Metro Detroiters: Any Thoughts on Detroit Zoo Closing

[phillydilly]

Essentially the city of Detroit does not have enough money to keep the zoo open, and does not want to sell it to a private organization. It seems to be becoming a big political issue

here is an artcile on it (it is an editorial though)
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...ON01/602210341

just curious is any metro detroiters have any comments on it

[Benman]

Let me try a libertarian response. No institution that can't find private operation deserves to exist. I grew up in Dallas, and have fond memories of my public zoo there, but I don't deserve those memories because the last thing private investors in Texas are going to pony up for is a zoo. Taxes are bad, all the things you would value and buy with taxes are bad, life would be better with only privately-operated institutions. Jeez, get with the program.

[JackWhite]

This is sad. They are basically saying they'd rather see the zoo closed than run by an organization that is predominately white. Detroit has very little chance of ever again being a great American city with this type of attitude still prevalent.

[phillydilly]

[ QUOTE ]
Let me try a libertarian response. No institution that can't find private operation deserves to exist. I grew up in Dallas, and have fond memories of my public zoo there, but I don't deserve those memories because the last thing private investors in Texas are going to pony up for is a zoo. Taxes are bad, all the things you would value and buy with taxes are bad, life would be better with only privately-operated institutions. Jeez, get with the program.

[/ QUOTE ]

private organizations have been found to buy it/keep it open, the city refuses to sell it

from the detroitnews website
"The mayor's move comes after the Detroit City Council this weekend rejected a cost-saving plan to hand over control of the zoo to the private nonprofit Detroit Zoological Society."

[Meech]

The Detroit city council has been a worthless bag of idiots for decades now. I am shocked that anybody is surprised by this.

Ask anybody who does business with the city what the problem is and they'll tell you -- city council.

They let what, 20 million dollars slip through their hands for charter schools. Now it's another 4 million they let expire for the zoo.

Idiots.

[pvn]

[ QUOTE ]
Let me try a libertarian response.

[/ QUOTE ]

OK

[ QUOTE ]
No institution that can't find private operation deserves to exist.

[/ QUOTE ]

So far, so good.

[ QUOTE ]
I grew up in Dallas, and have fond memories of my public zoo there, but I don't deserve those memories

[/ QUOTE ]

Huh? This is a bogus conclusion. Taxpayers paid for the zoo, so they at least deserve to be able to use it.

[ QUOTE ]
because the last thing private investors in Texas are going to pony up for is a zoo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, this is wrong. If people demand zoos, private investors will build zoos. Private zoos are rare since it's tough to compete with tax-subsidized zoos, but private zoos do exist. It took me all of three seconds on Google to find some.

http://www.wildlifeworld.com/

http://www.southwickszoo.com/about.html

[ QUOTE ]
Taxes are bad,

[/ QUOTE ]

True.

[ QUOTE ]
all the things you would value and buy with taxes are bad,

[/ QUOTE ]

Huh? It's not the things that are bought with taxes that are bad. It's the method of funding.

[ QUOTE ]
life would be better with only privately-operated institutions.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly.

[ QUOTE ]
Jeez, get with the program.

[/ QUOTE ]

Looks like you still have quite a bit of "getting" to get yourself. Poor effort, D-.

[zipo]

>>Detroit has no chance of ever again being a great American city<<

fyp

[BluffTHIS!]

[ QUOTE ]
Essentially the city of Detroit does not have enough money to keep the zoo open

[/ QUOTE ]


I didn't click on the link, but without doing so, it's not clear if you mean an animal zoo or a geographical part of the city. Every major city has a "zoo", usually filled with crime and crackhouses and poverty.