Feeling Guilty

[Augusta08]

This C19 thing is creating real hardship and poverty. There are many folk who are becoming jobless homeless and penniless through no fault of their own. Whilst some (me included) are piling up the cash with solid incomes and all our expenses have evaporated .
I had a middle aged perfectly presentable chap appeared at the door today trying to sell poems. Beautifully written out on card. I explained I was English with only conversational french. He said he was unemployed and trying to make a buck.

I was struck by the juxtaposition of our situations.

Clearly I wasn't a customer, but I offered "bon chance"

I can't fix the world but feel uncomfortable of how society is going to meet the challenges represented by this issue.

 

[Chris]

You could at least have bought a poem?

 

[jessthedog]

Tight git bon chance!!
I would of least of offered him a bon bon

 

[Augusta08]

You could at least have bought a poem?

Difficult, I obviously didn't have the French to understand a poem. Offering money for something I could not value might have been seen as charity. This guy wasn't begging. He may have been insulted.

I see your point but wasn't quick enough to think of a way to handle it.

 

[Augusta08]

Tight git bon chance!!
I would of least of offered him a bon bon

I think you fail to understand . Try harder.

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[jessthedog]

I think you fail to understand . Try harder.

It wouldn't be the first time
I understand that you are guilty about not buying something of no value, to help someone out. I used to do it with the big issue. I would give them the 2 quid and say keep the magazine coz I won't read it.

 

[Helen Ariel]

I would look for some good charities that will help redress the balance and give some of what you don't need or if you'd rather see something for your money think of business locally that will have been struggling and use their services. Get a massage, hair do, by some music, gift vouchers for friends or family if you don't want anything yourself.

 

[Augusta08]

It wouldn't be the first time
I understand that you are guilty about not buying something of no value, to help someone out. I used to do it with the big issue. I would give them the 2 quid and say keep the magazine coz I won't read it.

I would look for some good charities that will help redress the balance and give some of what you don't need or if you'd rather see something for your money think of business locally that will have been struggling and use their services. Get a massage, hair do, by some music, gift vouchers for friends or family if you don't want anything yourself.

Thanks for that, but I'm just not looking for ways to give money away. I'd happily contribute to some scheme to create new opportunities for people to help themselves.

 

[Two on Tour]

Being the part time cynic that I am, how do you know that he was what he says he was and not just trying to con you out of cash as there are plenty taking advantage of the Covid situation, they have been operating around our area.

 

[monzer]

I am more than willing to pen some rhymes for anyone looking for that unique gift for him or her.

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[Jimbohorlicks]

There is nothing to feel guilty about, the poem salesman had nothing to offer the op. If he had been offering handwritten Xmas cards that may have been something he could have used.

 

[PeteH]

There are so many "Scams" about that it is impossible to tell wheat from chaff. The T-V is full of Celebs trying to get a 2quid donation for some foreign charity somewhere. ranging from Kids to Donkeys.

 

[bigwood]

Apparently if you turn a stranger away from you’re door it will bring you bad luck. I think that needs updating in present times.

 

[WESTY66]

There are so many "Scams" about that it is impossible to tell wheat from chaff. The T-V is full of Celebs trying to get a 2quid donation for some foreign charity somewhere. ranging from Kids to Donkeys.

I’ve said for the past 35 yrs if my ship comes in the Donkeys are first in line for a hand out

 

[Parrot Face]

At least you were polite to the guy. That matters so much in this world. Just seen a lad, down on his luck trying to sell household items at someones door. Was given abuse and was threatened by the house owner .

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[Coolcats]

Thanks for that, but I'm just not looking for ways to give money away. I'd happily contribute to some scheme to create new opportunities for people to help themselves.

Its a tough one, food banks are one way and another is volunteering, I use one of my Vans for food parcel deliveries for schools, I cannot believe that in this day and age we have to send food parcels for needy parents/children in schools it may only be a dozen per school and this was before Covid-19

 

[Helen Ariel]

Thanks for that, but I'm just not looking for ways to give money away. I'd happily contribute to some scheme to create new opportunities for people to help themselves.

There are heaps of schemes like that. I use this one where people are given a loan to start a business and they pay it back gradually and then you reinvest the money in another start up.

Microfinance from CARE International UK

CARE International's microfinance lending initiative

lendwithcare.org

 

[Spriddler]

I regret that these days I'm very brief with uninvited callers. There are so many 'respectably' dressed and plausible rogues who attempt to engage with householders, perhaps to look closer to ascertain if there is only one occupant or peer inside to see if there's anything worth stealing, or to assess the extent of security (CCTV, door locks, dog etc.).
60 years ago my mother said to never give food, drink, clothes etc. to 'tramps' (as callers were known) as they would make a chalk mark on the pavement in order to inform other tramps of friendly houses.
For very many years I have given regularly and quite generously to three charities: Air ambulance, Macmillan Nurses and an animal rescue centre but online, not to callers. One has to draw the line.

 

[Clipgate]

Few seem to understand the underlying causes of the financial situation for want of a descriptor.
Printing money is tantamount to theft, each and every print removes money from paper holders, it's not a cure merely a way of papering over the cracks. I my view the situation is very likely to implode and like a juggler with the ability to handle eight balls in the air, when thrown a ninth is unable to cope, we do not know what the ninth ball will be and when, only that it will happen.
We all see many housing estates being built and this makes me think, What happens when it all goes wrong!
I noted a report warning of our inability to handle violent civil unrest, the man selling Poems unfortunately is a harbinger of future developments.
What as individuals can we do, for my part charities are in the main money making entities, with highly paid executive boards, so that is not my choose route. Take a look at the charities aid foundation, looks like a worthy cause? Nothing of the kind a commercial operation raising money for charity at a very high cost.
Anyway to help an individual is in my view my choice, others will see it differently however I am not in a position to put the world to rights merely do what I can locally

 

[Coolcats]

Nothing of the kind a commercial operation raising money for charity at a very high cost.
Anyway to help an individual is in my view my choice, others will see it differently however I am not in a position to put the world to rights merely do what I can locally

Acting locally is a good way of ensuring that your money or actions go directly to those in need. Check out you local Centre for Volunteering most towns have one, ours is amazing at what they do and no the director does not get paid disproportionally neither does the staff. But without this centre organising fundraising and voluntary workers nothing would happen.

Regarding the homeless on the street, we have a system that does not help the homeless and 'beggars' I have no issue with buying a sandwich if someone is going hungry or a Coffee and Muffin early on a winters morning the morning and leave it by a rough sleeper. I hope thier world changes and become engaged in society. These are the visible cracks we see in our system as we walk down our high streets.

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[Coolcats]

Thanks for that, but I'm just not looking for ways to give money away. I'd happily contribute to some scheme to create new opportunities for people to help themselves.

Speak with a local Volunteer service, they may not have a scheme themselves but should be able to introduce you to a project or scheme that may meet what you are looking for or maybe your local enterprise organisation.

 

[Lenny HB]

Call me cynical but people out of work these days appear to be better off than I was when I was young and working. Different world these days I think I was entitled to free school meals but my mum wouldn't take handouts or charity so she paid for them even though she couldn't really afford it.
I know the current situation is different but the government has done an incredible amount to help people so most should pull through OK.

As for us pensioners being better off, it did look quite rosey with income being the same and expenditure going down. That was until we discovered that most of our investments won't be paying dividends all the banks have dropped interest rates. Our income will be down a few grand this year.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Call me cynical but people out of work these days appear to be better off than I was when I was young and working. Different world these days I think I was entitled to free school meals but my mum wouldn't take handouts or charity so she paid for them even though she couldn't really afford it.
I know the current situation is different but the government has done an incredible amount to help people so most should pull through OK.

As for us pensioners being better off, it did look quite rosey with income being the same and expenditure going down. That was until we discovered that most of our investments won't be paying dividends all the banks have dropped interest rates. Our income will be down a few grand this year.

I would say that's incredibly cynical and easy to look through rose tinted glasses. The proportion of salary required to buy or rent a home when you were a kid was tiny compared to now and not having a safe roof over your head garenteed is incredibly stressful. There will always be some lazy chancers looking for a hand out and the tabloids and poverty porn tv programmes love to have you believe that these are rife but in reality most would be ashamed to take a handout and foodbanks are a last resort.

 

[Sandancers]

A few weeks ago, Mrs Sandancers was doing a bit of weeding in the garden while I was "pottering" in the garage on the other side of the house. She came round and said "That's odd, just had a guy of about 25 trying to sell me dusters or something like as he is trying to tide himself over before going in the Army"

"So did you buy anything"? I asked. "No" she said "thought it was a con". "See if he's still around" I said, "he can rub down the garage paintwork ready for painting, save me a job, tell him it's £20 for 2 hours work". Unfortunately he had gone as it would have been interesting to see the reaction.

 

[Lenny HB]

I would say that's incredibly cynical and easy to look through rose tinted glasses. The proportion of salary required to buy or rent a home when you were a kid was tiny compared to now

Sorry I can't agree with that, our first house we were paying 15% interest rate, I know what our kids earn and how much their mortgage is. As a percentage of income, they are paying a lot less than we were, also our eldest we gave her the deposit, no one helped us.

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[Helen Ariel]

Sorry I can't agree with that, our first house we were paying 15% interest rate, I know what our kids earn and how much their mortgage is. As a percentage of income, they are paying a lot less than we were, also our eldest we gave her the deposit, no one helped us.

That is one example. sorry but that doesn't apply to the whole country. It's a fact that for youngsters now the difference between house prices and salaries is much much greater than when you were a child. People in their 20's now have little hope of buying and also most won't have parents helping either.