Detroit water dept pays $56,245 every year for a horseshoer, even though it doesn’t own any horses

Despite having no horses, the water and sewerage department for the city of Detroit employs a horseshoer.

Yet even with a department so bloated that it has a horseshoer and no horses, the local union president said it is “not possible” to eliminate positions.

The city pays $29,245 in salary and about $27,000 in benefits for the horseshoer position.

This is why some people are always saying that we need to raise taxes, and why they also want the federal government to give more funding to the cities. Instead of getting rid of government waste such as this, they would rather raise taxes, and use the federal government to force the more responsible cities to bail out Detroit’s irresponsible behavior.

That Detroit has or at least had in the 1960s mounted police force is true. Does the police department have their own horseshoer or do they use the one from the water dept? If the later is the case, why is this part of the water department budget and not the police budget?

I will be truthful. I went to college, lived and worked in Detroit from 1956-1962. I was in Detroit in 2000 at a spot 2 blocks from where I worked and if it wasn’t for the statue of Prometeus on Woodward Ave., I would have had no idea where I was! Pictures that I’ve seen of Detroit since then are even worse than what I saw in person.

I was also born and raised in Detroit when it was a beautiful city, born 1939. I do know that Coleman Young tried to get rid of the mounted division but I don't think he succeed. As far a farriers being under another department and not the police department, I don't know unless its simply where they stuck it because of budgets for the mounted division...with what has happened in Detroit since the 60â€™s riots and Mayor Young, (the most racist mayor any city ever had) that whole place has become incomprehensible to me.... The only thing I know is if there is still a mounted division, they have those that attend horses on payroll. I horse needs shoeing, they cannot just look up one in the phone book and know if he's just fair or good enough to deal with mounted division horses....If I remember from getting into my ...way back machine...they also has a man to handle all the leather work that is needed in caring for a horse....anyone that owns a horse knows taking care of ever a couple can cost out the wing/wang...

Horses require a lot of tack work...(I think thats the right work.)

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