Laugh now, but you'll totally upvote their fashionably disheveled series of polaroids at the gallery opening. "I wonder what it's like to live so care-free! Why, this one's playing a banjo and over here they seem to be telling stories around a campfire! What a brave group of young people!"

In front of the Hollywood Whole Foods, there is often one beggar or another sitting a few feet away from a gal who's there practically every day, rain or shine, selling Street Roots (i.e., WORKING).

If i ever happen to pass by on foot, i always give a genuine smile/nod to the beggar. But then i pass a buck to the Street Roots gal and get me a paper.

And then i usually feel like an asshole -- not because i didn't give any (monetary) love to the beggar dude, but because that paper is usually so bad that it's almost invariably fed to a blue bin within mere minutes of me buying it. What a waste of paper. I should simply give her the money and let her keep the paper to sell to someone else who is bored enough to actually read it.

That's what i'm going to do from now on. Thanks, Portland Mercury & this I,A's author -- you've helped put into motion the saving of a tiny portion of a tree, sort of.

Maybe the guy pan-handling next to the street roots guy couldn't even get a street roots job. He's REALLY down and out. Have a heart buddy.

Contributing directly to panhandlers perpetuates the problem. There are plenty of legit places to help: http://www.rosecityresource.org/

"When does it become a bright idea to try and spare change NEXT to someone"

Those guys are sparing change?! I've been giving THEM money. Man, I'm a chump.

(Just kidding, I never ever give them money.)

I buy street roots whenever I see someone selling them. I've never met a rude person that sold them. You lecture down and out people on salesmanship? Really.. I call bullshit on your hipster ass.

Chicostix: are you really at all surprised by Jose Head's response? Consider the first sentence, in which he calls them 'bums'; that alone should tell you that there's no need to read on, because he's already made the point that he's a douche.

Well you've certainly moved on up in the world, Jose Head.

This works best when holding a sign reading "He stole my papers."

Todd thats not funny. iphone is still broken I think.

When life gives you Mecklems, make Mecklemonade.

I LIKED THAT ONE MECKLEMONADE SONG. DOES HE HAVE OTHER STUFF?