Homeless

So I was reading in Reader's Digest (stop judging me-I mainly read it for the jokes) about cities that are taking old parking meters and using them to donate change to the homeless. This is supposed to reduce panhandling while still giving people the opportunity to make a difference. For an example, read this:
http://cbs4denver.com/local/Colorado.news.Denver.2.557029.html

I, as usual, have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, seeing homeless people with their ratty clothing, missing teeth, frazzled hair and cardboard signs proclaiming their love for the Lord makes me incredibly uncomfortable, so getting rid of pan handling is a definite plus in my book. However, seeing these people every day when I drive to work does make me aware that they are real people. Simply dropping some loose change into what looks like a parking meter makes me feel like I'm doing something "good" without having that uncomfortable interaction with the homeless. However, because actually seeing a homeless person is undesirable for the average American, the homeless might get more benefits because people would actually drop money in a meter but not into a used McDonald's cup. This also removes some question as to what the homeless person will purchase...alcohol/drugs... (you know you've thought that at least once in your life and if you haven't, well, I'm impressed), so I guess after listing the pros and cons, I'd say it's at least a nice effort.

On a some what related note, whenever I see a homeless person, I wonder how they got to that point in their life. Did they attend school until they were 16? What were their families like? Did they ever try to find a job? They most likely weren't born homeless, so what happened to their old home? Did they get kicked out of the house when they were teenagers? These are just a few examples.

Have a lovely Tuesday everyone, and the next time you see a homeless person (if you are in Miami that will probably be on your drive home) maybe he/she will make you stop and think a little. With that said, I would like to note that I do not give out money to panhandlers, but it does make me wonder what is happening to our society.