Millionaire and Begger

What is it with beggars and Lexuses (Lexi?)

It's interesting that the Straight Dope article refers to some panhandlers treating begging as their job: I was thinking that in order to earn the higher amounts (as opposed to the cost of the next meal/drink/hit) you would need to put some effort into it. Basically you're trading on other people's generosity and/or guilt, so what's the best way to do that? The article mentions that disabled beggars, or those with pets and/or children come off better (which recalls the gangmaster in Slumdog Millionaire, and stories about children being mutilated in order to beg more lucratively).

My point is that it's not necessarily "money for nothing", even if it might be "money for dishonesty".

I was talking to a couple of friends yesterday, and one of them told me that she "never gives money to" a couple who sell The Big Issue in our town because she "tries to discourage beggars". She added that she had seen a woman buy a sandwich for one of the sellers, who had "pulled a face" when it turned out not to have the "right" filling. She was outraged at such a lack of gratitude.

This is all a bit much, to me. Firstly, selling The Big Issue is not "begging". Secondly, although politeness is to be preferred, why must someone grovel to your satisfaction in order to get one sandwich? Maybe she was having a bad day. Maybe you only caught part of the conversation. Maybe you don't know anything about this woman, except that she must spend her time approaching uptight foreigners to buy a not-very-good magazine, in order to make a living.

Maybe I should have had my rant at the time instead of biting my lip and suggesting that we meet up soon and have a coffee, bye.