Principles?

This is the kind of situation that gets me in trouble. I encounter circumstances that strike me as unfair and unprincipled and I cannot leave it along. There is a parking area near my office reserved for university employees. The lot requires a special permit and no overnight parking is allowed. I am not certain of the reason for the ban on overnight parking, but I assume it has something to do with people storing their cars in the lot while they are out of town and the problem of snow removal (which is a present problem). Park in the wrong place or at the wrong time and the parking police are on you within moments.

So, anyway, lately I have noticed that “state cars” have been left in the lot for extended period of time. One has been there for several weeks. You can tell by the pile of snow on and around the car. Kind of a nuisance for the boys in the snow removal equipment I suppose. The aggravation that pushed me over the edge was a state car parked now for at least 4 days in a handicapped spot. I cannot tell if there is a handicapped tag on the car or not (too much snow), but the point of handicapped parking is to accommodate people and not cars. So, at present, half of the handicapped parking is taken up by a handicapped state car.

A basic principle I think is important is that you do not ask others to abide by rules you are unwilling to abide by yourself.