Yes. Exactly what I meant by "left alone".

Once one gets away from the lamestream rhetoric you will see mankind's true ways and our natural mutuality for each other. Evil does not reside within our hearts...it was put there in some by creatures that are not at all like us. They are the great unwashed and we the elite on the streets.

Most people are basically good. I have experienced the kindness of strangers many times What keeps many of them from exhibiting kindness is fear. The country has become a fearful place. I don't need to list what is happening to make people fearful, you all watch TV or read the paper.

Good thing he didn't see the "Bernie Sanders for President" sticker on her bumper.

I've picked up mothers, with children, a couple of times in my life. Once, I even had my wife and kids in the car. The temps were in the 90's, they were stranded along the highway and cellphones had yet to be introduced to mankind.

More recently, I spotted a dead (POS) car along the road near my home. A girl and her boyfriend/husband only asked that I call a former neighbor of theirs to help them, which I did. Turns out, this former neighbor was a 78 year old widower who this couple had probably been taking advantage of for years. I almost felt sorry for the fellow, but we are responsible for our own actions. I think I would have claimed a kidney stone, or something...

A month ago a very good friend of mine died of cancer. His wife and my wife are best friends, growing up together. Luckily, they live only about 20 minutes away. They have three daughters. As my friend was in his death bed I made sure he understood that I'd be there to assist after he was gone. Not much was needed to be said, but he understood. This story reminds me of that. He was 45...

There is truth in what you say, Mike. I have found that it takes a surprisingly small amount of effort to be effective in taking somebody somewhat under-wing. If anybody can change to become more effective it's a single mother. Not always, but often.

We need this kind of thing. This is a personal take on this. As a man, as a father, I can't just not help a mother and children in a situation like this. I still think men have a role to play in this world. It doesn't require much, but it requires that we act to keep women and children safe. At this point, it's in my DNA. Some may say that's sexist. If so, I'll own it.

The harsh reality of our society is this - most men aren't man enough to stick around and protect their offspring. It's kind of funny but I remind me kids of this when they piss me off. "You know your buddy XXX? Notice how he doesn't have a daddy? His daddy decided he'd rather sit around with his buddies playing video games than put up with this kind of s*&%." Haha...

I know, I know. I've turned away many an obvious moocher.
The most memorable one was a big muscular dude, who asked old limping dino for money when I walked out of a gun show with an AR-15 in my hands.
I thought he may try to mug me for the rifle, which was of course empty without an inserted clip. Kept my distance.
Next person I saw was a security guard, who I sent running after the beggar.
One thing you wrote I don't get. The link is all I found about "Heinlein's jar" when I tried to look it up.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...

Mike ... or maybe this is just a beautiful example of why the gov't. shouldn't coerce us into supporting others in "need". Let us, individually, determine who we choose to help. In your (and my) fair city of Austin, many street corner beggers are helped with money, food, water or perhaps just a kind word and a smile. I have helped many, on different occasions ... perhaps you have chosen to do the same. It certainly is no sacrifice to me. I don't know their personal stories, of course. But I do know one thing - they are worse off than me and maybe all they need that day is just a little compassion. And the day after tomorrow? I hope they will seek a better solution.

Positive stories happen a lot more than the bad ones, but with journalists religiously following the Hearst dictum, "If it bleeds, it leads," the negative, sensational stories take priority.

"Think this through..." If and when a person chooses to offer assistance to another, and it is an act of good will, and affordable (without sacrifice), I contend that is not altruism and it places value on human life and human interactions, not out of faith in humanity but in recognition of values. To dismiss such acts of kindness and generosity out of hand as "altruism" is to demonstrate a distinct LACK of understanding of the virtues of selfishness and the definition of altruism. Some members of this forum may find it useful to search the Ayn Rand Lexicon for "charity". Thank you, "Nickursis" for posting this and for your comments.

I left out the part where the girl said she left her wallet somewhere and was stranded.
There was nothing to indicate she did not have a job. She was dressed well for one thing.
She was running a pretty good con save for being stupid enough to work the same place.

Absolutely. I feel terrible just ignoring the homeless, BUT 99% of them are just moochers in training, and I would feel worse giving them money only to see them drink or drug it away.

I am more upset at the people who DO give them money, as they are just enabling the bad behavior that got these people into trouble in the first place.

I have turned against the people who feel entitled and want money. It makes me feel bad to ignore them, BUT I have had the same experience as you just relayed. Now, I try (its hard) to be nice and I ask them- "Let me understand something- I missed the part about how I am supposed to work and make money so I can give it to you so you dont have to work. Am I getting the message right?
That usually nips it in the bud and they walk off.

FRANCISCO is right- its a war out there and we have to take sides.

When they ask if I have any change, I tell them YES, but I wont give it to you....

The moochers are every where's Dino, they inhabit an inordinate number of off ramps and street corners. I gave up feeling sorry since there is always temp work to be found.Heinlein's jar after all..

Indeed, just so. I don't know but that does not mean his actions are without merit.She just reflects what the government has bred, dependence and need. In my mind they have become unwitting victims, one reason AR was so refreshing, she codified what I had been seeing for years. I also do not stop to help unless I am really sure of safety for the exact reasons you state. Times have gotten rougher and rougher, and the real people get the short end, usually accompanied by their own bad habits.

I carry jumper cables to increase the odds of getting help with a jump but I have asked people I find with a car hood up if all they need is a jump.
Me dino tries to be a good-hearted prehistoric monster.
One day I came out of the local Walmart when I saw a pretty young lady flitting about saying "mama" a lot on her cell phone. She approached me and said she desperately needed gas money to get to Pell City.
I gave her ten bucks and thought no more about it.
About a month later I walked out of the same Walmart and saw the same young lady flitting about and pretending to talk to her mama.
She approached me and said she desperately needed gas money to get to Pell City.
I said, "Remember me? You told me you needed to get to the same place about a month ago."
The girl's eyes popped wide and she took of running.
I walked on shaking my head. There's hundreds if not thousands of parking lots for a moocher to work all about the Birmingham area.

I can understand why people just walked away when she sought help. Its a result of the huge number of entitled "bums" that wander the streets saying anything they need to in order to get free money, food, etc.

The first thing I would have thought of is that the woman was using her kids to get benefits for her entitled nature. I would have walked past her too, ignoring the tears and manipulations that I have heard and see so many times. Dragging three kids out there would appear to me to be a way to make me feel sorry for them. And it may have indeed been the case.

Batteries dont go dead cause you leave a light on for a few minutes. They go dead because there is something wrong with the battery or the charging system. Usually there is warning (not always though).

The older gentlemen helping her is ok with me. He volunteered, either in some sort of altruistic act of washing away his guilt over being alive, or out of a true benevolent spirit inside him. Who knows actually.

Well good for you MIke, I hope you feel better. I cannot own others peoples lives, and if they crew them up, that is their problem. If a person decides to help them, however screwed up they are, I find that a good thing. The fact there are people around that still think that way is also a good thing. Is her life a wreck? Uh, yea. I was not lost on the 4 children, "an absent partner" and no support" But then she is no more worse than 90% of the rest of the country, most of whom should know better. I don't know her story, or her facts, so I do not want to judge.

Oh come on!! She has four kids by way of a "partner" not a legal husband. She has no resources. A simple light drained the battery... Yes, it was nice of the old man to help, very benevolent. But the lesson here is just more altruistic, mystical hogwash. What is she going to do the next time she has a problem. As Dagny demanded of Cuffy Meigs, "What is your plan for the day after tomorrow?"

How could you at all actually help that woman without completely restructuring her personal philosophy? Maybe we should send her a copy of an Ayn Rand book. But which one?

I down voted everything back to 1. Let's think this through.

My point, no one forces people to do this, but it is a good thing. True goodness is that which is freely given, not forced. Or Government issued...

Yes. This is what people do left alone. What makes some 74-year-old man want to do this with his precious time? I don't know. But I see helpful behavior like this a lot, and I strongly approve if it's what people want to do.