DC Traffic

I don't know how well this local news story has spread. 

A little background.  DC is a small city and not part of a state.  So it can't compel other areas to pay it money.  New York city has enough political oomph to make people in Syracuse pay extra taxes to flow into Manhattan.  DC would have this power, it has a decent population density, if it was part of Virginia or Maryland, but it doesn't so... hard cheese. 

To make outsiders pay DC has to get creative.  Encouraging tourists is one of the way they fleece outsiders.  One of the other things, and something the city government is really good at, is issuing parking tickets.  It's a way to get folks with Maryland and Virginia license plates to pay into city coffers.  Backdoor commuter tax.  Because parking is at a premium.  The city is gentrifying, and that means more residents are wealthy enough to own a car or two.  All these cars gotta go someplace, and during peak hours there are fewer places for outside cars to park.

Well, here is the latest scheme. 

Let regular people issue parking violation citations. 

Each ward gets up to 10 volunteers.  If there are more than 10, 10 will be decided by lot.  Eight wards, 80 volunteers.  After an afternoon of training set them loose to take pictures with a cell phone.  So, that guy who's Tesla purposely takes up 4 parking spaces?  He's gonna get his car's picture taken and fined.  Don't park next to a hydrant... etc.

Can you imagine the type of people that will volunteer for this?  Busybody hall monitor tattletales.  Turning the whole city into the worst kind of Home Owners Association.  The city gets meter maids that are very enthusiastic and they don't have to pay them or give them health insurance.  

Wow.  The next thing that happens...  What do some folks do when they see a regular schmoe taking a picture of their car and license plate?  There might be.... words.  Maybe they DO need to ban guns in the District again.  I wonder how long into this program before there is an altercation that makes the news?

But fisticuffs of not, I wonder how long until it expands from 80 volunteers to 800.  Or, even better, what if they also kicked back a small percentage of the fines to the person that reported legit issues first.  Say, even 5%.  Call it a stipend.   20 cars, $50 fines, 5% is fiddy smackers.    

Oh GAWD think of the abuse!