Who thinks the Handicap Parking thing has gotten totally out of control? I think it was originally intended for people in wheelchairs or walkers or maybe the blind, but now EVERY welfare cheat that has "a bad back" gets to park right in front of Walmart and The Dollar Store. The worse is the obese that "can't walk very far" may make up the majority of the sticker holders now. In NC a doctor simply signs a 5 x 8 card and does not even give the diagnosis.
In Sweden the Handicap Parking Permit's are very desirable on the black market. The permits are not connected to a vehicle and the person who got the permit doesn't even have to be in the car when you drive/park. You can say that you're going to pick you're grandma up or you've just left her or anything else. With the permit you can park your car virtually anywhere without getting a ticket which is why you see young guys jumping out of Porsches or Ferraris in the tow-away zone with a Handicap Parking Permit in the car window... Shoot them! /Peter
I saw a lady pull the handicapped tag out of her glove box, hang it on the mirror, and then proceed to get her daughter out of a car seat, lift her up to her hip and carry her into the store. Being the self righteous SOB that I am, I flagged down the security guard(off-duty police) and told him what I had witnessed. He actually waited for her to come out and checked the parking pass. Imagine my surprise when the police officer found the tag registered to somebody else (yes, I waited in my car until she got back). I felt better after that. BTW don't try to wait until the last moment before you run into the idiot stops on an off/on ramp, I will not let you in.
My message was just erased, but I'll write it again for poopies sake! I looked into this parking story and I was told I needed the painting on the ground a sign on a poll and they had to be close to the doors to qualify. Well, I looked into it a bit more and found all I need is blue and white paint in the parking space. It seems, some hippy lover works for the city and wants glowing neon signs over each space with a paid hand to show these people the way in. Soooooooooooooooo... I don't need no stinkin' handicapped spaces! And if I'm called on it, I will invite whom ever down to my little business and have a talk with them. Then after shaking their hand I will bash 'em good! And then they will need a handicapped space from then on. Gawd damn it! I tried to do the "right", "PC" thing and I am lied to at my expense? That ticked me off.
Yes, handicapped parking is out of control. Very seldolm do I see an actual physically handicapped person getting out of the car or being helped out of the car. My dad had one for a while after he had back surgery and only used it for like 1 week and then quit using it. What about the "Expecting Mothers" parking spots? Those are completely worthless. I think next time I see one I'm going to park there.
I have to say, this is one of my pet peeves. This is just like every other well intentioned law gone awry. We have a shopping center nearby that has spots reserved for "Mothers of small children". My wife and I laugh everytime we are there. I told my wife I see a discrimination suit coming from a "FATHER of small children".
At this year's Tropicana 400 the police were there enforcing the Handicap-only parking and nailed a lot of people in the process. People thinking of cheating could see the signs announcing that they would be forced to verify their tags, yet hundreds parked there anyway and were ticketed and towed.
