Walk it Off

I am not surprised to hear that there are individuals misusing and abusing the disability parking program in Iowa. I think there is a general lack of respect for the program in Iowa. I was sorry to hear stories of Mr. Pabon and others, and the hardships he and others have felt as a result of the abuse of the program. I think it is important to point out that the abuse is two sided, both of which don’t deserve the preferable parking privileges. There are those that are simply in a hurry and take the spot because “it will only be a little while”. This is incredibly disrespectful to those who truly need the designated parking stalls, but not as disrespectful as the other class of offenders: those who have “legal” parking privileges that don’t deserve them. Forget the people who buy forged permits of the internet, if Iowa really wants to view this as a true problem then it needs to be a little more strict on how the permits are distributed. The following comments may offend many, but this is the main reason there is a lack of respect for the system: obesity is not a disability and laziness should not be condoned with preferred treatment. The current rules for obtaining a permit state that if you can not walk distances of over 200 feet without taking frequent breaks then you are eligible for the permit. I just don’t feel that chronic arthritis and obesity are the same thing. I truly mean no disrespect to those I may offend, but if your obese, then you need to park further away to get exercise, not closer. There are others that are not deserving of permits for other reasons, but I feel that giving disabled parking permits to obese Iowans is what is causing the abuse, like it or not.