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Old Folks Driving -- And Driving Me Crazy

A lot of my friends hate my idea of taking the drivers license away from anyone over the age of 70. Trust me, it's a great idea. You can post on here all you want about your grandfather who is 82, and is the best driver you know. It's horse$%#. He may have never gotten a ticket, but I'll bet he's not a safe driver. And sure, there might be a few folks over 70 that can drive well enough. But I don't want them having a stroke, heart attack, or [insert ailment here] that causes them to go onto the sidewalk and kill a family of four.

The few friends that continue giving me crap about this stance, I get to call up every time the paper has a story about them driving a car (literally) through a drive-thru. It's about once a week.

But the story I saw in the Union-Tribune a few days back got me angry for a different reason.

This 78-year-old got a $440 ticket for parking in a loading zone. He was trying to park in a handicap spot next to it.

He's gone to court, and lost. But he's continuing his fight and appealing.

I'd like to ask him what he thinks about people that park in HIS handicap spots. They are fined heavily, too.

He also says we should have pity on him, as he's retired and doesn't have much income.

Well, his car is a 2007 Toyota Camry. Does he have much sympathy for American car manufacturers and laborers, when he bought a Japanese vehicle? I'm guessing not. Most people don't have empathy for others. It isn't until they are in some kind of hardship. That's when they want the hand-outs. That's when they want banks to understand why they bought a house they couldn't afford and should still get to live in it.

But back to this old coot. He says that it was a horrible way for the city to generate revenue. Yet, he's collecting a disability retirement income. I wonder what he thinks about the money he's collecting and where it comes from. Or where money comes from that keeps roads and bridges intact, or pays a firefighters salary. A firefighter that will probably have to save him when he mistakes the brake for the gas pedal one day, and plows thru a BofA.

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A lot of my friends hate my idea of taking the drivers license away from anyone over the age of 70. Trust me, it's a great idea. You can post on here all you want about your grandfather who is 82, and is the best driver you know. It's horse$%#. He may have never gotten a ticket, but I'll bet he's not a safe driver. And sure, there might be a few folks over 70 that can drive well enough. But I don't want them having a stroke, heart attack, or [insert ailment here] that causes them to go onto the sidewalk and kill a family of four.

The few friends that continue giving me crap about this stance, I get to call up every time the paper has a story about them driving a car (literally) through a drive-thru. It's about once a week.

But the story I saw in the Union-Tribune a few days back got me angry for a different reason.

This 78-year-old got a $440 ticket for parking in a loading zone. He was trying to park in a handicap spot next to it.

He's gone to court, and lost. But he's continuing his fight and appealing.

I'd like to ask him what he thinks about people that park in HIS handicap spots. They are fined heavily, too.

He also says we should have pity on him, as he's retired and doesn't have much income.

Well, his car is a 2007 Toyota Camry. Does he have much sympathy for American car manufacturers and laborers, when he bought a Japanese vehicle? I'm guessing not. Most people don't have empathy for others. It isn't until they are in some kind of hardship. That's when they want the hand-outs. That's when they want banks to understand why they bought a house they couldn't afford and should still get to live in it.

But back to this old coot. He says that it was a horrible way for the city to generate revenue. Yet, he's collecting a disability retirement income. I wonder what he thinks about the money he's collecting and where it comes from. Or where money comes from that keeps roads and bridges intact, or pays a firefighters salary. A firefighter that will probably have to save him when he mistakes the brake for the gas pedal one day, and plows thru a BofA.

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