No Cash, Dude

Sometimes, weird thoughts come to me. Okay, I'll admit it, weird thoughts come to me pretty frequently, but anyway, here's the latest:

What effect, if any, is the shift of our society to a cashless economy having on the homeless people who hang out waiting for our spare change? I can only imagine it must not be good.

Now, I'm not one to give cash willy nilly to every homeless person holding out a cup. In fact, I very rarely give them money at all, for various reasons, but that's another post. However, once in a great while, I'll be in a particularly magnanimous mood and I'll throw in whatever change I've got in my pocket, or a buck or two. One day, I even gave a guy a $5. I have no idea why.

But I have to think that when even I, the original cash basis girl, end up going cashless and rely solely on my bank card, that has to mean these homeless people aren't getting as much money as they used to. It's not as if they can swipe your card for a buck or two.

It also makes me think that the high traffic spots are much more zealously staked out, and that turf wars must erupt on occasion.

The Great Homeless Turf War. Yep, I'll put my money (via the internet) on that bringing down this country.