What's in a zoo?? Big is not better.

Today the 'tri county' area voted to have a tax of approximately $10 per household per year to keep the Detroit Zoo in operation. I voted no...why?

• There is no long term plan to make the zoo self sufficient. (ie: see ya in 5 or 10 for some more cash.)
• $10/year is not a lot individually....it is a whole lot pooled together and we are going to spend it on monkeys?
• The Michigan economy stinks- again why are we spending our money on monkeys?
• The monkeys will be moved elsewhere...there will be no animals harmed if the zoo closes.
• The people who CAN afford the $10 CAN afford a membership or a single trip. Those that can't afford the membership or trip can't afford the $10.
• People talk about the 'memories.' I'm such a curmudgeon I know.... but REALLY MOST kids will NEVER go to a zoo...MANY kids have no food tonight. SEND your $10 to someone who could use it. I have lots of ideas.... but find your own place to send the $10 and make it work for some good. Kids will be fine if they never go to the Detroit Zoo- other memories will be made.
  
• The Detroit zoo STINKS. The animals are 'in the wild.' If I want to see the animals in the wild, I will go to the wild. Wait..i can't SEE them at the zoo because they are so far off!!!
  
• The Detroit zoo is HUGE. It is too big to manage with small kids and older kids don't REALLY like the zoo. (They really don't...)
  
• A membership does NOT get you free train rides at the Detroit Zoo. And if you don't want to walk 5 miles then you really need to take the train to get back to the front of the zoo. Oh- the train isn't round trip!! That can add up to some serious cash if you have a few kids.
  

Today we went to the Saginaw Children's Zoo. Love it...Animals all caged up;) but they looked like they were having a BLAST of a time!!!! I don't think they were 'sad' to be in captivity. Here are some pictures from our trip. (The polls have only been closed an hour as of now so I do not know the results.)