"Affluent beggars?"

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"Affluent beggars?"

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Fri, 01/13/2006 - 7:20pm.

ASHLAND, Ore. — A couple with three children who say they make $30,000 to $40,000 a year as panhandlers say they are surprised by public attention to their lifestyle.
Jason Pancoast and Elizabeth Johnson, who describe themselves as "affluent beggars," say they are able to maintain a well-fed and well-dressed family by living off the streets.
Pancoast, who is outspoken in many of his beliefs, said Ashland is being run more and more by the rich who can't tolerate different lifestyles.

Continued

I wouldn't call it unable to "tolerate" another set of beliefs so much as that the taxpaying public is proabably angry that, a person making an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 a year panhandling, probably both (a) doesn't report a dime as income and (b) is still receiving monetary benefits from Uncle Sam.

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Perhaps this is true. I supp

Submitted by Rob Richards on Fri, 01/13/2006 - 10:33pm.

Perhaps this is true. I suppose it's possible.
However, every panhandler I've run into only makes enough to survive today. There have always been urban myths of rich panhandlers. Most are just that, myths. Please, do not believe that this is more than an anomaly, if this story is factual at all.

If this story is true, what is wrong with it? Serious question here. Not taking this specific story into account, is a case of a family living off of the goodwill of thier neighbors not better, in your eyes TFI, than the same family living off of the government?

I do think it's better they'r

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Fri, 01/13/2006 - 10:56pm.

I do think it's better they're relying on their neighbor instead of the government. In this case, though, they're living off of both.

I didn't post the story with the hope that government would step in and prevent such action. If your neighbor wants to give you $50,000 a year to do nothing that is your business.

I was commenting mainly on the negative reaction and why the people were probably angry versus the sort of "against an alternative lifestyle" rationale given by the homeless man.

I think it's wrong for someone to be, for lack of a better word, gloating about living off of generous donations with little interest in being self-sufficient and a contributing member of society. Usually when a donation is given the person is doing so with a sort of implicit understanding that the money is being used to help achieve these goals rather than sustaining the "beggar" lifestyle.

Greetings

Submitted by williamacton70 (not verified) on Thu, 08/02/2007 - 1:43pm.

This is absolutely right!!!

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