Monday Musings...
BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH...!
OK, so maybe you really don't HAVE to...unless your name happens to be CAESAR, and you find yourself in the Senate building...at the foot of Pompeii's statue with a group of "friends" wielding daggers, telling you what a great guy you are.
Still, I've always been one to be wary of today...ever since that stint in Sophomore English back in the late 60s...LOL.
But that was several lifetimes ago...and I digress.
I trust all of you made through our DST change without incident...all the clocks moved FORWARD an hour, right?
Excellent.
Now...on to the "good stuff"...
I really don't take kindly to most reality shows...and perhaps that's why I steer very clear of them when it comes to channel-surfing.
But there are a few that I can't pull myself away from, such as some of the POLICE Shows. I mean COPS was pretty much the FIRST "reality show" when it came to programs like these, right?
But there is one show I mentioned on this blog last year that got my attention right away, because a lot of it takes place in none other than my birthplace - Philadelphia, and that's PARKING WARS.
(Helluva marathon they had yesterday on A&E...WOW)
If you want to see how far down the crapper this (once nice) city has slipped, check this show out.
And if you're not shaking your head in utter disbelief (or laughing your ass off) in the first FIVE minutes...check your pulse.
I'm familiar with most of the neighborhoods featured on the show, and all I can say is "look what happens when you allow dumbasses to move into the area".
Philly was ALWAYS a city that LOVED signage...ANY kind of signage.
I mean, you had to be a throwback that was deaf, dumb and blind NOT to notice all the signs, posted clearly enough and extremely legible...when it comes to the reality of PARKING.
Philly is a city with too many vehicles and too few parking spaces. Thank all those blocks of ROW HOMES with only ONE spot out front (and a garage out back if you lived in the northeast, like we finally did). Sixteen feet to call "your own"...sort of.
We had a lot of rules there when it came to parking.
You HAD to be 15 ft. from a fire hydrant (unless you really wanted to watch your house burn down, because the fire department couldn't hook up to a line after you parked your car in front of it).
You can't park at a wheelchair ramp...and with good reason. Ditto for bus stops and loading zones.
I mean everything is clearly marked, and so easy a caveman (or a four-year old) can figure it all out. NO PARKING mean...NO parking...period.
That doesn't mean no parking, EXCEPT for you.
But that won't stop the dedicated morons from skirting the law (and that, my friends, is the premise to this show).
There are people out there that think they can do whatever the hell they want to, because they have "rights"....WRONG.
If there were no parking laws in Philly, the result would be utter CHAOS as far as vehicular traffic goes.
Hell, you can say the same about most EVERY city, town or, borough in the good old country.
Yet, there will be those that feel they have the right to do what they what, when they want, and screw everyone else.
That's where the PPA comes in (parking authority).
You don't read the signs...you get a ticket.
Park in a handicapped zone...you get a ticket.
Ignore paying the traffic tickets...you get booted.
Ignore ENOUGH tickets...you get booted and then immediately TOWED (you scofflaw, you).
Then you have to go to traffic court downtown, then attempt to get your car out of impound, pay the fines, and call it done...
Sounds simple enough, right?
Apparently, such things are more difficult for some people to comprehend than chewing gum and walking down the damn street at the same time.
Driving right alongside you on most ANY road, highway, or street (today) is probably someone with either NO license, NO registration, NO insurance, or an outstanding ticket (or more). How's that make 'ya feel now?
Bet you're watching that rear view mirror a little bit more, hmm?
Or maybe you're checking your wallet to make sure all YOUR information is up to date (and paid for), right?
People will show up at the parking authority with lapsed insurance, wrong tags, wrong driver registration...you name it, they'll try and do it, all because they're too damn stupid to take a few minutes and figure it all out and FOLLOW THE LAWS.
I always say...LAWS are put in place and enforced ONLY for the LAW-LESS!
For the law-abiding, laws are a nuisance only in that those who DO follow the law are often inconvenienced by those who have broken the law.
If there is one thing you can take away from PARKING WARS, it's that when you try to TELL people they're in the wrong, they will become EXTREMELY confrontational...!
It's not ALWAYS the case, but 90% of the time...that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
Driving was NEVER a "right".
Owning a vehicle was NEVER a "right".
Insuring said vehicle was NEVER a "right".
All of these are privileges...plain and simple.
No one OWES you a car...or SUV...or pickup truck, and certainly no one OWES you a license or insurance to go along with it.
But some people can't quite figure that one out.
And that makes life rough for the REST of us to DO follow the laws and DO understand our privileges as well as our true rights in this country.
Personally, I've done a pretty good job of avoiding the pitfalls that occur when traffic laws are not adhered to,and I don't get ANY reward for such good behavior. I don't get a "break" when it comes to reading traffic signs, parking where I'm supposed to, and otherwise doing what is requested of me by the city I live in.
Now, you might wonder WHY I even bother in the first place.
It's real easy...I follow the laws, because it's gonna cost me if I DO NOT follow them.
It's a helluva lot simpler to obey the laws than break them, and risk the "consequences".
(there's that word again)
Yeah, it's an accountability thing with me...the whole personal responsibility.
If I do something wrong...I must be responsible.
I hold myself accountable.
Like I said...simple.
But the people in the show Parking Wars, have no doubt, yet to find such parity in their lives.
That's why the show really makes me laugh...
These are not difficult aspects of human behavior to master, by ANY means.
But to SOME people...following ANY rule goes against their nature...and that's sad.
At least the show demonstrates the level of stupidity some will stoop to, in order to "buck the system".
Trouble is...sooner or later, the "system" tends to win.
(reminds me of a casino...the odds are always with the "house")
Be well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.