Technology solves what government can't?

[Whoozyerdaddy]

I was walking down the street today (Front Street in Lahaina, Maui ) and a panhandler came up to me asking me for 31 cents. Don't ask me why he wanted 31 cents... that's just what he asked me for.

Anyway... I instinctvely went for my pockets (A buck's a buck... I was on vacation and feeling good) but I had to tell the guy, "Sorry, I don't have any cash on me." The only time I ever have cash on me is when I fly because the airlines don't take plastic for drinks (yet).

Then it hit me. All the laws against panhandling and vagrancy... they never work. For that matter, they are almost never enforced. But lots of people today never carry cash because they use their debit card or they throw everything on their visa for the miles/points.

The government passes laws and fails to solve a problem. Technology and the market (inadvertently in this case) do.

 

[ProfJohn]

Maui is awsome, spent 12 weeks working in Hawaii on a cruise ship, what an amazing place.
Go in the winter time so you can go whale watching.

BTW: In keeping with the OP, Hawaii has a ton of people living on beaches. Great place to be homeless, weather is great, lots of free fish and fruits, lots of other homeless people to hang out with and no one bothers them, as long as they stay away from tourist areas.

 

[Todd33]

What problem was solved? Did you eliminate homelessness?

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: Todd33
What problem was solved? Did you eliminate homelessness?

I think you missed my point.

1. Government passes a law thinking it will have a desired result.
2. The law solves nothing.
3. The free market progresses until the problem government was trying to solve vanishes.

Panhandling laws aren't passed to end homelessness. They are passed to prevent people from soliciting money on the streets. The law failed. Technology/markets make the problem moot by making it impossible to panhandle as nobody has cash.

I constructed a very specific scenario. No need to expand on it. No need to hijack the thread and turn it into a homeless crusade.

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Maui is awsome, spent 12 weeks working in Hawaii on a cruise ship, what an amazing place.
Go in the winter time so you can go whale watching.

BTW: In keeping with the OP, Hawaii has a ton of people living on beaches. Great place to be homeless, weather is great, lots of free fish and fruits, lots of other homeless people to hang out with and no one bothers them, as long as they stay away from tourist areas.

I go twice a year. Once in September (right before the PFD, re: Christmas) and once after the Super Bowl, usually late Feb or March. I never miss the whales. I spend half my time on whale watching boats when they are in the channel.

And yeah, I've always said, if you're going to be homeless, Hawaii is the place to be homeless. Not to be flip about homelessness, but that's the truth. If you have a fishing pole and a tent, you have it made.

 

[MonkeyK]

Interesting point, but hopefully these technological solutions will not prevent acts of compassion for the homeless. Because note that as long as it was easy to do, you were willing to help the guy out.

 

[Tom]

I still don't see what problem was solved ?

The person still asked for the money, that is panhandling. It still happened.

The only thing that is different is that you personally saved 31 cents, but you could have done so whether or not you had cash in your pocket. You could say no.

On the other hand, it sounds like you wanted to give him 31 cents, and couldn't. Which sounds like instead of solving a problem, technology introduced an additional problem.

 

[PrinceofWands]

I know a lot of people don't do cash any more, but there are also a lot that ONLY do cash (like me). So I don't think it's 'problem solved', just 'problem displaced to certain people'.

 

[techs]

I don't know where you got the idea that most people don't carry cash and just use their credit cards.
I think it is exactly the opposite. Most people carry cash and use it far more than credit cards.

 

[jrenz]

Originally posted by: techs
I don't know where you got the idea that most people don't carry cash and just use their credit cards.
I think it is exactly the opposite. Most people carry cash and use it far more than credit cards.

Compared to 5 years ago? To 10 years ago? Cash is going out of style.