BEGGING THE QUESTION

Harry Shearer’s “Begging the Question” (Man Bites Town, July 8) is an essay that does just that. It reduces the tragedy of the homeless and indigent to a question of mere consumerism, just the kind of moral response, I’m sure, the GOP counts on as they slash funding from health care, welfare and education. I now understand activist Mitch Snyder’s despair.

I was a lower-class “dropout” in the late ‘60s. I had to survive on the streets much as the homeless do today. I found “entertaining” to be a sure way to increase my chances of getting money from strangers because it allows givers to feel they are not wasting their investment.

Here’s a rule you can use in good conscience: Never give money to a panhandler who asks for a specific amount. When I begged, my line was, “Anything. Anything you can give. Pennies, nickels, dimes. Anything you can spare!”

Let’s face it, you’re begging.

FREDERICK CLEVELAND Hollywood