Smoking mad - handicapped parking

You might want to back away from your computer a bit in case it starts to send up smoke.  Cause I've got smoke coming out of my ears, and I'm sending it your way.

I UNDERSTAND people who are truly handicapped using handicapped parking.  What I do not understand is those people who are not handicapped but still park there.

Now before I start a national war about conditions that aren't readily visible to the eye - let me reiterate - I'm not talking about truly handicapped people.  My husband is a paraplegic in a wheelchair.  Neither of us care whether we park close or far away - as long as we have the extra space for the lift in the van.  Those are ONLY available if we use a marked handicapped space.  I can't tell you how many idiots manage to park beside us in that little tiny slot allowed for the lift that is clearly marked no parking.  That means I have to move the van out so hubby can get in the van.  He drives from his wheelchair, so there is NO chair in the van.  I have to stand up and use his hand controls to back it out so the lift has room to go down.  It is terrifying!

But I digress!  We recently came from our State Fair.  We always go early so we can get a handicapped parking space with the extra side space for our lift.  We sat for awhile and watched at least 20 perfectly healthy people, park, lock their vehicle and then hoof it at top speed to the entrance of the fair.  No canes, no shortness of breath, no wheelchairs, no limping, no prothesis or bad legs.  Unbelievable!   

And now to start the next national war - just because you are old does NOT mean you are handicapped!  Good grief!  I've parked in our mall parking lot early, and watched car after car park in the handicap slots, the seniors get out, and then proceed to do an hour of mall walking for exercise.  Cause I went in to exercise too and saw them.  If you can walk the mall to exercise for an hour, you can park somewhere else other than a handicapped parking spot!

Who is to blame?  I don't know!  Maybe the doctors who give a handicapped plaque to everyone who has a tiny bit of a hobble, or is old, or is temporarily handicapped (but they use it even when they are well.) 

So ----  those able bodied idiots who are parking using grandma's or grandpa's handicap plaque should be thanking God every day that they are not paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their lives.  They should get off their butt, park out in the edges of the parking lots and walk their butts to the mall or wherever they are going.  AND they should be ashamed that they decided to park in a handicapped site and deprive a truly handicapped person the space!  SHAME!

AND if you are the idiot, who pulls in next to a van/truck with a lift, which prevents them from lowering the lift so they can actually get in the vehicle - then you deserve whatever is dished out - from being towed to being keyed!  AND NO I have never done either - although I was sorely tempted.  Particularly after the 5th time in weeks of having to stand up and back out the van using hand controls so my hubby can get in! 

Face it - if you are truly handicapped,  you won't be walking all over the shopping mall for hours.  DUH!

That's the way I see it.