Random Rant
I don't know if it's a modern thing or a function of the West, but I'm amazed at the number of people who work the Walmart parking lot looking for gas money, or who stand by its exit with a "Need Gas" sign. Today, the fellow even had a big red gas can with the yellow nozzle fully extended, if for some reason, you couldn't read his sign and didn't get the idea.
I realize that none of them are probably going to read this post, but I just want to say that under no circumstances would I ever give a stranger money for gas, unless they had been robbed. I don't know if their stories are true, but it looks too much like they drive until they're about out of fuel and then they set up within sight of the interstate, trying to raise enough money to get a little further down the road.
It just screams of irresponsibility and unreasonable expectations.
As I've said before, when I was younger, I did more than my share of hitchhiking. I remember, once I hitchhiked from Charlotte to Pittsburgh (447 miles) and on another occasion, I hitchhiked from Charlotte to Lauderdale (709 miles). Most of my usual trips were from Raleigh to Myrtle Beach, Raleigh down around Savannah or Charleston, out to a random beach or up to the mountains and of course, none of these excursions include my functional trips, where I simply needed to get from Point A to Point B.
Heck, there was a period of a couple of years, when I'd sometimes just go out to the roadside, throw up my thumb and take the first ride as far as possible, then I'd decide where to go from there. It was a method of entertainment. I'd aimlessly hitchhike around the mid-Atlantic and after a couple of days, I'd point myself toward home. True, a lot of these trips seemed to include a beach or the mountains and for some reason, I'd often halfway point myself toward the top of Table Rock because it was a good place to think.
If your grandmother died or something, I consider hitchhiking a legitimate way to get to her funeral, if you couldn't afford gas. But, by wandering around the Walmart parking lot or standing by the road holding a jug, you're telling me that you expect the world to give you a handout and I can't rationalize supporting such immaturity or irresponsibility.
So, where you and everyone else will know for future reference; If your sign says "Need Crack", "Poor and Unemployed" or "Willing to Work for Food", I might consider throwing you a couple of dollars, but under no circumstances would I willingly pay for your gas because you had poor planning or are cursed with an unreasonable sense that you're owed something by the world.
My Daddy taught me better.