MFFY du jour...

"Dave C." > wrote in
ink.net:

>> >
>> > It's possible that the person has some sort of breathing difficulty
>> > like emphysema. That's one reason a person can get handicapped
>> > plates since they would be out of breath by the time they got to
>> > the front door if they had to walk from the end of the parking lot
>> > (yes, it can get that
>> bad).
>>
>> Then I'm sure their doctor wouldn't want them exerting themselves by
>> climbing in and out of a monster truck and driving a manual
>> transmission vehicle. -Dave
>
> OH!!! I forgot to add . . . I had the flu several weeks ago. I was
> out of work for a couple of weeks, and I had difficulty breathing. My
> doctor specifically ORDERED me not to drive, as she said it was not a
> good idea for someone with breathing difficulties to be behind the
> wheel of a motor vehicle. It made perfect sense to me at the time. I
> COULD have driven, I'm sure, but it wouldn't have been safe for me to
> do so . . . or not as safe as it usually might have been. I mean,
> sheesh, how can you concentrate on the road if you are fighting your
> own body?

Not to mention what happens if you pass out behind the wheel while in
motion....

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

"Skip Elliott Bowman" > wrote in
ink.net:

>
> wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Went to the bank today, pulled into a spot next to handicapped
>> parking. The rest of the parking lot was empty. As I set the brake,
>> a large crew-cab pick up pulled right up on my left beside me into
>> the handicapped parking, over the parking line into my spot, with the
>> bumper for the truck actually hanging over where my car would be if I
>> backed straight up.
>>
>> Slightly pudgy guy hops out and walks quickly for the door of the
>> bank as I do an eel impressesion to get out of my car. Truck has no
>> handicapped placards at all. I think quickly about how long a city
>> police cruiser would take to get there if I had a "mechanical
>> failure" after pulling out of the spot and behind the truck. The
>> police station is three blocks away. Unfortunately, I do not have
>> time to stand around waiting for some cop to do his duty.
>>
>> Another opportunity lost to give a MFFY his just deserts.
>>
>> I did have an opportunity in the bank to say quietly to the guy (and
>> he did hear, but didn't do anything but turn around), "thanks for the
>> crappy parking job, jerk."
>
> I would have spoken louder: "Hey man--you have the whole parking lot
> for a spot and not only do you take a handicap spot but you almost hit
> my car squeezing in next to it. If my car is damaged at all because
> of your poor skills, you'll pay for it--and your insurance carrier
> won't. In fact, I'm writing down your plate # and make/model in case
> you try a little hit and run action."
>
> People like this deserve attention for their stupidity and
> thoughtlessness.
>
>
>

I'd -tell him- I was calling the police.
They might appreciate the extra revenue from a 'parking in handicapped
zone' ticket.

I'd even wait to see it happen. B-)

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Went to the bank today, pulled into a spot next to handicapped parking.
> The rest of the parking lot was empty. As I set the brake, a large
> crew-cab pick up pulled right up on my left beside me into the
> handicapped parking, over the parking line into my spot, with the
> bumper for the truck actually hanging over where my car would be if I
> backed straight up.
>
> Slightly pudgy guy hops out and walks quickly for the door of the bank
> as I do an eel impressesion to get out of my car. Truck has no
> handicapped placards at all. I think quickly about how long a city
> police cruiser would take to get there if I had a "mechanical failure"
> after pulling out of the spot and behind the truck. The police station
> is three blocks away. Unfortunately, I do not have time to stand
> around waiting for some cop to do his duty.
>
> Another opportunity lost to give a MFFY his just deserts.
>
> I did have an opportunity in the bank to say quietly to the guy (and he
> did hear, but didn't do anything but turn around), "thanks for the
> crappy parking job, jerk."
>

Just something worth noting is that a lot of people that park in handicap
spots do so because they actually have someone in their household that
drives the vehicle in mention who really is handicapped. They think that
because they have a handicap plate, they can park in the handicap spots
legitimately anytime they want to. However, I would guess that in most
places, if the person who is the reason for having the handicap plate or tag
is not in the vehicle, that it is illegal to park in the handicap spots. I
know it is in Virginia, and I would assume most places are the same way.

> E.P.
>

In article >, John David Galt wrote:
> Brent P wrote:
>> While it might not be in the law, observations like the above have caused
>> me to assume that such plates were issued to the mentally handicaped as
>> well as the physically handicaped.
>
> It's all the slowpokes on the freeway with DP plates that convince me
> of that.

Yes, I've found a very large percentage, (99.9%) of drivers with
handicaped plates to be sub average for the USA.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 21:38:05 GMT, "Dave C." > wrote:

>
>"The Office Jet" > wrote in message
roups.com...
>> Nothing makes me more angry than when someone parks in a handicap spot
>> without being handicapped. One of my best friends is in a wheelchair
>> for the rest of his life and has to use those spots. If he had to go
>> to the bank and this moron had parked there, he'd be out of luck. Some
>> people have absolutley no respect for others.
>>
>
>I agree with your side, but can speak from a different point of view as
>well. A few years ago, I spotted a HUGE full-size pickup truck with
>handicap plates. The truck was modified so that the suspension was lifted.
>(The truck was taller than it was when it left the factory.) It had tires
>the size of a small car. It was like a back-yard "monster" truck. With
>handicapped plates. Parked in a handicapped spot. I'm a tall man who is
>not handicapped in any way. I would have needed a ladder to climb into this
>truck, if I owned it. Standing on my tip-toes, I could barely see over the
>edge of the door. When I looked inside, I noticed it was a MANUAL
>transmission. Maybe the driver really was handicapped, but obviously in NO
>way that would require him/her park in a special spot closer to the entrance
>of a building. So why were the handicap plates issued? Did the DMV not
>notice the type of vehicle or the fact that it was manual transmission and
>modified to be EXTREMELY hard to get into? -Dave
>
Unless you are doctor, I would advise you to not make such
speculations out loud.
There are many handicaps where the person looks fine, and can even do
some physical activities you can't do, yet still has a problem that
makes, for example, walking any distance very hard, and yet offers no
problems with using a manual tranmsmission.
In fact, in my own case, you'd probably wonder why I have a
handicapped plate on my vehicle. No matter, I (and others) don't need
to report to you, nor do we need to justify our plates to you.
Yes, *some* people with such plates do indeed abuse them. You, though,
are not in a position to make such a judgement.

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

wrote in news:1110582603.520353.90270
@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

>
> 223rem wrote:
>> There are waay too many handicapped spots, especially
>> in locations where parking is scarce. Besides, lots
>> of super-fatsos are issued handicapped plates. What
>> a joke.
>
> The guy wasn't fatso (a little heavy, maybe) and we were the only
two
> people parked in the lot.
>
> I have never seen a parking lot where there wasn't some parking
> available somewhere, except for a couple of mall parking lots during
> the holidays. And those places have a very low percentage of spaces
> taken by handicapped parking.
>
> Since I am able-bodied, I don't have a problem walking. Hell, I
mostly
> park whenever I first see a spot, and walk. I often get in faster
than
> those folks who circle endlessly waiting for a closer spot.
>
> And I don't even mind that the guy was lazy - I'm lazy sometimes
too.
> That's why I parked in the closest spot I could *legally* park to
the
> bank doors. If I'd have known that some a-hole was going to make it
> tough for me to in and out of my car and pull out of my space, I'd
have
> taken something further away.
>
> E.P.
>
>
I usually want a spot near the cart return at the market, otherwise I
could care less how far I'm from the door.

At many of the supermarkets around here they have spots that are
labeled "Customer with Child". I'm trying to figure out how to fit my
school bus in one.

DYM

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005, The Office Jet wrote:

> Nothing makes me more angry than when someone parks in a handicap spot
> without being handicapped. One of my best friends is in a wheelchair
> for the rest of his life and has to use those spots. If he had to go to
> the bank and this moron had parked there, he'd be out of luck. Some
> people have absolutley no respect for others. I never have the guts to
> call them out in a place like that though. I get so angry and never say
> anything.

Grow a spine.

I stopped for coffee one day (when I still drank coffee), and while I was
waiting in line, an excessively wealthy yuppie type pulled her Range Rover
into the handicap spot. No handicap licence plate or placard, and she put
on her hazard flashers before *very* nimbly hopping out of the RR and
through the door into the coffee shop, yacking away on her celphone the
whole time. She got in line behind me. I turned around, pointed at her
SUV, and said "You know, you parked in the handicap space out there?", at
full volume so that she, her telephone partner, the coffeeshop staff and
patrons could all hear.

She said "Um, scuze me jussec" to her phone, and said "It's only for a few
minutes!"

I said "The sign says HANDICAPPED PARKING ONLY. It does not say UNLESS
YOU DRIVE A RANGE ROVER AND PUT THE HAZARD FLASHERS ON AND PROMISE ONLY TO
PARK FOR A FEW MINUTES. Go move your vehicle or I will call the police.
Feel like paying $300 for parking this morning?"

By this time, other people were staring at her. (Some of them were
probably staring at me, too, but I'm used to that and it doesn't bother
me.)

She said "Oh, gimme a BREAK, willya?"

I said "Y'know what? No." Pulled a phone out of my pocket, dialled the
cops and told them exactly what was going on and where. Gave them the
plate number and vehicle description, made sure to say thank you.

She made a big, melodramatic production of rolling her eyes at me and
sighing before getting out of line, going outside and moving her Range
Reauvah.

I'm pretty sure I helped raise her blood pressure that day.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005, Arif Khokar wrote:

> It's possible that the person has some sort of breathing difficulty like
> emphysema. That's one reason a person can get handicapped plates since
> they would be out of breath by the time they got to the front door if
> they had to walk from the end of the parking lot (yes, it can get that
> bad).

They should've thought of that before barbecuing their lungs with
cigarettes. Zero sympathy for self-inflicted "handicaps".

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005, Doug Maddox wrote:

> At many of the supermarkets around here they have spots that are labeled
> "Customer with Child". I'm trying to figure out how to fit my school bus
> in one.

Yeah, "New and Expectant Mother Parking", "Family Parking", etc. I once
drove a station wagon full of bears to the Home Depot, found a "Family
Parking" space and used it. One of my passengers raised an objection, to
which I began singing "We are famiLEE! I got all my sisters with ME!". He
couldn't keep objecting 'cause he was laughing too hard; problem solved.

DS (What's next, "Customers Who Stubbed Their Toe Last Night Parking"?)

Good on you, Daniel. Good on you!

"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
n.umich.edu...
> On Fri, 11 Mar 2005, The Office Jet wrote:
>
>> Nothing makes me more angry than when someone parks in a handicap spot
>> without being handicapped. One of my best friends is in a wheelchair
>> for the rest of his life and has to use those spots. If he had to go to
>> the bank and this moron had parked there, he'd be out of luck. Some
>> people have absolutley no respect for others. I never have the guts to
>> call them out in a place like that though. I get so angry and never say
>> anything.
>
> Grow a spine.
>
> I stopped for coffee one day (when I still drank coffee), and while I was
> waiting in line, an excessively wealthy yuppie type pulled her Range Rover
> into the handicap spot. No handicap licence plate or placard, and she put
> on her hazard flashers before *very* nimbly hopping out of the RR and
> through the door into the coffee shop, yacking away on her celphone the
> whole time. She got in line behind me. I turned around, pointed at her
> SUV, and said "You know, you parked in the handicap space out there?", at
> full volume so that she, her telephone partner, the coffeeshop staff and
> patrons could all hear.
>
> She said "Um, scuze me jussec" to her phone, and said "It's only for a few
> minutes!"
>
> I said "The sign says HANDICAPPED PARKING ONLY. It does not say UNLESS
> YOU DRIVE A RANGE ROVER AND PUT THE HAZARD FLASHERS ON AND PROMISE ONLY TO
> PARK FOR A FEW MINUTES. Go move your vehicle or I will call the police.
> Feel like paying $300 for parking this morning?"
>
> By this time, other people were staring at her. (Some of them were
> probably staring at me, too, but I'm used to that and it doesn't bother
> me.)
>
> She said "Oh, gimme a BREAK, willya?"
>
> I said "Y'know what? No." Pulled a phone out of my pocket, dialled the
> cops and told them exactly what was going on and where. Gave them the
> plate number and vehicle description, made sure to say thank you.
>
> She made a big, melodramatic production of rolling her eyes at me and
> sighing before getting out of line, going outside and moving her Range
> Reauvah.
>
> I'm pretty sure I helped raise her blood pressure that day.