| My diminutive, white haired, 88 year old mother-in-law | | | | needed for the new permit. She was now armed and |
| drives a red sports car and is now being threatened | | | | ready to pay her ticket! |
| with prison time. Well, maybe not prison, because no | | | | After finding the municipal building, which handles |
| one in their right mind wants to envision a little old | | | | traffic violations, including handicapped parking sins, |
| lady pushing a walker and being led to the hoosegow | | | | she located the municipal court clerk's office. |
| by burly armed sheriff's deputies. | | | | Unfortunately there was a sign on the door that said |
| The whole thing started a few weeks ago when she | | | | the department was closed from 11:00am to 3:00 |
| got a ticket because she parked her car in a | | | | p.m. for a Thanksgiving party. It doesn't take much |
| handicapped zone just as she does every time she | | | | to exhaust an 88 year old lady, no matter in how |
| drives to the mall. This time though, her parking | | | | good a shape she's kept herself, so she went home |
| permit had expired and the decal stuck on her back | | | | to fight the battle another day. |
| window was out of date. | | | | The day after Thanksgiving the situation didn't |
| Sounds simple doesn't it? Take a few minutes to | | | | improve much for the municipal clerk's office was |
| write a check and send it to the address on the | | | | closed for the holiday. She did get advice from an |
| ticket that was under her windshield wipers and the | | | | office employee who was working over time. He |
| problem is solved. Wrong! Governmental bureaucracy | | | | looked at her summons and told her she could just |
| rears its ugly head! | | | | mail the amount of the fine into the office, thus |
| Buying a new sticker would have been no problem if | | | | saving her a lot of aggravation. |
| she'd remembered that the old one was expiring. Her | | | | That's just what she did! The next day she sent the |
| memory was jogged last week however, when she | | | | money for the fines and court costs, including an |
| received a summons demanding that she pay up or | | | | additional amount for the fee to renew her handicap |
| the local constabulary would throw her in jail. | | | | permit. Any governmental agency, when faced with |
| As soon as she received the summons, without | | | | more money than they expected, does what comes |
| reading any farther than the first paragraph where it | | | | naturally; they keep it! They didn't apply it to the |
| threatened her with incarceration if she didn't pay the | | | | fines or to the new handicap decal. No one seems to |
| ticket immediately, she drove downtown to the | | | | know where the money is! |
| courthouse where she had gotten her parking permit, | | | | Unfortunately now, fees for her new handicapped |
| to pay the fine. | | | | permit had been sucked up into governmental never, |
| It was the wrong place, but they did tell her that | | | | never land. Once again she had to pay again the fines |
| after paying the ticket she would have to return to | | | | for not having a decal, even though the clerk |
| the license bureau to get her new decals. They were | | | | acknowledged that they had received her money. |
| even helpful enough to give her the exact amount | | | | They just don't know where it is! |
| she would have to pay for the new permit; even | | | | After this was done, when she went back to the |
| telling her she could just put it in the mail. | | | | courthouse to get her new decal, she was told that |
| It's important to know that my mother-in-law is as | | | | she would now have to have a another doctor's |
| deaf as a post unless her hearing aids are working | | | | physical before she could be issue a new handicap |
| properly. If they are working, as often as not they | | | | parking permit! |
| emit a ultra high frequency feed back, that drive all | | | | Evidently the 88 year old, white haired, mostly deaf |
| the dogs in the neighborhood nuts. Most of the time | | | | taxpayer had finally come to the last straw. She |
| if she hears every 10th word, she's having a good | | | | reached across the counter, grabbed her application |
| day. | | | | for handicap parking and told the clerk, "I just won't |
| One of the clerks was patient enough to write down | | | | get another permit. It'll be easier to find another |
| the address of the municipal building complex and the | | | | parking place at Wal Mart than to have to go through |
| department she needed, along with the amount she | | | | all the red tape again! |