“But I think you should take it, just so people learn not to give their money away. Because once those people are unemployed, I’m not giving the money back! This is not a return on investment.”

Wow. That's so cynical I barely know where to start. I've helped many of my friends monetarily in the past, and they've been nothing but grateful. Why do I do it? Certainly not because I expect them to pay me back with interest... I do it because when I was at a terribly low point in my life, someone I barely knew gave me $100. It was enough to get through the month and let me continue job hunting without wondering what I was going to eat.

It's not a financial investment. It's an investment in a person.

/soapbox