Misuse of handicapped placards is widespread

We've all seen people park in handicapped spaces, leave their car, and walk perfectly well or even jog to their destination.  Click on this link to read a Washington Post article (9-26-10) about the widespread abuse of handicapped stickers and placards.  The article describes how spouses and friends of the handicapped use the placards and how some placards are handed down in families after the person dies.  They are also stolen by thieves and sold.  One study cited suggested that 75% of the placards where being used improperly.  Do you think the whole enterprise of handicapped spaces should be abolished?  Or is there a way to crack down on abusers so that the spaces are reserved for those genuinely in need?  The article notes that police are hesitant to accuse a person who seems to be misusing the placard of not really being disabled, hence enforcement is minimal.  Are handicapped spaces an example of Nietzsche's concern that we've grown weak, whiny, and pathetiic as a species, or do they represent a genuine and legitimate exercise of compassion?