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Macon County may be one of the poorest counties at #9, but you can't tell it by looking. Houses and properties are well maintained, vehicles are taken care of for the most part and we've got exactly one homeless guy in Lafayette.
Our homeless guy..... a young black dude, one of the few in Lafayette, with a pair of the happiest dogs I've ever seen. He hangs out either in the Dollar General parking lot or behind the Walmart. He's a really nice guy, very religious and slightly touched in the head. He's always got a big smile on his face and his speech mannerisms suggests a good education. The way he carries himself makes me pretty sure he's a Veteran. He doesn't beg, although he will accept an 'offering' to feed his dogs. I always make sure I've got at least a couple of that asshole dog Jack's Moist-n-Meaty packets in the truck in case I run across him.
What's heartwarming is that instead of being shunned or looked down on, around here people go out of their way to make sure he's okay. The other day I drove past him in the DG parking lot on my way to check my mail and saw a town cop handing him a MacDonald's bag. People give him clothing, food, toiletries, whatever. What's funny is he's usually in out of the way places like behind the Walmart, yet people will go to him. And don't think you can just hand him a couple bucks or a bottle of water and drive off. Uh-uh. You're gonna be there visiting for 10 or 15 minutes.
Small towns, gotta love 'em! Why I live in small towns.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Pickett beat out Overton. I never would have guessed that. My uncle made a good living in Overton County.
ReplyDeleteAnd your people taking care of that homeless fellow is typical of what I know of people in the region. Good on them.
ReplyDeleteIf he wasn't a straight-up guy, they'd run him out of town though.
DeleteMuch more satisfying than having your paycheck dunned by United Way, isn't it?
DeleteCC
when we found out the san diego chapter head of united way was paying himself $900,000 we kind of stopped giving anything at all to the CFC.
Deletehttps://www.charitywatch.org is a site that rates Charities in a couple different ways, percentage of donations that are actually used to help people and executive salaries.
DeleteYou'll find that the biggest charity organizations and/or the most well known are far down the list in both of those categories.
Nemo
The Ten Commandments are the best guide to living well.
ReplyDeleteChutes Magoo
I am a Christian, and always strive to live my life the way that I believe Jesus would want me to live it. We used to have an old Veteran who had 2-3 shopping carts that he moved around with, loaded up with who knows what? But he would often be seen going into a local Starbucks, having a hot tea, and staying inside for about 2 hours, before heading back outside, to continue looking for treasures for his shopping carts.
DeleteWhile I don't like Starbucks as a rule, my wife likes their fancy iced coffees, and on occasion, and so we will go inside and sit and have a pastry and one of her coffees. When that old Vet used to be there I would go and talk to him, for a bit. He was mentally lost, partially in today and partially still back in Vietnam. It sounded as if he was never in actual combat, but in a support role, but it still affected him. And I was happy to give him an ear to listen for a few, just out of respect for anyone who served our nation.
As for giving money to charities, I prefer to give locally, even to individuals. The young couple with kids that you can tell are trying to make it but struggle like we all did, when we were their age. A 20 or even a 50, to the right couple at the right time, will do amazing things. And I don't worry about them spending it on booze or drugs. I am responsible for what I do with the money that God gives me, not for what someone else does with it.
And most importantly, I have never missed money that I have given away.
I live in Rockwall, Texas. One of the wealthiest counties un the state. But we too have one homeless guy. Arliss will not accept cash, but will take clothing, food, and gift cards. He stays at a small chain hotel on I 30. He can't afford to stay there but us Rockwallians pay for his special rate of 40 dollars a night.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is, they won't accept pay over the phone, so you have to go there and pay for his nights. You would think that would be too much trouble for most, but everyone does it.My late father-in-law was the richest man in town, and even at 85 years old, he would drive over and pay for a week for Arliss.
It warms my heart.
A different species of homeless around here.
ReplyDeleteThe solitary ones shuffle about aimlessly, babbling or cackling and drooling. They infest bus stops and quickie marts.
Others congregate in makeshift shantytowns. Porta potties are provided for their convenience.
Cops don't seem to harass them unless belligerent or passed out in the street.
Every once in a while, Hazmat teams show up with high-pressure disinfectant hoses.
They could bus in a bunch of illegals and your county would move to one of the highest earning counties. But your standard of living would be shit.
ReplyDeletepigpen51 RE your itinerant veteran: thank you.
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