[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

^I get what you're saying but, quite frankly, we won't be eradicating poverty any time soon because, well, we're not even trying. There was a brief moment there, before most of us were born, when the wealth we created was distributed much more evenly than it is today. Those days are long gone and they're not coming back, so unless we go Communist tomorrow, poverty will continue to grow unabated until society ceases to function in the way we're accustomed. Perhaps then panhandling will be seen as a decent career choice, rather than the last resort that it is today.

Even then there were panhandlers in the streets. I remember seeing many more back in the 60's than I do now. Back then they were just referred to as bums. They used to line King St. with their cups every day. As a kid we just took a wide berth around them, but most adults just ignored them.