Is this Chicago time?

It was just going to take a few minutes. You dug deep into your pockets or purse and all you could find were a couple of quarters. Not giving up, you searched the ashtray, glove compartment and even under the seats. You found two more quarters a couple of stale Cheetos and a fur covered skittle. Great, that treasure hunt just bought you several minutes of precious parking time in the, “city that works”.

You make a mad dash into Starbucks to grab your latte. After standing behind Ms. Indecisive as she labors over her choice du jour, you finally get to order, pay the tab, get your fix and keep the change instead of tipping the barista so that you’ll have more quarters in case you need to park again.

Just as you round the corner, you see ORANGE!?! Yep, you just got a parking ticket. You plead with the troll that gave you the ticket, but all they do is point out that the meter shows expired. Then just to add insult to injury, they lecture you on obeying the laws of King Richard and his merry team of minions. It doesn’t matter that the meter is fast and that according to your watch, which is synchronized with the atomic clock and is accurate to within 1/1millionth of a second, the troll tells you to pay the fine.

“The hell I will”, you think! “I’m going to fight this! I’ll have my day in court!!!”

So you check the box that you’re contesting and write a brief fact filled description of what happened. You find a postage stamp, (almost as difficult as finding quarters in your car), and drop your ticket in the mail. “That’ll show em”, you think!

Imagine your surprise when a month later you receive a notice saying you owe double the fine. Sixty dollars! That latte was good and lord knows without it, you wouldn’t have made it through the day, but sixty dollars??

You request a hearing and in speaking to an “administrative assistant”, you tell them what happen. You mention to this stone faced assistant, that you mailed in your explanation over a month ago when you were given the ticket. They sarcastically ask, “did you send it certified mail”? Silly you! How could you not know that Chicago’s Postal system is as non functional as the rest of the city that works! And so it goes… Guilty as charged… pay the fine!

When are the next mayoral elections?