Parking his car: $1,294 - sarcasm rights: priceless

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

David Kleinberg parked his minivan at a curbside space in San Francisco about a mile from his house when he and his wife left for a three-week summer vacation to France.

When he got back home, he said he was met with an unexpected "bonjour from the city of San Francisco - a $1,294 parking ticket."

Actually, the ticket itself came with a $90 fine. But then there was the tow charge ($199.25), a 13-day vehicle storage fee ($768.25), a city administrative fee ($186.50) and a lien fee ($50).

Kleinberg didn't park in a bus zone, or in a handicap zone. He didn't block a driveway or the sidewalk, or fail to feed a meter. "Our sin: We parked in a legal parking space causing no harm to others - just didn't know that it would cease to be legal after 72 hours, and the car would be towed," he said.

Someone has to pay those public pensions.