Dear Readers: Through the years, people I don’t know — probably nice and sincere people — have asked me for money. They’ve asked for money to buy a used car, to invest in a patent, to buy two water scooters, to move to Australia, to purchase a red Corvette, to fix a roof and to build a grow house for pot production. One reader had a treasure map he fervently believed was valid — and it may have been. He wanted $137,000 to finance his search somewhere in Guatemala!
These requests have been from readers, from folks who say they are readers and from others who, from experience, know that if they continue to ask for a handout, some citizen eventually will put a fiver in their outstretched palm. Many folks have made an art form out of begging for money.
A dozen years ago, the Fort Lauderdale newspaper stationed several shabbily dressed reporters at busy intersections in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Each reporter had a piece of cardboard about the size of a breadbox, on which was printed in bold letters: “Will work for food.” Every few minutes, a dozen-plus cars stopped at each red light, and the disguised reporter walked the line, flashing his or her sign. Some drivers rolled their windows down and gave the panhandling reporters their pocket change or more. After some four hours of panhandling, every reporter had collected over $100. Best of all, it was tax-free.
Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, begging for money is becoming a national pastime. Earlier this month, I received an email solicitation from a student (whom I don’t know) at Boca Raton Community High School. The subject line read, “Please Help Me Reach My $500 Goal.” The email stated, “I am raising money for Boca Raton High School (BRHS) NJROTC. Please help … support our cause.” The solicitation promised that donations would go toward team fees, tournament fees and travel expenses and suggested that I share the fundraiser with my “personal network of contacts.” What impudence! When you sink so bleeding low as to ask perfect strangers for $500, you’ve lost your self-esteem. The solicitation concluded with a group photo of the most frightful-looking sack of students I can remember seeing.
