Anything can be misused. And not tipping a waiter who has done his or her job is like not paying the kid who cut your grass or the doctor who cured your cancer. They do a decent job, they desire a decent pay.

Now, I also have to say that I think that the fact that there are beggars and panhandlers at all is a f*ckin' shame (heck, if it's good enough for Dickie Cheney...). The so-called civilized world is too rich and this should not be necessary -- especially for the veterans (and yes, they're there), but also for everyone.

It seems to have gotten worse since the '80s, at least in the US. I don't want to turn this into a political thread, but it seems that was about the time of the soi-disant "Reagan Revolution"....