WHITE PLAINS (AP) – The U.S. Marines and the City of White Plains appear to have called a truce in a fight over unpaid parking tickets. The city this week agreed to return a Marine recruiter’s car that had been towed and impounded in April after White Plains officials got fed up with a huge tally of unpaid parking violations racked up on Corps vehicles.
Since 2001, the Marines have accrued $90,000 in fines on 2,000 parking tickets in White Plains, a northern suburb of New York where the Corps has a recruiting station. The city returned the seized car Monday as a show of good faith after a Marine sergeant paid $860 toward settlement of the dispute, with more money promised.
Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Butler, spokesman for the First Marine Corps District, said individual recruiters are responsible for tickets they receive on government-owned vehicles, but the Corps is cooperating with the city to make sure violations are paid on time in the future.
| This is just one city. If this is happening across the country, it could add up to millions of dollars. Do the Marines think they have special privileges? |
I know how seductive it is to drive a government vehicle when looking for a place to park. Also it is crazy but people are more rude to you when they see that you are driving with government tags. But I think that people who abuse handicapped parking are more of a menace to society than some recruiters.
Testosterone Poisoning can present with many forms of aggression. The additional pressure of trying to talk moderately rational teenagers into becoming cannon fodder (more like IED-fodder) for Exxon et al. may make more recruiters do ANYTHING to sign kids up. Parking rules be damned.
A shoot-out between the cops and the marines over parking tickets might not even raise eyebrows.
A shoot-out between the cops and the marines over parking tickets might not even raise eyebrows.
That wouldn’t be much of a fight. The Marines would kill those cops dead. The cops talk a big game but those Marines walk the walk.
You know – for the amount of shit they take and the bullets that (most) get to duck, screw the tickets.
Give the Recruiting officer a break here. He probably just rotated back to the world from a tour shooting Airabs in Eerak.
White Plains is just fortunate he didn’t call for Arti and Air support to clear up a few parking spots and dust off his LZ.
By my calculations, for the cost of the war in Iraq, the gummint could pay a $90,000 parking tab in ONE BILLION cities. Just think of the local revenue THAT would generate.
Lack of discipline and good order. The station commander should be called on the carpet and step down for the next round of promotions.
Course this is the highest qualified group of hero’s GOUSA can muster–so why don’t they set an example rather than act like professional game players?
An Armed Services license plate is no substitute for proper genitalia.
Now when will they collect from the UN?
In most city’s government plates do have special parking privileges why not white planes?
Semper Fi[nes]
#4
Does that also include raping 12yo girls in Okinawa?
Whoa !!!, $90,000 in fines? And they gave the car back?
I think White Plains should have charged the Station Officer with contempt. His actions are costing EVERY American taxpayer, not just the Marine Corp.
#6, Mustard:
Good point. On the other hand, are we really paying anything for the war in Iraq? Last I knew we were paying for it in IOUs and going further into debt…
#14, nate,
You just gave me a great idea. Hand the IOUs to China to pay off some of our debt to them. If we write them in Engrish they’ll never understand.
It’s not real money the cities are losing. It’s paper money generated b/c the Marines feel their above following street signs. Cops don’t follow them either.
#13 – Yeah all Marines rape 12 year olds. Civvies never do.
Try serving your country & quit being a 12 year old yourself.
#17: If you consider exercising your Constitutional rights as serving your country, then Angel seems to be doing it.
If you don’t consider exercising your Constitutional rights as being a “good American,” then you disrespect what so many have died to defend.
He was a Staff Sergeant not Sergeant. I know the guys in that office, they are good guys and will give information without pressuring people to join, I actually found this page trying to find the hours of that office, haha. But they are really good recruiters and will not BS you like you always see mentioned, (t)he(y) may not even have known the tickets were issued, parking is scarce around there and if the car is registered to the gov. (it might be) then they were probably the ones who got the bill, not to mention that is around what they get paid in a year.