Why Lie?

Some people might wonder if all panhandlers lie. From personal experience I can tell you that most do. That doesn't mean everyone does, but most lie.

Do I lie? You better believe I do. Now before you judge me or get angry you might want to know why I lie. I have a life threatening disability. I have end stage kidney failure and I have to do dialysis treatments to stay alive. Most people would be more than happy to help out someone that is legitimately disabled or ill but that's the problem. Nobody would believe me if I told the truth anyways. I have tried, people just look at me like I'm lying. I don't look sick. I look pale but other than that I look healthy as anyone. Some people probably assume I'm a drug addict because I'm so pale. That's not the case but too many idiots have ruined it for those of us that really do need help.

Now for the most part it doesn't really matter what you write on your sign. You could simply write "have a nice day!" and people will give you money. A few years back cops in Seattle set up a sting to catch drivers that weren't wearing their seatbelts. They put an undercover officer posing as a homeless guy with a sign on a sidewalk and when he spotted a driver that wasn't wearing a seatbelt he would point to that car and a marked car would pull that driver over. The officer's sign simply said "Buckle Up." People kept trying to give him money!

Sometimes I get bored or I have to create a new sign because the cops confiscate mine. I have found it hardly matters what you write. Most people just want to help. There are homeless guys that will write "Why Lie, I Need a Beer." People give these guys money. My theory is maybe a different type of crowd gives that guy money and if I'm holding a sign saying "God Bless" maybe a more religious type crowd will give to me. In the end people are either going to give or they're not.

Out on the streets you see all types of guys. As I've talked about before, most panhandlers do lie. I have met panhandlers that aren't even homeless. I knew a guy that would write homeless on his sign but he had a house. He would take his earnings from panhandling and use it to go gamble at night. Another guy said he was an Iraq Veteran and he never served a day in the military. He had the military haircut and clothes to boot. He would take his money and go buy booze at night.

Then there were the two guys that would always give me a hard time when I was panhandling. They were always trying to take my spot. I had no problem sharing my spot but these clowns were scammers. One guy had a fake cast and everything. He even walked with a limp. His buddy would use a cane and hunch over while panhandling. He looked like he could be anyone's grandpa but as soon as he was done for the day he would tuck his cane under his arm, stand up straight, and walk to his car. Both these idiots had an expensive heroin habit. They also both made a lot of money because people felt sorry for them.

I'm sure there are many other scammers just like the ones I told you about. Bottom line is these people ruin it for everyone. Based on my experience alone, I would have to say 75% of the panhandlers you see aren't really homeless.

Do you have to lie to panhandle? I don't know. I guess it all depends. At the end of the day you are the one that has to live with yourself. I once put on my sign that I was a veteran and someone stopped and handed me a $20 bill and said, "Thanks for serving!" I felt like a complete ass. If I do lie I try to be as honest as possible. I don't say I have 5 kids to feed or any bullshit like that.

If you do give to panhandlers it never hurts to check out their story. Any guy that has served is going to be able to answer basic questions about his background. The ones that lie can't even do that. They are usually too stupid to have the correct answers.