ABLE-BODIED THIEVES
I just read
an article about cities no longer offering free parking to cars with Handicap
Tags. Portland, Oregon recently ended
the policy of free parking to the handicapped and they note a decrease of 70% in parked cars with handicap tags.
City
officials point to this 70 percent decrease as proof that many people were
scamming the system with fake tags.
Advocates for the handicap counter that the drop is because the handicap
have other expenses related to their disability and they are unable to pay for
parking.
I empathise with the handicap drivers, they have enough difficulties; free parking was a
nice perk. My thought is, however, don’t
blame city officials, blame the greedy scam artists that will fake a disability
simply to obtain free parking. There
always seems to be scumbags that will take advantage of the system for their
own personal gain to the ultimate loss for deserving people.
What
interested me in this story related to my recent trip to Disney World.
Disney has
long had a policy of allowing people in wheelchairs to go to the head of the
line for their attractions. Some lines
in Disney can have 90 minute or more wait times. Moving to the head of the line was a nice
gesture for the handicapped.
I remember a
friend who broke his leg just before he went on a Disney World vacation. Instead of his trip being ruined he at least
“Got to move to the front of every line.”
It was a nice gesture by Disney, and after all, there weren’t that many
people touring the park in a wheelchair.
Then the
electric “Little Rascal” scooter was invented.
It irked me no end on my trips to Disney to see these “scooter people”
move to the front of the line simply because (no offense but) most of them were
too damn fat to walk. In my opinion they
should be walking to maybe lose a bit of that fried food scarfing, soda
swilling, Lazy-boy loafing fat from their huge bodies.
Well Disney
changed their rules this year, and scooter people do not get to go to the head
of the line. Surprise, surprise, I noted
a similar 70% decrease in scooter people at Disney. Way to go you lazy-ass fat scooter people,
you managed to deprive genuinely deserving people, especially handicapped
children from some small benefit to their unfortunate situation.
Who are
these people that have so little compassion for the handicapped that they will
scam a system until a benefit has to be discontinued? Are these people who will fake a disability
just to get free parking or to move to the head of the line the same people who
will fake unemployment, work off the books, fake disabilities, and try any
number of scams to go on the Government dole?
If 70% of handicapped parkers or Disney scooter people are fake, are 70%
of people accepting welfare of any kind also fake?
Are these
scammers going to bankrupt the system and deprive needy, deserving people a
little dignity and a needed hand up?
I know they
think they are being smart.
I don’t know
how they live with themselves.
__________________________________
RIP
Conor McCadden, a fine young man; a gifted young man, forever a teammate of my
son.
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/2655622762626728542/metuchen-coach-guy-jensen-conor-mccadden-created-a-bond-that-will-never-be-broken/ 
It's a little different in Ohio, which has more asphalt acreage of parking than NJ; parking isn't free, but the spaces are reserved. I agree with the city officials, handicapped parking use when down when the price went up because handicapped tend to be older and on fixed incomes. Scooter, however--don't get me started.
ReplyDeleteit is sad to see folks take advantage of something meant to benefit a few that need it.
ReplyDeleteI agree!!
DeleteI was a cop for 25 years and let me tell you these people don't have an issue with taking one bit. It's their God given right to fleece the system. They will mostly tell you to your face. They have no pride. There are too many of these people and they procreate.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day Cranky. ☺
I am so sorry about your son's loss of his teammate and friend. I read the article. What a fine young man and role model he was.
ReplyDeleteAs for scammers, I have heard plenty from my social service agency manager friend. Forged rent checks (state reimburses a percentage), six figure hidden incomes, ss numbers that come up "already used" and another is immediately presented to "try"......just wish they would engage all that cleverness in honest entrepreneurship! So much social work is devoted to weeding out con artists - not aiding legitimate claims. &*^&%&^%$!!!!
I had no idea handicapped parking was free, in Portland or anywhere else. I was in downtown Portland yesterday and I didn't notice this. I do agree that there's a lot of abuse in the system and I'm glad its being addressed. In my humble opinion, handicapped passes are much too easy to come by.
ReplyDeleteOften handicap passes are willed to surviving family. They keep renewing Aunt Bessie's long after she is gone to hang from their own mirrors. Sadly, there is a lot of abuse. It does bother me a bit when someone gets out of a car in the handicapped space yet can beat me to the store door with long purposeful strides. It's a miracle !!
ReplyDeleteMy brother refers to scooter people as peeps who have eaten themselves into a disability.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the handicapped people at Disney going to the front of the lines...did you know that some tourists now "rent" a handicapped person while at Disney, because it allows the entire family to go to the front of the line.
ReplyDeleteShaking my head...
That is one reason Disney changed their policy.
DeleteWhen I was working full time way back in the late 80s, there were a few scammers in the factory. They were visiting family on a holiday visa and got jobs at the same time. We found out about it when Immigration officials turned up at the factory and escorted them out. Another person working there had neglected to tell Centrelink that she was now working, so continued to collect welfare money and a full wage for several months, until she got fired for unsatisfactory work and attitude.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about Conor's passing; he seemed like an honorable young man.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting about Disney's changing policy, but I can see why they would have to do it as people abused the system. That is sad.
betty