Beggars Belief

So a story from the weekend slipped my mind earlier.

Beggars.

God I hate beggars. These people are the lowest form of human scum.

I absolutely refuse to assist a beggar in any way. I helped enough beggars when I used to work for Centrelink. Everyday the scum of the earth would come in and tell the most fantastic tales of woe, merely to eek a few extra dollars for god knows what.

Y'know, for much of my adult life I've had no money. None. Plenty's the time I'd just spent money on rent and bills and barely enough left for food. Leaving me with... ZILTCH! But I didn't go begging. What are you going to do with the money? Buy drugs? Booze? There's no in built biological mechanism that shuts our system down when we run out of money. We keep breathing. We don't die. Sure, it can be boring - not having any money - but it's not the end of the world.

And in Australia, much as I hate to admit Bob Hawke was right, there is no reason any child should be living in poverty in the country. Our welfare establishments hand out millions every day. As long as you're prepared to 'play the game' to some extent, which really isn't hard, you'll get your fortnightly handout. Sure, it's not much, but don't hassle me on the street for loose change when I know you're getting that handout, and concessions, and food vouchers.

So Sunday, when we're approached by one of the most pathetic beggars OF ALL TIME and I'm giving her the ol' "I've got no spare change" (which of course is a Craigism for 'that change in my pocket is not for YOU, sister!') the other half walks straight up and dumps a hand full of gold coin in her filthy, greedy little hand. To say I was furious is possibly overstating my emotional involvement in the deal, but talk about rubbing salt into the wound - the money she handed over I'd given to her only that morning! You're not giving MY money to the dirty little lying con artist?!?!

Jaysus!