It has been reported that the administration of Doug "Hey, Mister. Can You Spare A Dime?" Palmer will remove the remnants of the deer herd from Cadwalader Park because of the worsening budget crisis.
While the deer paddock has been a sentimental favorite for generations of Trentonians, the collection of rag-tag ruminants is not an example of enlightened 21st Century animal keeping and display. It may be time to let the herd go.
Certainly given the choice between keeping the deer or adding an additional member to the city's police or fire departments; striving to keep the library branches open; or repairing the heating/air conditioning system at one of the Senior Centers, the deer would and should lose.
No one doubts that we are in tough financial times. All reasonable adults understand that cuts have to be made and cherished "institutions" like the Cadwalader Park deer herd may have to go.
Maybe the City should forego the expense of the Thanksgiving Parade (scheduled for Saturday, November 22). The police overtime, the fuel for the vehicles, the cost of setting and collecting the barricades could all be saved and at the same time the city will not be embarrassed by this half-assed and unnecessary display.
The parade, like Heritage Days and the so-called "Jazz Festival," are colossal wastes of resources that do nothing for the city except drain money better spent elsewhere.
Let's get real.
Mr. Palmer likes to speak about everyone having to cut back; having to give up something. Yet it is always the public who has to give up something, never Doug.
Maybe he should take his own advice.
How about it, Doug?
Let's give up on Heritage Days and ask the sponsor to give that money towards the libraries.
Let's stop robbing from the Recreation budget to cover the river of red ink the "Jazz Festival" hemorrhages each year.
How about you give up your drivers/security detail and cut your bloated administrative staff. Take a 10% pay cut as Mayor Nutter is doing in Philly.
You do that, then come see us about the deer herd.
1 comment:
I find this whole to-do about the deer somewhere between amusing and down-right silly. Let's see..the nature impoverished Hiltoniaians want to see the lovely deer? Hmm well... given the deer, beavers, fox, turkeys and almost occasional bear (OK ..they only get as far south as Ewing for the moment) in city limits, it's not really a big challenge. The 19th century remnant of a paddock should have gone when they got rid of the monkeys. As pointed out, this money is far better spent somewhere else.
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