After reading the Jan. 4 Portland Press Herald article about downtown merchants and panhandlers, I got to thinking – panhandlers don’t have a voice, at least not a very loud one. The greed in this country has become justified and self-righteous.

The article quoted Ken Cianchette, chairman of Portland Downtown’s Pan Handling Ad-Hoc Committee, as saying that “residents, workers and tourists feel unsafe” because of panhandlers.

How does the panhandler feel? Less safe than you, I’m sure, as they stand in the cold, wondering where their next meal, shelter, etc. is coming from. We don’t know their history. They are more than just a nuisance. They are people, just like you and I.

In God’s eye, they are just as important as the richest merchant. If the wealthy would put more value into the less fortunate, a balance would occur.

But greed plows ahead and even demonizes the poor.

Trade shoes, for one day, with a panhandler and then walk by and pretend you don’t see him or her, or look the other way, with money in your pocket that you don’t actually need. It could be a make-or-break for the panhandler.

The government falls short on these services. So that leaves the well-to-do people an opportunity to help their fellow man.

If you want to get rid of panhandlers, then you are going to have to help them, maybe even one person at a time. And the payback would be huge.

Return your expensive, unnecessary gifts. Really? A $200 pocketbook? How can you carry that and walk by a cold, hungry brother or sister? I guess that is OK and normal to most these days, but it’s not right.

Please, just give some thought to help those who need help. They are afraid as well.