I would not stop to help you because I do not know how to fix cars.

We grew up poor and just now becoming middle class - my mom and dad always said to help others because while we may not have money we can still make a difference in the world. So yes, random things like helping stranded motorists, carry groceries for the elderly, giving comfort to someone grieving, handing a 20$ to those kids selling water and candy, helping someone buy a fridge from Craigslist and carry it to their place, the smallest things. And we donate to hospitals as much as we can because we only recently got health insurance.

Anonymous wrote:When driving around town, I have observed the folks with the fancier vehicles rarely roll down the window to hand $1 to a panhandler. Others with normal or beat up vehicles tend to do it much more frequently. Either the rich are selfish, fearful of the poor or both.

Could you by chance be a panhandlers who wrote your post from your smart phone?

Anonymous wrote:When driving around town, I have observed the folks with the fancier vehicles rarely roll down the window to hand $1 to a panhandler. Others with normal or beat up vehicles tend to do it much more frequently. Either the rich are selfish, fearful of the poor or both.

Panhandling is not is not a full-time job. However, I've seen the same people panhandling at the same locations for years. My choice to not give an able bodied person money everyday as I drive to work when we have full employment and there are tons of jobs available doesn't make me cheap it make the panhander lazy.

I like the book Moll Flanders - extreme wealth and poverty both corrupt. Obviously this is not true across the board but food for thought.

I will say I’ve been very pregnant on a train and no one offered me a seat but a homeless person asked me if I wanted him to ask people to get up for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poor people donate a proportionately larger share of their income to charity. If you go on the money and finance forum you'll see this play out, as people will say they donate 3K to charity when they earn $300K/year plus, and will say how they're barely making ends meet due to junior's skiing lessons.

That's mostly to churches though.

So what? Many churches do good work with soup kitchens etc. the rich donate more to their alma matters and the arts, which benefit mostly affluent segments of society.

+1. Yea....they do it to get tax break and to tell others they contribute to charity, non profit, etc. BS.

Anonymous wrote:I think that being poor can bring out different sides of people - some good, some not so good. Same thing goes with having money.

Yup. No one said all poor people are nice, anymore than all rich people are nasty. But on average I think poorer people are more connected to those around them. They have to be.

When driving around town, I have observed the folks with the fancier vehicles rarely roll down the window to hand $1 to a panhandler. Others with normal or beat up vehicles tend to do it much more frequently. Either the rich are selfish, fearful of the poor or both.

When you're used to living without much money, you find other things in life that make you happy. The best things in life are free. It's true!

I think that being poor can bring out different sides of people - some good, some not so good. Same thing goes with having money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poor people donate a proportionately larger share of their income to charity. If you go on the money and finance forum you'll see this play out, as people will say they donate 3K to charity when they earn $300K/year plus, and will say how they're barely making ends meet due to junior's skiing lessons.

That's mostly to churches though.

Lol we give 3k per year on 300k (not thru church thou). I guess we should give more.

Jesus. You think?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poor people donate a proportionately larger share of their income to charity. If you go on the money and finance forum you'll see this play out, as people will say they donate 3K to charity when they earn $300K/year plus, and will say how they're barely making ends meet due to junior's skiing lessons.

That's mostly to churches though.

So what? Many churches do good work with soup kitchens etc. the rich donate more to their alma matters and the arts, which benefit mostly affluent segments of society.

Not necessarily...I’ve met those then the opposite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poor people donate a proportionately larger share of their income to charity. If you go on the money and finance forum you'll see this play out, as people will say they donate 3K to charity when they earn $300K/year plus, and will say how they're barely making ends meet due to junior's skiing lessons.

That's mostly to churches though.

Lol we give 3k per year on 300k (not thru church thou). I guess we should give more.

Give what you want to give. But at that income level, 1% of your income is being cheap.

A landscaper is more likely to know how to help you with your car than someone in a suit. He might have more time.

DH is an engineer and can't resist stopping helping stranded motorists when he has time.

We're middle class.