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You're not going to catch me arguing in favor of aggressive panhandling, of course. An asshole is an asshole whether or not he's got a hand out.
But my whole point is:
It could be you out there someday. You're not immune.
Say you get laid off from your professional job. The market where you worked as a bagger closes. The fast-food place lets you have fries with that but it isn't enough to pay the rent. (Sure as hell wouldn't be enough in the area where I live, at least. Being a bagger might not pay the rent either, come to think of it.) For some reason your friends and family can't help you any more. And suddenly there you are, living in a shelter.
I personally was one friend away from living on the street myself. Didn't quite make it, but it was close.
Nobody has to give all their money to every panhandler they see -- I definitely don't and don't expect anyone else to -- but the thing is that we're all a lot closer to street living than we want to believe. Scary, ain't it. Much easier to condemn the people who end up there and say "It could never happen to me."
You (not just Tick, of course) say you'd do anything not to live on the street? Bet you wouldn't.
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