<p>Okay... let's say I got a parking ticket because I parked somewhere and went over the time limit. I now need to face the consequences. How would my taking responsibility for my actions be considered "letting people walk all over me like that?" Why would I be considered an "idiot?"</p>
<p>If I wrongly received a ticket, then yes, it would not make sense for me to pay up. That would be being passive and letting people walk over me.</p>
<p>Look perhaps for someone who has 25 dollars to throw away, waiting for a court hearing is beneath them. For others, students in particular, and those of us who value every dollar we earn, shaving a ticket would be very reasonable to do.</p>
<p>Now, having said that, if I had a chance to get a fine halved or thrown away, and this kid definitely does, I would certaintly make the court appearance. I see no reason not to.</p>
<p>Yeah...even if you disagree with my philosphical argument, no one could possibly argue that giving up $25 is a good idea.</p>
<p>why do you think this kid has a valid excuse for breaking the rules</p>
<p>what, he had a test? and was too lazy too walk? and didn't plan well...</p>
<p>i'll look at this without even thinking about right/wrong.</p>
<p>how long will you be at the court house at best? at worst? if you worked then rather than gambled on if it will be reduced, how much would you make?</p>
<p>if it were me, i'd pay the ticket and just be done with it.</p>
<p>I really think this thread is like a stairway to nowhere.
There are no defenses to a parking ticket unless you can show the meter was malfunctioning.
This person knowingly violated the law.
Pay it, get on with life....
stop wasting your time and everyone elses....part of growing up.</p>
<p>What are the chances a court would reduce a $25 parking fine that was legitimately received? It's already about at rock bottom.</p>
<p>This is a clear guilty verdict. The OP admits that. It should simply be paid and a lesson learned.</p>
<p>lamee. my friend got a ticket & has to go to court for 'truancy' cause he was taking the AP Euro test and came to school late since he was at home studying.</p>
<p>To UCLA_ Dad, replying here:</p>
<p>After Woodstock, my car was in the exact same spot but much muddier than when I left it. It's amazing it wasn't towed, but then a whole long line of cars were in front and in back of it, all pulled waaaay off to the side of the rural road leading up to Max Yasgur's Farm. </p>
<p>What's more amazing is that I still knew where my car keys were!!!</p>
<p>I'm still amazed by the adults on this thread encouraging this kid not to stand up for himself. I hardly see how letting the govermnent take his money will teach him any lesson at all, other than to fight the ticket NEXT time. </p>
<p>Seriously, do none of you have any spine at all? Or, perhaps more relevantly, do you live in a city where parking is hard to find? Sometimes, you just gotta break the rules to get ahead in life. Perhaps you would rather he drive around for a while looking for a spot and miss his AP test, but personally I'd rather improve his chances for a succesful future.</p>
<p>By the way, I've found the justice system to be very receptive to upstanding kids who are just trying to get an education. Bring your transcript, proof of the AP test, and maybe even a letter of Rec if you've got one lying around. Show to the court that you're worthy of it's mercy, and you will recieve it.</p>
<p>In my town if you show up and plead not guilty and waste the time of the court the fines go UP not down....the gamble you take. Unless you have a real excuse which obviously he/she does not....not something we do around Atlanta. </p>
<p>Of course the law allows you to plead guilty and the prosecution, in this case the person who wrote the ticket, will testify that the car was in the spot longer than allowed ergo, violated the law. hmmmm defenses: Here is how it would go in our town...</p>
<p>Judge: State vs. AP test taker, how do you plead to the charge of illegal parking?
Defendant: not guilty but your honor I had a 3 hour test,
Judge: did you exceed the posted limit?
Defendant: Yes, but your honor I had a 3 hour test,
Judge: did you know that when you parked your car?<br>
Defendant: yes sir but there was nothing i could do about it. I had a 3 hour test,<br>
Judge: Had you gotten to school earlier there were spots that were available for no limit parking right?<br>
Defendant: yes sir but I wanted to rest before my test and since my test started at 8, that gave me another 40 minutes, I had a 3 hour test,<br>
Judge: how much is that extra 40 minutes worth to you?<br>
Defendant: ( silence )
Judge: Well, in my court that extra time is going to be worth $50 to the county so pay the clerk. Next case?!</p>
<p>Seriously, You could have cut a yard of grass and made the money in 30 minutes. Get busy and get on with your life.</p>
<p>Mohuohu, I don't know where you live but the courts don't have time to coddle people who park illegally whether they are little old ladies or 18 year old high school students.</p>
<p>They clog the court system with all this standing up for themselves in spite of the fact they are guilty. This is a parking ticket save the grandstanding for a DUI, ASSAULT, BATTERY, VEHICULAR HOMICIDE, RACING etc. NOT A PARKING TICKET. That is NOT teaching one to be RESPONSIBLE. THere is no entitlement here. Don't waste the courts time. Too many parents are not teaching their kids to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS. This is a prime example of someone thinking they should get preferential treatment for an AP test. Give me a break. I would rather give a break to a poor mother buying food for her baby.</p>
<p>Mohuohu, I think the judge might well reduce his fine, because it is a hardship that not enough legal parking is available around the school. Actually what I'd really like the OP to do is lobby for next year's AP students and have the police agree not to ticket in the vicinity of his high school during next year's APs. </p>
<p>At least the only time I went to traffic court (and it was only for traffic offenses) at least half the people there did get reduced fines, for much less reason than the OP. I thought it was interesting to go - once - at the time I was only working part time so it really didn't cost me anything.</p>
<p>Geez, around here the parking tickets are $75 and my d. got one when she took the SAT, because there was NOWHERE near the school where the SAT was given that allows parking beyond 2 hour meters. </p>
<p>She paid the ticket. If she had planned better, she could have parked a few blocks away in a paid, private lot.... but at the time she didn't know what the parking situation would be until she got there. For a 3.5 hours test there wasn't much of an option.</p>
<p>We had a discussion today over a family dinner...3 generations were present (ages 8-75). </p>
<p>We ALL agreed that it is totally foolish to follow the rules just for the sake of following the rules. None of us could come up with a decent reason to abide by stupid laws/rules. </p>
<p>The guidelines you ought to follow should be based on kindness and compassion...think if your actions will harm another person, or show a lack of respect for him/her. And, although it may sound conceited, in most situations you have to look after yourself first, and then tend to the needs of others. </p>
<p>Park your car where you want to, so long as it's in a safe posistion and no blocking someone, etc. Just use common sense and ignore the archaic and overbearing laws. </p>
<p>When the system fights you because you refuse to be opressed, fight back.</p>
<p>PS: I've never heard of someone NOT getting a reduced/eliminated fine around here in Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm still amazed by the adults on this thread encouraging this kid not to stand up for himself.
[/quote]
The adults on this page are mostly saying that kids that knowingly break the law have accountability for their actions. </p>
<p>Societies generally want and need rules in order to get along. Most places that have parking meters have them to limit how long people can park their car in that area because there aren't enough parking spaces and without the meters some people will hog the spot causing other people hardship. If people think the meters shouldn't be located in a particular location they should petition to have them removed or have the rules changed for allowances (mathmom's suggestion). </p>
<p>If someone wants to make up their own rules and think it's okay for them to park anywhere as long as they want, drive at whatever speed they wish, I suppose not stop at lights when it's not convenient for them, etc. they'll just have to pay the consequences.</p>
<p>Now I have heard of everything. Feeling oppressed by a parking ticket for a posted time limit that the person KNOWINGLY ignored. What a easy life you must have if that is oppression.</p>
<p>Why not just borrow that car next door, they aren't using it, no harm done?</p>
<p>Instead of teaching responsibilty you teach irresponsibility and entitlement mentality. It seems like you all need to go to another country and really experience oppression.</p>
<p>Maybe you should tell him to just ignore it in protest;
then later be picked up on a bench warrant facing charges now for failure to appear.....but you can tell the Judge you are oppressed;
Or go to court and when the judge still finds him guilty and he has to pay the fine, tell the judge to shove it;after all you feel oppressed. We should not have to follow laws we feel are unjust!</p>
<p>Under your philosophy bank robbers who smile at the tellers would be justified....car thiefs who steal your car because they NEED a ride somewhere....would be justified. Just as a smiling drug addict who needs money should be able to help himself to your wallet if he kindly asks you for it and doesn't beat you up.</p>
<p>I always wondered how some kids feel that they don't have to follow rules and now I can see clearly why that happens.</p>
<p>Thanks again to everyone who has given advice...I'd like to say a few things if I may. First off, I know I parked for over 2 hours, and hence yeah, I am 'guilty.' That's not the point. The point is I'm fighting the ticket as a learning experience, even if I don't get the fine reduced or the ticket thrown out. Also, when I mentioned that I took AP classes, citygirlsmom, I wasn't saying it to say I'm a good kid who's undeserving of any punishment. I simply stated it to say that my courseload lightens significantly after AP exams, and thus I do have the time to spend at the courthouse. I thought I made that pretty clear in my post. Also, from what I've gathered, simply showing up and saying not guilty gives them incentive to plea bargain with you to get you out of there as quickly as possible. Second, someone in my school gets a parking ticket nearly everyday. They purposely set up 2 hour parking during school hours on school days as a quick way to earn money for the village. Even if I had arrived 'earlier' for a spot in my school's parking lot, there inevitably would still be kids who had to park in the surrounding 2 hour zones. In fact, the 2 hour zones were only set up THIS YEAR after the parking situation in my school reached new heights of awfulness. In a way, it truly is unfair. Also, what's more immature, blindly paying a $25.00 fine just to get it over with, or actually trying to plead my case before a judge, even if it is futile? Why let the government take my money the easy way, when it's my right to have a trial and have the village prove beyond reasonable doubt that I'm guilty? I think going down the court house and exercising my rights as an American citizen is much more mature and responsible then forking over the $25.00 just because the government says so. Also, citygirlsmom, insulting me by saying I'm 'lazy or stupid' is very immature, considering you are a parent, I'm only a teenager, and you know next to nothing about me. For those of you who gave thoughtful responses, thank you. I'll post again in this thread to let you know how the case ended up. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Immature, really? You yourself stated you didn't want to walk the mile, didn't bother to find alternative transportation, etc....remember, I am an adult, and when you go to court, you will be dealing with adults who may react like I did. They wil hear "well, it was a test, and I live a mile away, and I didn't get a ride or whatever"....</p>
<p>And when you say, well, I am an AP student, gee, so are lots of other kids...it comes across as an excuse, or look at me, I am better than others</p>
<p>Whether that was your intention, that was my perception, and surprise, it will be the perception of others</p>
<p>this is not standing up for yourself, this is protesting because you got busted, nothing more, and pretending it is some noble stance to stand up against oppression, is kind of cute</p>
<p>Oppression is being jailed for protesting, oppression is my mom getting pepper sprayed, oppression is getting beat for being of color, getting a parking ticket for breaking the rules, well, that is just getting caught when you where hoping to get away with it, not some higher principle</p>
<p>If you REALLY found this new regulation so bad, you would have done something more, not just worrying when it affected YOU...</p>
<p>If you really felt it was wrong to set up those times, you could have gathered signatures, asked why, gone to meetings, but nope, you just cared when you got caught</p>
<p>As for lazy, yeah, you could have spent some time, walked, shared a ride</p>
<p>When my Dsare going somewhere- they CARPOOL, what a foriegn concept to some, and share parking, etc....</p>
<p>What, you couldn't get a ride, and say, you know, if the test goes over, we will split the cost of any ticket, but nope, you go, cross your fingers and park, and now you want to complain, as if you are special and deserve treatment that others don't deserve</p>
<p>please, I commented attitude and behavior as I saw it, and I assure you, I am ot the only one</p>
<p>If that bothers you, welcome to life</p>
<p>As for a learning experience, fine, but that is not how you initially presented your case, you presented it as somehow it was unfair because the test went over two hours and was that enough of an excuse to get out of paying a fair fine, so what is really the reason</p>
<p>AJ, my son had a parking ticket for parking in the municipal lot next to the H.S. He went to court, well-dressed; spoke politely, humbly and apologetically to the police officer who had showed up, and the officer pulled his papers and threw the case out. He did not even have to go before the judge.</p>
<p>There were perhaps 40 cases before the judge, mostly traffic charges. Everyone was there to dispute!! Our lovely village has 35 police officers and 0 crime. </p>
<p>Make sure to explain your case in the nicest possible way, and you may come out with a warning never to do it again.</p>