You're also right about the police not stopping people. Perhaps it has become so engrained into society that its just expected that the police won't stop them? I think that's a pretty poor excuse, but could very well be true.

I've heard stories in nyc of beggars pulling in 30-50k/year each, and living in apartments. they get a group of them to share rent, and live comfortably, but use begging as a career, tax free career.

I don't know what it is about homeless people that keeps them precisely where they are for the foreseeable future. I live in downtown Miami, and I see the same group of homeless folk walking around and sleeping outside my apartment each day. I say “hi” to them when I walk my dog and they ask me for money, but that's about it.

The common response to homeless people is: “I'll give them a dollar or two. That will help them!” Well, that's the wrong response, and I'll tell you why. Sure, there are some genuinely deprived individuals living on the street, but I have to say, that's not generally the case. I have lived in both the US and UK, and in London, the situation is much worse than it is here. There are **career beggars** in the streets, who will sit and panhandle outside of a market for two hours, then once they feel they have milked enough money from that location, will move on to the ATM down the street — out of sight of the original location.

Then, you have the people who will accept your money, but once you try to offer them food, water, or even clothing to keep them warm, they spit on your feet and ignore you. What is that about? None of this helps my view of homeless people whatsoever.

I'm all for helping fellow man, but think that it should be the job of local governments to handle the problem. The real question should be: “Why isn't there more of a push to help these individuals clean themselves up and get jobs, and if such a push exists, why do the homeless people not want the jobs?”, and not “Why do people with iPhones and $300 grocery bills not care about the lowly homeless man?”