Portland Rip Off

Yesterday afternoon, I went downtown to a meeting at the United Way building. I plugged the meter with extra coins because I wasn't sure how long the meeting would last, and I didn't want to get a parking ticket. In fact,I put in $2.35 which would cover me from 4:19 until 6:11, figuring the meeting would definitely be over by 6:00.

I was right. We got back to my truck by 5:50. Lo and behold, there's a ticket under my wiper. I was surely pissed, but couldn't read it in the darkness. When we got home I read what the ticket was for. It said; "Receipt On Streetside No Receipt Curbside" and came with a $24 fine.

Ok... I made a mistake. I always park on the right hand side of the road, and have made a habit of placing the sticker on the passenger (curbside) window. I believe a warning of some kind was in order. But paying $24 for the inconvenience I may have caused a Meter Officer seems ridiculous to me. The person would have had to simply step into the street to see the sticker! So the city of Portland wants me to fork over $24 because of this additional effort and stress placed on a valued employee?

I don't believe that's the case at all. I think the city of Portland wants to get the money of the citizens of Portland any way they can. That disappoints and angers me. Any day now the TV commercials will be starting; telling everyone to "do your Christmas shopping in lovely downtown Portland". They can forget about this old man coming anywhere near downtown for anything less than meetings.