tangential to the whole driving thing, is that so many people are begging at intersections. Hopefully, it's not part of your daily drive, like it is mine, but I was surprised to learn that Alabama had outlawed panhandling

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Alabama’s anti-panhandling laws are unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that begging is protected speech.

ALEA had enforced the state’s anti-panhandling laws, which prohibited loitering or panhandling on state highways and roadways. Under Alabama law, a person who “loiters, remains, or wanders about in a public place for the purpose of begging” commits the crime of loitering.

Alabama’s pedestrian solicitation statute says “no person shall stand on a highway for the purpose of soliciting employment, business, or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle, nor for the purpose of distributing any article, unless otherwise authorized by official permit.”

The court’s brief says the “plain, ordinary meaning” of the pedestrian solicitation statute restricts other speech across Alabama, such as “charitable solicitation for nonprofit or religious organizations or solicitation of support for political candidates.”

https://www-wsfa-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.wsfa.com/2025/04/09/appeals-court-upholds-unconstitutionality-alabamas-anti-panhandling-laws

So, how much money did the state of Alabama waste trying to make begging, and panhandling criminal, in order to appease some rich people who find it ugly, and want to make the homeless and poor disappear without being inconvenienced by actively participating in doing a damn thing to create jobs, hire the unemployed, or create a better neighborhood? It must be onerous to have yoga, tennis, golf, and yachting to attend to. 

If you ever heard of the incredible Robin Williams, you'll possibly remember the charity fundraiser he, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg annually did in the late 80s on tv, Comic Relief. Robin also made sure that every film production he was a part of hired a number of homeless people. 

I believe in charity, generosity, kindness, productivity, efficiency, problem solving, etc. If the people who somehow make it into and succeed in politics were motivated as much to do civic good as they are to get ahead financially and retire young and rich from all the benefits of govt employment (aren't there about 2 million people employed by the govt?) I think the public works the govt does would significantly prevent the unemployment that causes homelessness, and after 6 or 7 decades of a war on drugs, would be quite efficient at having prevented the numerous drug related homeless.