Vote NO to the Zoo on August 5...

Detroit once again wants some more money. The suburbs already have to fund Smart Busing, Cobo Hall, and now they want to tax our homes for the Detroit Zoo. Detroit is a mess, with money being extorted for special Friends, and City Council Members allegedly dipping into the honey jar too, and with the Mayor's antics, the suburbs have to say NO. Let the chips fall where they may.

People argue with me (nicely I might add) that we need to keep this gem of a Zoo. I don't find it a gem, but some do. We all have differing opinions, but its a Money Pit, one that is never going to get any better. It doesn't draw the crowds it used to, and it cant pay its own bills. Any private sector business would go under, and maybe it is time for the Zoo to do the same.

At a time when Michigan residents are struggling just to feed their families, and gas up their cars, any extra taxation is completely insane. And like most families, we want to pay for what we use, when we use it, and that's it. Maybe its time to sell it! Look at the privately run Aquariums around the nation, they do great and cover their own bills! Imagine that! Now that's a novel idea!

Just like Cobo Hall, unless the deed to the Zoo is signed over to the suburbs, and the same with Cobo Hall, we are just throwing our money away. Detroit and its politicians cant run their own city, let alone anything else. And the suburbs are tired of bailing it out. When they pass out millions of dollars (and I mean millions!) to their buddies and pals in contracts, with alleged kickbacks to the Council Members and I can take a wild guess, the Mayor, its time to shut off the spigot to Detroit.

And now the mess with Fanchon Stinger and the Sludge mess..which once again leads to the government in Detroit City Hall, we cant just keep giving them more money. What really aggravates me is that they put these increases in taxation on the primary ballots, like the Smart bus tax, and most people don't have a clue that their property taxes are about to go up, unless they get out and vote.

I wouldn't have known about it, except for the letter that our County Commissioner Ronaele Bowman sent out, and for that alone, she has earned my vote. Unfortunately, this primary you have to declare your political affiliation, so I have to vote Republican until the November ballot.

Get out on August 5, 2008 and vote NO on the Detroit Zoo property tax.