Should THIS be illegal? (Homelessness and street begging)

Member Name: Paradox

Product:	Homelessness and street begging
Date:	01/12/00 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None!

Disadvantages: Intimidating

Okay, firstly, before we start, I wasn't going to write an opinion on this. It's a bit late now, most things have already been said, and the category has been around for a while. I was, however, asked for money last night, and it changed my mind, so, here I go...

I had just been to the cinema (I had just seen Bedazzled, review to follow shortly :)) and I was walking home with my friend.

I passed a shop, and on the doorstep was a group of about three apparently homeless people. One of them, a woman, mid 40s, asked me for spare change, and I said no.

Now then, why did I say no? Well, simply, because I don't think that anyone that is living on the streets has a better reason for being there, other than because they want to.

I can hear the socialists amongst you cry out at this, I would be expecting something like:

"Everyone's the same."
"Those people are just as good as you."
"How would you like it."

And, to save the space in the commentaries section of dooyoo, I'll answer those now.

These people are not the same as you and I - let's face it, you are sitting, undoubtedly, in your house, using your computer. It is warm, you are clothed, you are not in poverty.
Therefore, these people are, essentially, not the same as us; they live on the streets, and we don't, so there's that one.

How would I like it? Well, it simply wouldn't happen to me. I'm not stupid enough, or lazy enough, to be homeless - the mere thought of it wouldn't even enter my head.

Now then, I accept that not all homeless people are drug / alcohol abusers, but I think that I'd be hard-pressed to find someone that wasn't.

At the end of the day, the only reason these people are on the street is because they want to be. This can happen in one of two major ways:

1) They are simply strange, and have therefore sold all th
eir worldly possesions for 'the experience' or are simply stupid and have run away from home.
2) Their house was burned down, they have no money to their name and no family.

People that run away from home deserve everything that they get; they only do it to rebel against the society that they feel that they have to try to escape from. Why? Because their friends do.

People who have had their houses burned down may have a good reason to be on the street, but only for about 2 hours, in which time I'd expect them to do something about it.

You also have these street merchants, the types that sell 'The Big Issue' for £1. This is not strictly begging, but bearing in mind that they are simply beggars with products, you still are being suspect to their begging, but you simply get a return.
You may well whinge that these people are simply trying to earn a living - well, this is much better done by getting a job. I imagine that most of them sleep in the door to the Job Centre anyway.

I think that recently, or not so recently, it was made illegal for charity collectors to rattle their buckets at you, as it was intimidating, and now counts as harassment.
Surely this is also true of begging? When a beggar asks you for money, directly, it is intimidating, and therefore should be illegal!

The only point I feel I haven't covered here, is what we should do with all these people littering our streets.

Simple.

Make it illegal. As with anything else, if you make it illegal it will enourage them to get off the streets, and arresting them will keep the streets empty.
Fills the prisons more quickly? Costs the government money? Never mind, at least we'll all be safe next time we go shopping.

Summary: