High Fees Might Force Car-Owning Teens to Take the Bus

By MIKE TUNISON

Updated 12:46 PM EDT, Mon, Oct 12, 2009

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Those bloodthirsty Loudoun County schools administrators, desperately seeking funds to fix their budget gaps, are hitting up the most vulnerable in our society: suburban teenagers who are fortunate enough to have cars given to them by their parents.

According to The Washington Post, the malevolent schools officials jacked up parking permit fees for students from $25 to $200, a dastardly 800 percent increase, right out of the pockets of people who can clearly afford it. The victimized, well-heeled students got het up, of course, by this transparent attempt to raise a half-million dollars for a school system with a $70 million shortfall. The schools gave them a "let them eat cake" response, saying if the fees were too much, the students could take this crazy free transportation service called "the bus."

You better believe the students weren't gonna take this lying down!

Daniel Hopkins, a student at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, and his friend Kelly Griffith, a student at Park View High School in Sterling, started a protest group on Facebook months ago that attracted 265 sympathizers.

But they caved the first week of class. They said they weren't willing to give up the thrill of driving to school, even if it ate up an entire paycheck from Target, where both work part time at the Starbucks counter.

Okay, so maybe they are going to take it, but very, very begrudgingly!