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So I got a parking ticket today… 25 bucks… BUT here’s the best part… I got a ticket for parking in Lot 8 without a special permit.  I have a special permit.  I’ve always had a special permit… In fact, not only do I have a permit, but in order for the parking officer to write the ticket, he had to record a number off of my BGSU Pass which was partially covered…. BY MY SPECIAL PERMIT!!!  Yes, it takes a special kind of stupid to work as a parking and traffic officer… but the low intelligence levels don’t stop there!

I called the Parking and Traffic office to tell them what happened… She asked for the ticket code and number… I told her.  I told her I had a special permit.  She says, “What color is it?”
     I say “Silver… and in fact I have last semester’s red one too!”
     Her response… “hmm… that’s strange…  Why don’t you come in so we can look at it.”
     “Why should I come in?  Can’t you just run my plates and ticket number to see that I am registered for a special permit?” I asked.
     “Well…. yeah, but we’d like you to come in so we can see it… maybe you didn’t have it displayed properly.”
     “It was hanging from my mirror…. It was the ONLY thing hanging from my mirror….  I haven’t touched it since I got it!  What are you going to do, come out and look at my car?” I asked as calmly as possible.
     “Well then you can come in and get a ticket appeal form….” she said rather sharp.
     “OK.  Fine.  Thank you.”

Now I’ve played “Ticket Appeal” before.  Basically you go out of your way to pick up the form, take 30 minutes to fill out a lengthy explanation of what happened and why you are right, go out of your way to drop it off, then wait for 3 months only to get a letter that says, “Denied.”  Then they bill your Bursar account accordingly.  It’s a great process that could very well be the solution to ending all democratic processes in the judicial system… if that’s your thing…

Anyway, I decided to go there and talk to them in person.  I drove to the place and (the best part) illegally parked in a state vehicle only spot since they have NO student parking within a mile (almost litterally) of the place.  Then I went in and more stupidity ensued:

     “Hi… I (blah blah blah)…”
     “Hmm… did you have it displayed properly?”
     “Yeah.  Yeah I did.”
     “Can I see your ticket and pass to run the numbers?”  I gave them to her…  She ran them… She sat puzzled…
     “When did you get this special permit?” she asked.
     “Before students even came back to campus.  I’m an RA and have parked in that lot 24/7 since August of 2002.”  I stated.
     “Was it hanging on your mirror or blocked by anything?”  By this point I was getting frustrated…  It is an amazing thing that they assume the officers don’t make mistakes… ever.  I understand that a lot of people must try and get out of tickets… but come on!  This is nuts!

FINALLY an old lady who works there actually helped me out… a sign of intelligence DOES exist at the Parking office!  She pointed out that the officer saw the pass because he read the number off of it and thus should have seen the permit sticker (Especially because it was touching the numbers he had to read)!  She wondered aloud why he didn’t see it and I stated, “THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN WONDERING!!!”

When she saw the number on my special permit indicating that I was among the first to get one… she looked at me with a smile and said, “We’ll handle it.”  Then I left.  ::sigh:: I tell ya… some people amaze me… I just wonder how they have survived this far without losing a limb or having a vending machine fall on them or something…

Mood:  It’s a rainy day outside…
Music:  Staind – Epiphany