US targets NY parking scofflawsBy TOM NAMAKO, NY Post
A bill introduced in Congress yesterday would make sure that the city cashes in on deadbeat nations that have racked up millions of dollars in unpaid parking tickets.
The bill calls for New York City to receive money from any federal aid payments that are withheld from countries owing big bucks in parking tickets.
About 180 nations owe the city roughly $18 million in unpaid parking fines. Egypt leads the way, with $1.9 million in outstanding tickets.
In 2001, federal law called for the withholding of aid to countries in amounts equivalent to their outstanding parking fines.
"But the withheld money was never passed on to New York City," said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn/Queens), who is sponsoring the bill.
14 comments:
Is he chuck schumer's bastard child?
I love this. One group of politicians stealing taxpayer's money from another group of politicians. I guess due to the economic situation the taxpayers have no more money for the politicians to steal.
New York City can whistle it out their ear. This has been an evergreen problem forever. Honestly, if the money "withheld" is from Federal funds that come from other taxpayers, why would they send that to New York?
Are the taxpayers in Nebraska supposed to pay the parking fines in New York?
Diplomatic immunity means we have to suck it up where parking tickets are concerned and hope that the diplomats spend enough money in the city to make it worth our while.
Jesus Christ, you neo cons will say anything at all just to go against Weiner. If this was a conservative Republican like Peter King, all of you would be singing his praises and calling for his election in 2012.
And you wonder why people refer to you as Archie Bunker's.
I am not a neo-con, the furthest thing from it, yet I think this is an asinine idea. The concept of withholding foreign aid is fueled by cynicism of breath-taking duplicity.
Right now, I am reading about how Heroin farming in Afghanistan fuels terrorists financially.
If the United States government wants to use financial leverage against poppy growers in Afghanistan or Coke Cowboys in Columbia should that national interest turn on whether their diplomats are double-parking?
This less than ten years after we saw seven buildings on prime New York property reduced to sizzling ruins, the Pentagon become a square and the fields of Pennsylvania fertilized with human remains.
Outrageous!
What's wrong with this idea? If it passes, which it won't, it would put money in the city coffers and stop raising my taxes. I don't have a problem with that!!!
Who cares where the idea comes from if it means the city has more money and my real estate taxes don't go up again!
Keep smoking the crack pipe waiting for American Taxpayers to fund this.
What's wrong with the idea? You are asking American taxpayers in other states to pay the tickets of foreigners that's what.
A simple solution would merely be to change the bookkeeping entry to reflect less aid in the first place.
Obviously, the "aid" that is withheld is only an accounting fiction, not real money.
It's like when you have 1000 in the bank and you owe the bank 1000 and in your mind your net worth is 1,000. No, it's 0 and you will find your money gone if you go past the due date of the loan.
That is the way to play it safe. Take on an issue that negatively impacts on people who don't vote for you, i.e. the diplomats of other countries. Just wondering if the US diplomats in developed countries always follow the parking laws and if we pay our parking tickets to them.
I have seen Weiner at a number of events. He is rude and condescending to his constituents, especially the elderly who he dismisses without consideration.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to just move the United Nations out of New York City? They hate the United States anyway and it serves no purpose. All the diplomats park illegally and cost the city a ton of money. City residents would be glad to see them go.
I think taxpayers in Nebraska would rather have their money go to New York City than Egypt.
The people in Nebraska don't have to have their money go to either unless it benefits Nebraska, which paying parking tickets to NYC certainly doesn't.
On the other hand, paying countries so that they are less hospitable to terrorists, drug production, smuggling or illegal migration into the United States can be a hard-headed decision that has real national security aspects. For this reason foreign aid is not necessarily charity.
On the other hand, paying countries so that they are less hospitable to terrorists, drug production, smuggling or illegal migration into the United States can be a hard-headed decision that has real national security aspects. For this reason foreign aid is not necessarily charity.
More like bribery. But a necessary evil, I realize.
It absolutely is bribery, but sometimes we pay the bribe, like it or not.
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