People who work all their lives and retire deserve the break from all the hard work. For example, my father retired a few years ago after working decades as a letter carrier in the United States Postal Service. He earned every cent of his pension plan putting in hard work through cold New England winters and hot, humid summers. As a kid, I never saw him call in sick. He worked hard and always showed up to his job. I learned by example the value of hard work and dedication, responsibility and family. Now one Omaha, Nebraska retiree is getting out onto the streets to teach panhandlers that same valuable lesson. But he is doing it in a confrontational way – by standing next to panhandlers at a busy intersection and holding his own sign. And now the entire nation is paying attention to this one man from Nebraska. See why!
Because Charles Logan worked hard his whole life and always found work when he wanted it, he knows that the panhandlers of Omaha can do better than beg for cash on the street.
But many people who do that don’t want the responsibility of a job. It was proven not long ago when a car dealership offered a panhandler fulltime work and he refused.
Now Logan is standing out on the street holding a poster board with a poignant message:
“Get a job. Get a job.”
And now his call-out is being heard by millions across the United States. More people want to stand up to the panhandlers in their community – because they seem to be everywhere in America now.
“If you want money, go get a job and work for it,” Logan said, as cars raced by Tuesday afternoon.
Logan retired from a military career and carries the sign because he wants panhandlers to work for their money – not beg for it.
Logan became motivated to do this when he saw his own son on the street begging for money. He was so disappointed in his son and knew right then and there that he had to stand up and do something about it.
“That’s really what hurt me. Because I know that he didn’t have to do that. And a lot of people out here don’t have to do it,” Logan said.
Although most people agree with Logan’s claim, others don’t think it is that simple – especially the panhandlers themselves.
“He has a sign that says, ‘get a job’, but he doesn’t know people’s struggles,” Charles Smith, one of the panhandlers said.
Smith is a single father who faces eviction and is trying to pay rent. He has to wait on a disability check and supplements that meager sum with “donations” from the community.
“We all go through our personal struggles. Whether it be financial, physical, mental, emotional, and he doesn’t understand that,” Smith said.
Another one of the many Omaha panhandlers, Aaron Hansen, said he was a drug addict and recently got out of jail.
“I’m a college graduate. I was raised by very, very respectable parents. I’m a decent person, you know?” Hansen said, “It’s just a temporary thing, till I get back on my feet.”
Logan doesn’t have sympathy for these people.
“Well, this is my job. To tell them to get a job….This is what I believe. I believe that America needs to get back to working.”
