Several years ago, someone researched the amount of money that panhandlers take in on the streets of Washington DC. The report claimed that people are able to make around $2,000 per day. YouTubers have followed panhandlers in their communities back to luxury cars parked a short distance away. Today, the most prolific panhandlers are sitting behind congressional desks.
I reported, not long ago, that I get a hundred panhandling requests daily (every day) from people in Congress. It is not uncommon for me to get an email, “Can you spare $10?” That is not unlike what I hear from people walking the streets.
As I see it, if a congressman does their job, their constituents will know and keep voting them into office. The problem is that they are not doing their jobs and feel the need to buy advertisements for goodwill. The problem with panhandlers is that if you feed one of them, soon you’ll have a dozen (or more) following you around demanding their portion. The best advice I can give you when dealing with panhandlers is to firmly tell them to go and get a job.