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Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 6 days ago)
35,627 posts, read 17,953,728 times
Reputation: 50650
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Javacoffee
It's called Personal Responsibility.
Everybody has an excuse for parking illegally... and it is NEVER their own fault when they get a ticket. Such BS. If you can't be responsible with a car, walk. Stop crying on my shoulder. I've heard enough. You'll get no sympathy from me.
Poor people have no more right to park illegally than do the rest of us.
Funny, I'm not trying to get your sympathy, at all. I don't have any problems with parking tickets.
I'm trying to communicate this very real problem, that private towing companies get government contracts that basically allow them to steal people's cars, as a result of a $15 parking violation.
An excerpt from Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
"The "working poor" as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the "working poor" is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else".
Funny, I'm not trying to get your sympathy, at all. I don't have any problems with parking tickets.
I'm trying to communicate this very real problem, that private towing companies get government contracts that basically allow them to steal people's cars, as a result of a $15 parking violation.
An excerpt from Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
"The "working poor" as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the "working poor" is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else".
Worth pondering, Java, while you judge.
People on the internet are perfect, aren't you aware? They would never accidentally park illegally, nor would they ever, say, fall on a hike or accidentally go off trail and wind up missing for over 2 weeks. They are perfect, no mistakes from them.
So, how do you distinguish between "poverty-related tows" and regular tows? Is it the quality of the car? If it's a junky old Ford Escort, don't tow it, but if it's a $120K Tesla, do tow it?
How about the concept that we treat all people equally under the law, regardless of income, race, or creed? If you break a law, you pay the price, PERIOD.
I know, right?! If ya don't want to pay the tickets, don't park where you shouldn't. Good grief, why is that so hard for people to compute? Our society really IS getting dumber.
Having a vehicle towed, if you're poor, basically steals your vehicle from you.
It's like, $175 plus to get it out of impound the first day, and the fine escalates very very quickly until the fine is more than the vehicle value, and at that point, the tow yard owns the vehicle.
It's insane. I first learned this reading Hand to Mouth by Linda Tirado. Towing companies who win the government contract can basically steal your car, and if you're in poverty, it's theirs to keep.
One of my son's cars was towed - parked illegally - and although it was irritating to go WAY out of town to redeem it from the tow lot the next day (for about $325) we did it. It was just an irritation.
What about people who can't do that? Now, that private tow company owns their vehicle.
How lucrative is THAT??
Insane. I really would like to see a STOP to his theft.
For those who don't understand this injustice, I highly recommend you read her book.
Yeah....I had a vehicle towed in CA, after parking in what I thought was a legit spot, on a street where there was red paint on the curb, for the no-parking spots. Where I parked didn't have the red paint. Turned out to be too close to someone's driveway. I ended up paying over $400 to retrieve the car the same day. $175 would have been a bargain. I didn't even know what happened to my car; I've never been towed before, so I didn't know where to turn or whom to call. It was strange. But there was the ticket fine to pay, as well as the impound fee and the towing fee, all in one package, one bill. And they didn't tow it to a facility in town; they towed it to the next town over, which I was later told was very unusual, not standard practice.
I can see how the proposed measure isn't just about "poor people". It could affect senior citizens on a fixed income, people going through a spell of unemployment after a layoff, and so on. Given that CA tends to use traffic and parking fines as sources of revenue for chronic budget shortfalls, maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Since they use fines in lieu of taxes, it's kind of like making a regressive tax progressive, by letting out the people least able to pay, like with income taxes.
This measure definitely rewards bad behavior; and deepens the divide between classes. Why not just lessen the fines and fees for cars left for three days or having multiple tickets on records, by 25-50%, with provisions against raising the prices by certain amounts? That way, there are still penalties, but they're not as steep.
This measure definitely rewards bad behavior; and deepens the divide between classes. Why not just lessen the fines and fees for cars left for three days or having multiple tickets on records, by 25-50%, with provisions against raising the prices by certain amounts? That way, there are still penalties, but they're not as steep.
Also a valid option. I wonder if that was discussed in the legislators' debate on the measure.
The idea is to STOP the bad behavior; you don't stop it by lowering the punishment.
The person who suggested we fine people for their crimes based on their income is off their rocker.
In my twenties I had my car towed because I didn't read the signs that clearly stated cars would be towed during rush hours. It was expensive, yes, but I NEVER MADE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN!
I guess Demwit politicians think it's okay for people to clog traffic even worse than it is. They want everyone to get rid of their cars so are making things worse than ever but still importing people into this Sanctuary State.
Yesterday my hairdresser told me she was looking for a new apartment and lots of buildings have gone up in her neighborhood. They always had Vacancy signs so she thought she'd check a few out. $2500 for one-bedroom and NO PARKING. Parking in the building was for retail on the ground floor. No wonder the places are vacant.
At least if they slashed the rental price, people would be willing to park on the street. We desperately need affordable housing and this is Mayor Yoga Pants' answer - luxury buildings that rich people don't want to live in. I wonder if he will force landlords to take vagrants, paid for by taxpayers who would like to live in luxury but can't afford it because their taxes are so damned high!
Oh they tow cars and charge crippling fees. but something you all overlook is that most of the cars they tow are beaters owned by illegals. They dont care where or how they park. San Fran
could never justify taking a poor immigrants car from them . They never hesitated taking a car from a white man poor or not. They have never asked my income when deciding if I could afford the towing fees and they always charge double the standard towing charges
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