# Corrpt Mter Maid-What To Do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2012, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914 "2012-12-13T08:29:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/41 "2012-12-14T20:09:30Z")
> [@Av8trix](#): > > As a pilot, I work with Flight Attendants every day I’m at work. Most take a dim view on being called stewardess. Some find it insulting. In any case, calling one a stewardess isn’t likely to earn you any points. I don’t see the big deal, myself, but if Flight Attendant is what they want to be called, so be it. > > Av8trix (who had a stewardess for a mom) I suppose I’m in double violation because I refer to them as “sky waitresses,” even the male flight attendants. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/42 "2012-12-14T20:10:52Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I know flight attendants who would beat you with a hammer for saying that. According to them, their primary purpose is passenger safety and emergency response. Don’t be ridiculous. Hammers aren’t allowed in the cabin on a plane. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/43 "2012-12-14T20:19:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That seems strange to me. Jury duty and those damn business meetings folks have to go to come to mind. Please fight my ignorance. Every jury notice I’ve gotten includes a bus pass/parking permit, often at a designated lot. (California) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/44 "2012-12-14T20:27:45Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Every jury notice I’ve gotten includes a bus pass/parking permit, often at a designated lot. (California) Not in Little Rock, Arkansas, but it isn’t easy to park in downtown during a workday. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/45 "2012-12-14T20:31:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I once saw a meter lady watching a meter, waiting for the last few minutes to expire. I walked up and put in a quarter. When I walked away, she followed me asking if it was my car, etc. She implied I broke the law if it wasn’t my car. I just ignored her and kept walking. It is indeed illegal in our town to feed a meter if the car is not yours in order to save a stranger a parking ticket. We don’t need no steenkin’ random acts of kindness. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That seems strange to me. Jury duty and those damn business meetings folks have to go to come to mind. Please fight my ignorance. Last time I was on jury duty we were all offered parking passes or buss passes. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/46 "2012-12-14T20:41:03Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > It is indeed illegal in our town to feed a meter if the car is not yours in order to save a stranger a parking ticket. We don’t need no steenkin’ random acts of kindness. Where do you live, Mordor? 🙂 > [@Arrendajo](#): > > Last time I was on jury duty we were all offered parking passes or buss passes. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/47 "2012-12-14T21:10:49Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > It is indeed illegal in our town to feed a meter if the car is not yours in order to save a stranger a parking ticket. We don’t need no steenkin’ random acts of kindness. Huh. Do I have to show my owner’s card to a meter maid? I’m not operating the vehicle. Can she slap on cuffs if I ignore her? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/48 "2012-12-14T21:12:48Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Every jury notice I’ve gotten includes a bus pass/parking permit, often at a designated lot. (California) Hmmmph. My own jury notices have included the parking lot info, but don’t include bus passes. Also in California. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/49 "2012-12-14T21:26:59Z")
> [@Av8trix](#): > > As a pilot, I work with Flight Attendants every day I’m at work. Most take a dim view on being called stewardess. Some find it insulting. In any case, calling one a stewardess isn’t likely to earn you any points. I don’t see the big deal, myself, but if Flight Attendant is what they want to be called, so be it. How would a female pilot react to being called a Pilotess? ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/50 "2012-12-14T22:03:09Z")
The turnover thing is intended to ensure that customers to businesses can find a place to park, instead of having all of the spaces taken up by employees, residents, whatever. Incidentally, I just appionted a lady friend my Ministrix of Information, as she is responsible for telling me where a pub crawl is. She seemed quite pleased with this. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/51 "2012-12-14T22:21:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That seems strange to me. Jury duty and those damn business meetings folks have to go to come to mind. Please fight my ignorance. The one time I was on a jury, we were able to park our cars in the designated lot set aside just for jurors. Except once or twice during the trial that lot was totally full (depending on the number of cases in other courtrooms). So once one juror was late coming back from a recess because, she said, she was forced to park her car on the street and had gone out during the recess to feed the meter. After that we were told that if we had to park on the street, not to worry about feeding the meter and that if we got parking tickets they would be voided. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/52 "2012-12-14T22:34:02Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Incidentally, I just appionted a lady friend my Ministrix of Information Stealing this with your ok? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/53 "2012-12-14T23:39:41Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Where I live, some of the parking enforcement vehicles are outfitted with cameras and laser range finders. Rather than marking cars, they just take pictures of what is where, come back an hour later, and if your car is still there, they ticket you. In one nearby town, there are several parking zones, designated by color (red zone, blue zone, green zone, etc.). You’re allowed to park for up to two hours per day in that zone. So you can’t just park in one spot for two hours and then move the car to a different spot in the same zone for two more hours. So one way they could enforce that is to drive around and use automatic number plate recognition and GPS to record the time and location where a particular car is are located. If the car is identified later in the day in the same zone, it’s subject to a ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Av8trix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@Av8trix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Av8trix)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/54 "2012-12-15T01:01:18Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > How would a female pilot react to being called a Pilotess? Well, as a female pilot myself, I’d probably be amused, and besides I’ve never heard that term before. Aviatrix is the only gender-based word for pilot that I’m familiar with. (hence my username =)) I try to have a decent sense of humor about these things though. Heck, when I stand in the doorway of the airplane to say goodbye, there are still people shocked enough to remark on my gender as they pass by. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/55 "2012-12-15T02:04:57Z")
You might want to contact the local media outlets to see if any of them are interested in a story about “parking ticket corruption”. I know that our local news devoted a lot of time to this kind of problem several months ago. Since everyone hates getting parking tickets, I’d expect that kind of news story to garner a good viewership. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/56 "2012-12-15T02:13:20Z")
> [@Av8trix](#): > > Well, as a female pilot myself, I’d probably be amused, It would be a pleasure to be flown by you-those former Navy pilots are a pain in the neck on take off. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/57 "2012-12-15T03:52:19Z")
Parking meters are for usually for short term parking. The is not necessarily a sign that indicates it, but it many areas (if not most) - it is illegal to stay there past the maximum time allowed on the meter. If someone is using a parking meter at work - they are almost certainly staying over the maximum time on the meter. Some meters have sensors that prevent feeding the meter to the same car (as well as resetting the meter when a car pulls out). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/58 "2012-12-15T06:21:49Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Hmmmph. My own jury notices have included the parking lot info, but don’t include bus passes. Also in California. In my town, jurors are directed to park in a specific parking lot reserved just for jurors. For those who will take the bus, I believe the jury duty notice itself serves as a bus pass. Or more specifically, there’s a little tear-off part of the page that becomes the juror badge, and that serves as a bus pass. ETA: This is in California. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/59 "2012-12-15T06:34:14Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > Some meters have sensors that prevent feeding the meter to the same car (as well as resetting the meter when a car pulls out). I’ve heard of that (but not seen it myself yet). I think that is just outright municipal government fraud and theft. I think the money I put into a meter buys me a certain amount of time. And that time, once thus bought, is MINE DAMMIT MINE. If I leave my spot early, then I am choosing to bequeath MY TIME to the lucky next driver who parks there, just as I appreciate the prior driver who bequeathed his left-over time to me. If the city is going to reclaim any left-over time that I bought, then I damned well want a refund for that portion of time. Here’s a thought: I think there are some places around where people use pre-paid cards to feed the meters. I wonder if those deduct only the time actually used from the card. Or, if not, could they be made to work that way? ETA: In actual practice, I find myself in philosophical revulsion to parking meters, and will gladly (well, at least willingly if not quite gladly) park six or eight blocks away to avoid them. ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914/60 "2012-12-15T12:21:59Z")
Break into her home and remove all the vowels from her keyboard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corrpt-mter-maid-what-to-do/643914.md?page=4)