councils
Whether we like it or not, parking meters is not a "racket". It is the job of voted in councils to manage such public space. Democracy isn't perfect, but at least delegating power through voting is a good start. A private entity does not have that same authority.
I'm not fond of parking meters either, and certainly don't agree with much of what city councils are doing in different cities. However, I do prefer some version of democratic control as opposed to a private company trying to scam folks. Perhaps I'm wrong in my assessment of MonkeyParking and other posters can come up with a good justification of their actions. We'll see.