my challenge

I was told by someone who reads my blathering on a regular basis - no names mentioned that my frivilous daily drivel doesn't amount to much compared to their infrequent novelettes. So I took mental note of that and took it as a challenge to write something more substantial, if you can call random ranting substantial.

WTF is up with people who tell you they're down on their luck and just need a couple of bucks to get by and, oh, by the way, are a little short on cash to pay the sales tax that since they're from Oregon where there is no sales tax and they didn't count on paying more on the new tire they unexpectedly had to put on their car in order to get back home? Sister, can you spare about $3.00? Yeah! That should do it. Notsomuch. What happened to the good old dime? Not the point.

The point is I certainly don't mind helping people who really need the help. This is usually reserved for people I know because, afterall, how the hell would you know if they really need the help if you don't know a damn thing about them? Of course some people, no matter how hard you try to help them, just won't help themselves, so you might as well not help them anyway because then you're just enabling. But that's not the point either, and definitely a subject for a different day.

The real point is just after getting out of the car in the Target parking lot this afternoon, WJ and I were approached by a dude asking for $3.00, or anything I could spare. He gave me the song and dance I just wrote about above. The first thing that went through my mind was 'strange dude approaching and it's just me and my son, he'd better not try anything'. Once I got over that initial 2.5 seconds of thought and really heard what he was asking I stood there for another 2.5 seconds just staring at him. As you well know, I've been out of work for nearly 6 months now. Never ONCE did I think about asking people for handouts. Shit! I wouldn't even take money from friends who offered it to me with NO strings attached. I've cut back on frivilous spending. Borrowed from myself. And, if it came right down to it and I absolutely needed the money and didn't have it, I would have taken ANY work I could get instead of holding out for something that will let me live my life comfortably and withing the lifestyle I've become accustomed.

Why do some people think it's okay to just walk around or stand on a streetcorner or freeway offramp asking for money? IT'S NOT OKAY! Let me repeat that. IT'S NOT FREAKIN' OKAY!!! Get a job. Any job. There's a shitload of them out there. I know cuz I've seen them. I'm just being a bit particular in my search. But if I really needed to work and bring more money home than what I've been collecting in unemployment and child support I would have been working within the first week of being cut by corporate computer giant. To expect others, hardworking or unemployed like myself, to just hand out money to help you because you got in a jam if you really did and aren't just bullshitting us while you run home and sit in front of your big screen plasma TV sipping on whatever drink is the fancy of the day is ludicrous. And rude. And not a game I want to play with you. Not today. Not ever.

Is this more substantial than the usual drivel?