started with good intentions but turned embarrassing real quick.

 

[Duckshot]

Yet ANOTHER thread that started with good intentions but turned embarrassing real quick.

And just what were those good intentions?

The heart is treacherous. Some people open doors for little old ladies because it is the right thing to do, others do it because they would feel bad if that old lady dropped dead in the doorway.

Which kind brags about it? I'm not sure but I won't make that judgment.

 

[ivan salis]

like the song goes .. some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused... some of the "homeless" want nothing more than to live the panhandler life --- they know there are folks out there that will flip a buck at them to make themselves "feel good" that they did something positive ...they view these folks as "cash cows" to be milked as often as possible --to avoid having to live the work a day ---9 to 5 "slave life" as they view it ...then there are the folks that are really down on their luck-- basically hard working folks that have had life throw a bucket of crap on them --- like any other "group" of people --the homeless are a "mixed" bag of folks -- some good ,some bad, some mental ill , some con artist ---sounds like you helped a needy bunch of folks that are having a rough go

 

[FreeBirdTim]

please send me $50, I am low on beer

I only buy beer for Patriots fans! GO PATS!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Every homeless person that isn't physically or mentally disabled made a choice at some point in their life that put them where they are now.

Yes, they trusted some scumball bank who gave them a high rate mortgage they couldn't possibly afford to pay back. Or they gave them a home improvement loan that they couldn't even begin to repay. It's called predatory lending and it happened a lot in the mid to late 2000's.

I know a elderly woman in her mid-70's who's in danger of losing her home. Why? Because a lowlife banker gave her a 50k home improvement line of credit a few years back. She used it to fix her roof, buy a new furnace and so on. But now she owes them 75k because she couldn't keep up on the payments. She has an income of 18k a year and they gave her a 50k loan! That's a perfect example of predatory lending. They know they'll get a 250k home by loaning her 50k, so they have nothing to lose. Not right...

 

[Blak bart]

Follow your heart, use common sense, and do what you feel is the right thing for each circumstance. Those are pretty simple guidelines to use. Just my opinion, and how I roll.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Many people are one pay check or one accident/illness away from being homeless. Some live beyond their means, while others are struggling to keep their family fed, clothed and a roof over their heads.

 

[Chadeaux]

Yet ANOTHER thread that started with good intentions but turned embarrassing real quick.

Don't faint JB, but I do agree with that statement.

I remember an account of a rich man who was meticulous about obeying the law. About the laws of his day he said, "All of these I have kept from youth on."

"After hearing that, Jesus said to him, “There is still one thing lacking about you: Sell all the things you have and distribute the proceeds to the poor, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come be my follower.” When he heard this, he became deeply grieved, for he was very rich." --- Luke 18:22,23

In my experience, folks who have much tend to be less willing to share with those less fortunate. Those who struggle are more likely to be generous to those whom they perceive to have less. Why?

They learned a lesson money cannot buy.

Life teaches us important lessons ... don't miss their purpose.

 

[KirkS]

Yes, they trusted some scumball bank who gave them a high rate mortgage they couldn't possibly afford to pay back. Or they gave them a home improvement loan that they couldn't even begin to repay. It's called predatory lending and it happened a lot in the mid to late 2000's.

I know a elderly woman in her mid-70's who's in danger of losing her home. Why? Because a lowlife banker gave her a 50k home improvement line of credit a few years back. She used it to fix her roof, buy a new furnace and so on. But now she owes them 75k because she couldn't keep up on the payments. She has an income of 18k a year and they gave her a 50k loan! That's a perfect example of predatory lending. They know they'll get a 250k home by loaning her 50k, so they have nothing to lose. Not right...

Sorry, but I don't agree with that one bit.

From 1997 - 2008 I was a home inspector, and watched that real estate bubble and burst happen.

The homebuyers during the bubble/burst weren't convinced or screwed by the banks/realtors or anyone else to buy that house. Those homebuyers were GREEDY. They thought they could buy something they couldn't afford because they thought they could get rich quick in doing so. The mortgage rates may have been high compared to other rates at different historical times, but it was each and every one of those buyer's choices to accept that mortgage or not. They bought something they couldn't afford because they wanted to be 'in' on this fantastic upward market that everyone was getting rich on. Then when the bottom fell out, all those how CHOSE to accept that mortgage, and buy that house that they COULDN'T afford, blamed everyone but themselves. So what happened? Some of those people lost their homes to foreclosure (rightfully so in my opinion), some of those people got bailed out of THEIR BAD DECISION with MY TAX DOLLARS, and some (the smartest of the bunch), stayed in their home until the market settled (and now they're doing ok). I seriously could go on for hours about what I saw, and the decisions I witnessed being made during that time. But one thing is for sure, each and every one of those buyer's weren't forced, and made those purchases (and the accompanying responsibilities) of their own free will.

As for your elderly friend. Who told her to spend all of that line of credit? Did the bank force her to use it? No, she chose to, albeit out of necessity, but she also could have decided that with a roof needing to be replaced, and a furnace on the fritz, maybe it's time to sell. But in either case, a new roof and a furnace on an average sized home in 99% of the country wouldn't cost $50K. So, it sounds more to me like she needed a roof and a furnace, but realized she could also buy things that weren't necessary because of all this new found money. When she signed those papers she knew exactly how much the line was for, she knew exactly how much she made, and it was also made very clearly to her that defaulting on this loan can result in the loss of the collateral. Again, she had every opportunity to find a different means to address her needs, but she chose to take out a $50K line of credit so she could do $15k worth of repairs to her house.

I know this makes me sounds like a right wing whacko, or some unforgiving SOB, but in reality, it frustrates me to see people making these horrible short-sighted decisions that will not be beneficial in the end. People don't think about a lot of things when a carrot is held out in front of them, and that's when things can go wrong. But in each case, it was their choice to put themselves where they ended up.

 

[KirkS]

I'll keep my 'help the homeless' views mostly to myself KirkS, but I really got to think it's not that they made a choice, they just never got off their *ss and made a move or a choice. You actually can help yourself still in this country and it may be tough and you got to work at it, but it can be done. Good job, that boy of yours. He'll do alright in life.

You have to remember, they had a choice to get up off their *ss or not.

 

[jamey]

very good deed to give it too the kids,they are the ones who suffer with the parents choices.

 

[miboje]

I don't think anyone in this country "chooses" to be homeless. Why would they? You need a reality check and a LOT more compassion for the less fortunate people around you...

You'd be surprised to find that people do choose to be homeless. Sometimes it is because they don't want the responsibility of having to be responsible, or because they have addiction problems, and their addiction becomes the most important thing to them.

At one time in my life, I was homeless because I ran away from home. I ended up in the company of other homeless folks, and that is when I discovered, much to my amazement, that some people choose it as a lifestyle.

 

[ECS]

Everything we do in life is a choice. And every choice has either a good outcome, or a bad outcome...
Choices and consequences. It's what life is all about...

...and everythings Zen!

 

[miboje]

They learned a lesson money cannot buy. Life teaches us important lessons ... don't miss their purpose.

Truth. Instead of playing victim, folks who find themselves in this position will hopefully reflect so that the lessons are learned and there is no repeat.

 

[miboje]

AGREED!!

Sorry, but I don't agree with that one bit.

From 1997 - 2008 I was a home inspector, and watched that real estate bubble and burst happen.

The homebuyers during the bubble/burst weren't convinced or screwed by the banks/realtors or anyone else to buy that house. Those homebuyers were GREEDY. They thought they could buy something they couldn't afford because they thought they could get rich quick in doing so. The mortgage rates may have been high compared to other rates at different historical times, but it was each and every one of those buyer's choices to accept that mortgage or not. They bought something they couldn't afford because they wanted to be 'in' on this fantastic upward market that everyone was getting rich on. Then when the bottom fell out, all those how CHOSE to accept that mortgage, and buy that house that they COULDN'T afford, blamed everyone but themselves. So what happened? Some of those people lost their homes to foreclosure (rightfully so in my opinion), some of those people got bailed out of THEIR BAD DECISION with MY TAX DOLLARS, and some (the smartest of the bunch), stayed in their home until the market settled (and now they're doing ok). I seriously could go on for hours about what I saw, and the decisions I witnessed being made during that time. But one thing is for sure, each and every one of those buyer's weren't forced, and made those purchases (and the accompanying responsibilities) of their own free will.

As for your elderly friend. Who told her to spend all of that line of credit? Did the bank force her to use it? No, she chose to, albeit out of necessity, but she also could have decided that with a roof needing to be replaced, and a furnace on the fritz, maybe it's time to sell. But in either case, a new roof and a furnace on an average sized home in 99% of the country wouldn't cost $50K. So, it sounds more to me like she needed a roof and a furnace, but realized she could also buy things that weren't necessary because of all this new found money. When she signed those papers she knew exactly how much the line was for, she knew exactly how much she made, and it was also made very clearly to her that defaulting on this loan can result in the loss of the collateral. Again, she had every opportunity to find a different means to address her needs, but she chose to take out a $50K line of credit so she could do $15k worth of repairs to her house.

I know this makes me sounds like a right wing whacko, or some unforgiving SOB, but in reality, it frustrates me to see people making these horrible short-sighted decisions that will not be beneficial in the end. People don't think about a lot of things when a carrot is held out in front of them, and that's when things can go wrong. But in each case, it was their choice to put themselves where they ended up.

 

[mooncusser]

nice work

 

[KirkS]

By the way. I have absolutely no problem with the OP's choice to give to this family.