A CRISIS AND A SCANDAL

They all had names and they all had gifts, the homeless Minnesotans who stood by the side of the road and asked the schoolkids for money in 2004. They all needed money which is why they were finally made the subject of the Star Tribune's Mindworks feature in February. This month Mindworks tried to distract us from shopping and get us to think, for one night, of the needy of money by asking students:

"If you saw a homeless person begging at the roadside, would you stop to give him or her money? Why or why not?"

That's right: we finally ask the students about something less glittery but more important than the usual stuff.

And it's a scandal what they said. Two-thirds of the 3,000 students responding wrote that they would not give cash to a panhandler. Students today are so hip and cool they can make fun of the poor and disadvantaged while working out of carpeted classrooms. In fact, one worthless little cur wrote:

Alex Quiding, 12

Red Wing, Minn.

Twin Bluff Middle School

I would not give this person money. Giving him money is not going to help them from being homeless, and I do not know what they would spend the money on. I would rather give the money to the food shelf, or some other organization that helps people in need.

Hey Alex! Maybe you ought to consider becoming a Christian. After all, once upon a time, a homeless couple came to Bethlehem, looking for shelter. They didn't go looking for a food shelf.