I was on my way home from work today and when I exited the express way and was sitting at the light, I noticed an older woman standing in the emergency lane with a sign asking for money. Pan handling in the state is illegal, but people still do it. I have seen more and more people lately standing at intersections asking for money, looking desperate, carrying their cardboard signs, and waiting for someone to hold money out their window . Some years back, a news station did a special report on a large scale scam where people were just acting homeless, but really not. And to make matters worse, a few of them even bragged about making $500-$750 a week of tax free money. Needless to say, people were outraged. Pan-handling then became illegal, and crackdowns soon took place.
     With the economy suffering such a bad recession, more people seem to be returning to the corners of the major intersections, where the traffic is most concentrated. Have you ever given money to one of these people? Do you think these people should be told to leave when the police come by? How many of these people are just trying to get to the next city, and how many are trying to get to the next bottle of booze? Before the light changed today, I saw a women jump out of her truck, go over to the woman, give her $20 and a hug, and then run back to her truck, just in time for the light. I stared at the woman for a few seconds, saw her cry and hang head as if she had been shamed. She did not look back up as the cars passed her by, and did not move from her spot.
     As I drove by her, I had to ask myself if I should have given a dollar or two. But, I also thought about the fact that I have five children, and am barely paying the bills now. The next time you see a pan-handler are you going to keep your window up, or are you going to put it down?