So, yesterday was my eldest daughter's 4th birthday. As part of our celebrations, we decided to stop by our friend's kids clothing boutique for it's big quarterly sale. My wife finds a fancy dress for only $10, which makes the birthday girl quite happy, we pay up and head back to the car to seek out an early dinner.
Lo and behold, a parking ticket from the City of Brookline has found its way under my wiper blade. When I had pulled into the spot, the meter was green, so I hadn't bothered to put any more money in. The planet continued to move along its axis and now I owed the parking coppers $25 - making the sale event evolve into a $35 dress (which far exceeds my "no kids clothing should cost more than $20" rule). I am livid, dinner out is vetoed and there is no kind of angry for me like my outrage at the parking ticket.
It just seems like $25 is an awful pricey penalty to pay for forgetting to put in a quarter - not to mention that it seems out of proportion to the fees other violations incur (such as only $15 for blocking a driveway or a fire station) - I mean, in the grand scheme of things, what is the larger offense? I think $5 is a reasonable fine. You screwed up, here's a penalty, the police get some money and you remember to put your quarter in next time. But $25 is a "purchase". You can get some really nice stuff for $25. It takes time to earn $25.
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