Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Ben on October 27, 2014, 11:27:33 PM
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I actually thought this was a pretty cool form of protest. A group in the city of Keene, NH goes around and puts their own money into expired parking meters so the city can't collect a parking fine from the vehicle's owner.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/10/27/no-quarter-nh-city-wants-robin-hood-meter-feeders-kept-away-from-parking/
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Will they be able to do it this time without being molested and threatened with arrest?
stay safe.
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That was tried here in Cincinnati, some grandmother was using her own money to feed people's meters and she got arrested by a police officer.
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Will they be able to do it this time without being molested and threatened with arrest?
They've been sued twice by the city, second suit still underway. City claims they are harassing the meter tenders. It's really about revenue, of course.
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They've been sued twice by the city, second suit still underway. City claims they are harassing the meter tenders. It's really about revenue, of course.
Lawsuits?
Time to put on the Angle Grinder Man leotard
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3112670.stm
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I don't agree with the hassling the meter maids part if true (regardless of what I might think about that particular job). Otherwise, I considered this an excellent example of "victimless crime". I'm curious as to the exact statutes that are used in these cases. These people are using their own money, and by feeding the meter, are giving the government money - just not as much money as some localities would like for "revenue enhancement".
It really boggles my mind that this is considered criminal behavior.
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I don't agree with the hassling the meter maids part if true (regardless of what I might think about that particular job).
Not sure about that particular city, but much of the time, the meter maids aren't government workers, but are private companies that do the dirty work for the city. Hassle away!
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I think some town passed an ordinance against meter feeders. It passed by making it a crime for anyone to feed a meter. You were allowed to park for x time but then had to move car rather than keep,feeding em
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I think some town passed an ordinance against meter feeders. It passed by making it a crime for anyone to feed a meter. You were allowed to park for x time but then had to move car rather than keep,feeding em
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That's a pretty handy law.
The meter maids can and will write you a ticket any time they want- at will.
There is no way you can prove you didn't drop another quarter in the machine, and the kangaroo court is always going to side with parking collections.
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In the town where my Mom lives, the meter guy (he's ticket writer, meter maintenance, and a few other things all rolled into one) carried around a pocket full of his own dimes to feed the meters for people the week before Christmas through New Year's Day.
He's retired now that his knees have finally given out, but I defy you or anyone else to call him a meter maid. He joined the Marine Corps at 17 just in time to go to Korea, and made a career out of being a Marine, visiting interesting places, and killing the inhabitants.
He's one hell of a nice guy on the surface, but is one of those people whose eyes never stop registering you as a potential threat.
"It's really about revenue, of course."
Everything is always about revenue. The accusation is tossed around as if it's some kind of evil plot/cabal. Maybe to these f*expletive deleted*tards it is.
Remove the meters and parking restrictions and let people park all day every day and you soon have the businesses bitching because there's no parking for their customers and their revenue is going down.
Raise taxes to cover the cost of new parking lots, and people bitch about their personal revenue going down, and eventually that circles back on the businesses and the town...
One look at the clowns in this picture, though, and the location of where this is happening, tells me all I need to know. They're of the "Government should provide everything to everyone for free!" coalition. Loonytoons who need a face full a pepper spray, a boot in the ass, and a flashlight upside the skull to demonstrate how the world REALLY works.
I forget where it was, but some years ago a small city, the businesses in the downtown core, and local residents/business employees/patrons got into some huge dustup over parking regulations and enforcement.
The city responded by making every street in the downtown core no parking.
It eventually sorted itself out, but the number of lawsuits that were filed was apparently pretty staggering.
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The meter feeding granny here in Cincinnati got Obstructing Official Business charge.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19961106&id=sd1QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MxUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4922,2178687 (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19961106&id=sd1QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MxUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4922,2178687)
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Remove the meters and parking restrictions and let people park all day every day and you soon have the businesses bitching because there's no parking for their customers and their revenue is going down.
Then put them in everywhere. Residential streets too.
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Feeding a meter is no crime as people are only helped, not hurt. It doesn't even rate as a "victimless" crime.
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Here in Missoula we briefly had the credit card meters as a trial. Except the city didn't plan it very well, someone would pay $.25 for parking and city would get dinged $.50 in CC fees. Plus the meters were constantly be breaking. They are gone now.
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Then put them in everywhere. Residential streets too.
Why?
You can tax the residents to increase revenue (OH GOD THAT WORD!!!) without the expense of maintaining meters.
The number of non residents who park in residential zones is likely far smaller than the number of visitors who park in business districts. The meter, in effect, amounts to a use tax.
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Remove the meters and parking restrictions and let people park all day every day and you soon have the businesses bitching because there's no parking for their customers and their revenue is going down.
Remove the meters and put up "90 minute only" parking signs. People can still play the "erase the chalk mark and move the car" game but it's much more inconvenient than a quick run out front to drop coins in the meters.
I totally get businesses in dense downtown areas wanting parking for their customers instead of having the kids working at the McDonalds next door parking at the meters all day so they don't have to walk a block from a public parking lot. It's what worked in my city's downtown. The businesses get temporary parking for their customers, and the city still gets fifty bucks a pop for parking tickets, which they have someone practically standing right there to give out at 91 minutes.
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Why?
You can tax the residents to increase revenue (OH GOD THAT WORD!!!) without the expense of maintaining meters.
The number of non residents who park in residential zones is likely far smaller than the number of visitors who park in business districts. The meter, in effect, amounts to a use tax.
Why should the residents get free parking in front of their homes? They're not paying any more to maintain that street than the one in front of city hall.
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"Remove the meters and put up "90 minute only" parking signs."
Gigglesnort!
A significant number of people don't feed the meters already. What makes you think that they'll obey an honor sign?
People, for the most part, have no honor.
Personally, I'd rather see a system where your car receives warnings. On the third warning your car is automatically crushed. When you come out to retrieve your now crushed car, you're zapped with 20 million volts.
I'd pay good money to see that street theater.
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In the town where my Mom lives, the meter guy (he's ticket writer, meter maintenance, and a few other things all rolled into one) carried around a pocket full of his own dimes to feed the meters for people the week before Christmas through New Year's Day.
He's retired now that his knees have finally given out, but I defy you or anyone else to call him a meter maid. He joined the Marine Corps at 17 just in time to go to Korea, and made a career out of being a Marine, visiting interesting places, and killing the inhabitants.
He's one hell of a nice guy on the surface, but is one of those people whose eyes never stop registering you as a potential threat.
I'm sure the Soviets had tens of thousands of veterans that were 'one hell of a nice guy' that did similar worthless jobs for 'The Party.'
Ever eat a restaurant and the only parking within a mile is metered for 60 minutes?
Yeah, that's a real effing boon to the local businesses.
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"Remove the meters and put up "90 minute only" parking signs."
Gigglesnort!
A significant number of people don't feed the meters already. What makes you think that they'll obey an honor sign?
People, for the most part, have no honor.
Personally, I'd rather see a system where your car receives warnings. On the third warning your car is automatically crushed. When you come out to retrieve your now crushed car, you're zapped with 20 million volts.
I'd pay good money to see that street theater.
Well its easy to see where you stand- overbearing, all powerful government >>>>>private property.
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Why should the residents get free parking in front of their homes? They're not paying any more to maintain that street than the one in front of city hall.
Wow. Have you ever heard of property taxes?
It's money charged to the owners of property within designated municipal zones, such as a town or city.
That tax revenue (OMG THAT WORD!) is used to fund various and sundry governmental activities, such as... street maintenance.
Residents have already paid for their parking. They pay for parking whether they use it or not. They even pay for parking if they have their own off-street parking.
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Well its easy to see where you stand- overbearing, all powerful government >>>>>private property.
Yeah, I'm a big statist. Actually, I'm more an anti-fucktardist, and its evident who they are...
Exactly where is the private property in this equation?
The streets and sidewalks are NOT private property.
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Yeah, I'm a big statist. Actually, I'm more an anti-fucktardist, and its evident who they are...
Exactly where is the private property in this equation?
The streets and sidewalks are NOT private property.
The vehicles you want crushed, not to mention the people you want zapped. fucktardist indeed.
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I'm sure the Soviets had tens of thousands of veterans that were 'one hell of a nice guy' that did similar worthless jobs for 'The Party.'
Ever eat a restaurant and the only parking within a mile is metered for 60 minutes?
Yeah, that's a real effing boon to the local businesses.
Well you might be all sad and pouty because you had to walk for your chicken and dumplings, but your tragic story is likely more than balanced out by numerous others who are patronizing the same establishment and who found parking right out front or around the corner.
See, life IS fair in a very generalized way.
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The vehicles you want crushed, not to mention the people you want zapped. fucktardist indeed.
Are you actually that dense that you don't recognize obvious sarcasm?
Really?
Tell me, Sheldon, how's dark matter research coming now that you've abandoned string theory?
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Wow. Have you ever heard of property taxes?
That tax revenue (OMG THAT WORD!) is used to fund various and sundry governmental activities, such as... street maintenance.
Including the streets downtown. Why, then, is a user fee OK for one street the users have already paid for but not for another?
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Coming to a town near you. Robocop
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2009364600_parkingstory21.html
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I can see how certain folks here identify with this
Here they are
http://keene.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=818
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Couple of years ago when I came out of the barber shop, cop was writing a ticket for the expired meter. I told him "Hey, give a guy a break I was only here for a haircut."
Cop kept writing.
"Dude, don't be a jackass, it's only expired for a couple of minutes."
Cop frowned at me and wrote up another ticket, this one for "parked too far from curb."
"Now I know why people call you PIGS. You really reek, you statist PIG."
Cop wrote up two more tickets (expired tag, expired inspection sticker) and put them on the windshield, too.
Having had enough of that, I walked around the corner to where MY car was parked and left the cop still writing up the car that had the "OBAMA 2012" sticker on it.
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In va I think they would get jacked for stalking
If someone didn't just jack em face to face
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"Remove the meters and put up "90 minute only" parking signs."
Gigglesnort!
A significant number of people don't feed the meters already. What makes you think that they'll obey an honor sign?
Works better than meters where I live. Both the city and the populace seem to like them better than coin meters, other than at the big public lots, which have all gone to self-serve credit card machines for parking.
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Including the streets downtown. Why, then, is a user fee OK for one street the users have already paid for but not for another?
Obviously the nature of use of a residential area is different from a commercial area. Commercial areas draw people from the outside who are not residents of the community. So what you're saying is that they should get a free pass to use the community's services, and the residents should foot the bill 100%?
Yeah, who cares if their taxes go up to support the outlanders.
Nice.
Maybe they should get everything for free when in the community, such as gasoline, food, and products and services? After all, they're gracing the town with their very presence.
Extra nice.
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Works better than meters where I live. Both the city and the populace seem to like them better than coin meters, other than at the big public lots, which have all gone to self-serve credit card machines for parking.
Not sure where you live, but do you really think a program like that would work in Philadelphia? New York City? Boston?
Around here businesses with off-street parking have to tow cars on a regular basis because of freeloaders parking all day and trying to avoid parking in metered spots or in garages.
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Seems to me that feeding the meters is still giving revenue to the city.
With digital cameras cheap, setting up a ticket system which has the Meter Maid taking a photo of the car and expired meter would at least theoretically provide proof like a traffic camera.
As far as statism, I am far, far, far, less concerned about overbearing local govt than my state or the Feds. I can fix the first by just moving a few miles or shopping somewhere else. The others can't be avoided so easily.
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Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning =D
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Will they be able to do it this time without being molested and threatened with arrest?
That was tried here in Cincinnati, some grandmother was using her own money to feed people's meters and she got arrested by a police officer.
Same question for both: On what charge? Is there any law prohibiting putting money in a parking meter?
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Well you might be all sad and pouty because you had to walk for your chicken and dumplings, but your tragic story is likely more than balanced out by numerous others who are patronizing the same establishment and who found parking right out front or around the corner.
See, life IS fair in a very generalized way.
Well sure that will work if you plan to take clients, dates, and visitors out to taco bell or burger king to eat. It isn't a big stretch to say that if you don't grease the proper palms, parking meters with short limits will start popping up around your business like poisonous mushrooms.
All levels of government from federal all the way down to the alderman or hoa are magnets for petty tyrants.
Its interesting that the areas or communuties that are most notorious with the parking fine racket are generally the ones who are loosest with spending taxes on worthless social programs to buy the FSA votes. Coincidence?
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Obviously the nature of use of a residential area is different from a commercial area. Commercial areas draw people from the outside who are not residents of the community. So what you're saying is that they should get a free pass to use the community's services, and the residents should foot the bill 100%?
Considering the only place we ever had them was around the courthouse and city hall, I'm pretty sure 90% of the people having to feed them were residents.
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Not sure where you live, but do you really think a program like that would work in Philadelphia? New York City? Boston?
Around here businesses with off-street parking have to tow cars on a regular basis because of freeloaders parking all day and trying to avoid parking in metered spots or in garages.
I live in a tourist city, and there's not a coin meter to be seen anywhere. As much as I complain about the commies here, they do manage to have well placed public lots and multi-story structures that pretty much eliminate problems because you have to go through a gate, and you get the first 75 or 90 minutes free. After that, they just start charging you a normal parking rate vs giving you a $50 ticket when you've exceeded your free time. Otherwise, a good portion of the tourist section streets are either "no parking" or free if you can find a spot.
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Around here businesses with off-street parking have to tow cars on a regular basis because of freeloaders parking all day and trying to avoid parking in metered spots or in garages.
I think I know somebody like that... >:D I had to give him a ride to the impound lot...which he knew exactly where it was...because he was a repeat customer...he even knew the tow truck driver :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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When I was a youngster of single-digit age, the adjacent small town where we shopped (my town had no stores at all) had parking meters on all two of the primary streets. Merchants were unhappy when people got tickets for expired meters. So the police department started carry extra nickels on patrol. If a beat cop (they still had those, back then) saw an expired meter, instead of writing a ticket he just put a nickel in the meter. Very civilized.
Somewhere in time between then and now, they went one step beyond -- now they just don't have meters.
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I think I know somebody like that... >:D I had to give him a ride to the impound lot...which he knew exactly where it was...because he was a repeat customer...he even knew the tow truck driver :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
And then said somebody drove directly from the impound lot to...a different posted lot.
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Meters can serve a good purpose in regulating use of a limited resource as Mike points out, although these meter feeders are unlikely to have any real impact on that. If their meter feeding gets to the point where people take advantage of their service too much (i.e., putting a quarter in the meter and parking all day), they will be unable or unwilling to continue. Otherwise people will continue to behave as they would without the meter feeders. People helping others avoid an expensive ticket by catching expired meters simply don't figure in any significant way in to the scarcity argument.
Whatever their political leanings, it is stupid that governments would want to punish them.
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You watch the video of them in action?
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I think I know somebody like that... >:D I had to give him a ride to the impound lot...which he knew exactly where it was...because he was a repeat customer...he even knew the tow truck driver :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
One of the nearby cities that comes to mind for bad examples, charges impound fees on victims of car theft. One of my coworkers had his $100 beater stolen, the cops found it later and charged him over $300 in towing and impound fees.
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You watch the video of them in action?
The one in the original article? Yes.
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Try this one
http://keene.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=818
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