This Actually Happened – June 9th, 2012

Pick A Better Spot

The other day, I went to the ATM to take out some money and I was stunned to see a panhandler asking for money. I guess the reason I was shocked is because in all my years on this planet I’ve never seen a person begging for money outside of a bank, especially after business hours. Obviously, one would think that the bank would be a perfect location to beg for money, but it definitely isn’t. First of all, most people are going to the ATM to either deposit or withdraw money. If the individual is going to make a deposit, why the hell would he or she want to give some of their hard-earned money to someone who refuses to seek out employment? (It just doesn’t make any sense!) If the purpose is to withdraw money, the panhandler is at an extreme disadvantage. The reason people withdraw money is because they ran out or need more. In both cases, the individual is not going to be in the mood to hand some of their cash to some lazy person who decided to take the easy way out. In my case, I was taking out some cash in order to pay the rent with a money order. I didn’t have any cash on me because I evolved into one of those people who uses my debit card for everything, and there was no way I was going to hand this miscreant one of my new, crisp, twenty dollar bills! ***Note to anyone who plans on jumping a few rungs down society’s pecking order to become a panhandler; ATMs give out twenties and people are not going to hand you one of those!*** The best thing about carrying a debit card is the fact that I can say, “sorry. I don’t have cash; I only have my card!” This definitely came in handy yesterday afternoon while I was driving down Crenshaw Blvd. A member of the Nation of Islam approached my car at a red light and asked if I wanted to purchase his mythical periodical based on “god’s” true words. I politely declined, managing to keep a straight face, but I almost lost it when he asked if I wanted to make a donation. (Sorry buddy; I only have my card and I definitely will never support your cause!) I would have loved to engage this believer of Mohammad fairytales in a conversation about faith, but the light turned green. I guess if given a choice, I’d much rather give my money to the guy outside the bank than the Nation of Islam guy. At least he was going to spend the cash on booze, which is something I can believe in! BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

I do believe in giving to those who work for the money by making me laugh!

     I probably won’t watch the entire game because I’d rather enjoy my evening, but I hope KJ and Hondo lead the Celtics to a win!

@PeteTeix617