Bostonist: A Tale of Two Meter Maids

John Q Public

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:04:40 -0500

Jim I hate to take a chunk out of your precieved power trip, but in most states parking violations are civil, not criminal matters. It is more fascinating that you actually think that your profession is in any way a form of justice or for that matter of any import whatsoever. You further seem to have yourself convinced that all violators who challenge your sudo authority or get upset are immoral jerks (but then again that makes sense you can't empathize with them in any way as the business end of the grand revenue scheme) If society were to remove every parking meter and to sack every succubus maid that patrols them, this would not at all cause commerce to grind to a halt as you suggest. The only declines would be in a ridiculous form of revenue collection and the self importance of a segment of the population that by choice took a job that spreads misery to their fellow citizens. Glorified hall monitors with low self esteem, wielding a civil monetary punitive sticks are not gremlins but certainly are not emotionally equipped to properly wield, the petty pathetic and quite artificial power they do have! I wonder how meter maids in general can tell their kids what it is they do for a living, without being completely ashamed and how it is their spouses can live with such an obvious character flaw! So I would love to hear from anyone else who um works in the "Trade" What the ratio of BS petty tickets Vs gross Violators or other Genuine public safety concerns dealt with like directing traffic badly etc... I am fairly sure that if an honest reckoning was made one would be earnestly ashamed at what it actually is meter maids actually do! By the by a meter maids job could be easily be replaced by say a weekend class, a book with small words and lots of pictures given to tow truck drivers. If you further took take revenue out of the picture for them, guaranteed they would be more trusted and respected to boot. (No pun intended)

Jim

Sun, 27 May 2007 14:45:37 -0500

Hey, so I actually work in this trade, and I have an idea. It's called "international parking amnesty day" whereby all parking enforcement officers in the world stop writing tickets and towing cars, and within two hours the global economy collapses because no one can park or drive anywhere. Incidentally some of us 'meter maids' are very professional career individuals. I've been doing this 5 years now, I have completed 3000 hours of law enforcement training, and I make 52 grand a year, which supports my beautiful wife and two kids, both of whom are at the top of their classes. The old stereotype that we are all malicious gremlins who are pathetic, single and poor is quite ridiculous. I would in fact say from experience that meter maids are generally nicer, better people than the average and should be looked on with respect, not contempt. If you double park your car across three handicap spaces, yes we will write you a ticket. That doesn't alter the fact that it is YOU who are immoral and a bad person, not us. We are punishing you for a crime, and that is entirely in the spirit of a just society. People nowadays only know how to make excuses and blame others for their own mistakes, and don't know how to take responsibility for themselves. Therefore most people blame the enforcement staff for their own mistake, and perpetuate the stereotype that it is all a grand revenue scheme, forgetting what would happen if we stopped doing what we do. Still the majority of decent people get a ticket, acknowledge the error and pay the ticket. However there remains a percentage of total idiots with big mouths and bigger egos who rant on and on and make fools of themselves whenever they are caught selfishly abusing the rights of others. To you 'haters' out there I have little to say besides grow up and pull your head out of your butt.

Ant

Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:56:51 -0500

Milk... Er. Meter Maids are about 1 step up from real estate agents on the moral ladder so any sort of compassion from one and your greatful. I am fairly certain the Brookline ones eat their young and burn crosses on the front lawns of overnight parkers.

ed

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 12:01:00 -0500

i have no sympathy for those hunks of flesh who pass themselves off as human beings. they are undeserving of even the tiniest shred of human kindness. i don't care if a parking enforcement person happens to be your mom or is your boyfriend or saved your life once or god forbid you are one. has ed had bad experiences with parking enforcement? why yes. yes he has. and he will happily demonize any and all parking enforcement officials, regardless of its reasonableness.