[mgrassotti]

I give $1 pretty much every time, which is a few times/day living in nyc. Didn't used to but a few years back I read a book that changed my mind. Author made the point that the best way to turn $1 into happiness is by giving away in this situation. No matter what they use it for, the $1 clearly means more to them than it does to me. I'd blow it at starbucks or whatever and not think twice. More I think about it the more that seems true.

Only exception is if someone asks comes into restaurant and goes to each table asking for money. That just drives me nuts.

[Buetol]

Only problem with this is that when you give to one, the others around are gonna ask you too and I don't like feeling forced to do things.

[smeyer]

I haven't seen this problem before. In my city, panhandlers tend not to be immediately next to each other (because it's worse for panhandling) and if you walk by one and give a dollar, you can still walk by the next and not give anything.

[Buetol]

Yep, in fact it's another kind of people. They want you to sign petition or they want you to believe they are blind (they are looking for "gullible" people)