Robin Hood is known for "stealing from the rich and giving to the poor". There are many versions to the story, and the origins of the tale are obscured in history. However, in several of the versions, including Disney's adaptation, it is the oppressive and thieving government who Robin Hood steals from so that he can return the money to the rightful owners, which are the people at large.
In Keene, New Hampshire the Spirit of Robin Hood lives on and has begun to spread. A group of Voluntaryists, Libertarians, Anarchists, and generally friendly people have been walking the city streets spreading good cheer and having fun at the same time by feeding parking meters that are about to expire, thus depriving the government of an opportunity to rob/extort money from the good people of Keene. Take a minute to watch their excellent introductory video. It's well worth watching.
Now some of you may think that they are guilty of committing a crime- that the city is somehow entitled to collect a fine from those parking violators. For those people, the Robin Hood of Keene make an excellent point. They state that the people and the merchants pay taxes for the roads and the parking areas, the meters for those parking areas, and the salaries of the meter maids who then collect more money for parking and still even more from the parking violators. When is it enough?
If what these people are doing is a crime, then I'd like to present this video, which was John Hickenlooper's campaign ad from 2003, when he was running for Mayor of Denver.
Please take another 30 seconds to watch this.
In Keene, New Hampshire the Spirit of Robin Hood lives on and has begun to spread. A group of Voluntaryists, Libertarians, Anarchists, and generally friendly people have been walking the city streets spreading good cheer and having fun at the same time by feeding parking meters that are about to expire, thus depriving the government of an opportunity to rob/extort money from the good people of Keene. Take a minute to watch their excellent introductory video. It's well worth watching.
Now some of you may think that they are guilty of committing a crime- that the city is somehow entitled to collect a fine from those parking violators. For those people, the Robin Hood of Keene make an excellent point. They state that the people and the merchants pay taxes for the roads and the parking areas, the meters for those parking areas, and the salaries of the meter maids who then collect more money for parking and still even more from the parking violators. When is it enough?
If what these people are doing is a crime, then I'd like to present this video, which was John Hickenlooper's campaign ad from 2003, when he was running for Mayor of Denver.
Please take another 30 seconds to watch this.
Wait! What??!? Was that a Mayoral candidate "Robin Hooding" the people of Denver? Why, yes it was! He even did it right in front of a Meter Maid (Yes! I know it was a dude. That doesn't make him a man).
John Hickenlooper's ad was so popular, that he won the mayor's seat by a landslide. Many media outlets said it was due to the popularity of this ad alone that won him the seat.
One of the first things Hickenlooper did as Mayor was to tear out the parking meters in the Cherry Creek Shopping District...
...and replace them with more modern ones that take credit cards.
But, he did make the parking free on Sundays (when many of the shops were closed). Since the newer machines took credit cards, many people didn't notice the increase in meter fees since it is a lot more convenient to use a bank card then it is to carry around an ashtray full of quarters in your car or run into the nearest shop to get change for the meter.
According to the Denver Post, Hickenlooper's parking meter enforcement shot up to record levels.
That's right, the "Robin Hood of Denver" was really Sheriff Nottingham in disguise!
It's true! In fact in another one of his popular mayoral campaign ads, you see him originally in his Sheriff of Nottingham costume, which he trades in for trying on all kinds of different disguises, trying to find the one that will make him look more "authentic" as a mayor that the people will embrace.
With frauds like this, now serving as governor of the state of Colorado, it is time for the REAL Robin Hoods to step up and start returning back to the people everything he and people like him have stolen.
It is time for a new chapter of the Robin Hoods to get out there and start patrolling the parking meters of the Denver Metro area. Anyone can be a Robin Hood. If you see an expired meter or one that is about to expire, just drop in a quarter. Of course, the new meters that Hickenlooper put in at the Cherry Creek Shopping District, require you to take the printout of the receipt and place it on your dash, so this won't unless they left a window rolled down. You might want to just leave the receipt under the wiper blade for them. But there still are plenty of Old-School meters all around the city elsewhere.
Do your neighbor a favor, while showing the government that increasing enforcement of parking meters is not going to make up for their reckless spending and budget gaps. Chances are you could use the good Karma.
For more information on Robin Hood of Keene, check out their website and Facebook page and give them a 'Like'.
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