Posted on 08/21/2012 7:21:36 AM PDT by Past Your Eyes
Here's a riddle for you: What do you call a horseshoer that doesn't shoe any horses? An employee of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. No, you're not supposed to laugh, but the perpetually cash-strapped city somehow still employs a horseshoer, even though the department does not own horses, nor does the former employee of the Police Department work with any of the city's four-legged equines. The horseshoer's position was revealed as part of an independent report that concluded that the DWSD could "trim more than 80% of its workforce," a suggestion that union leaders say isn't possible. In case you were wondering, the horseshoer's annual salary for doing nothing is $29,245. Maybe that's why horseshoes are lucky.
(Excerpt) Read more at now.msn.com ...
Even if they had a few horses it would be more cost effective to contract with a private farrier. I know one who has clients in several counties who carries all he needs in a trailer.
I WONDER WHO HAS THE ‘BUGGY WHIP CONTRACT’?..........
Yeah. I would do what the emergency school manager did with school employees and make them come to his office and pick up their paychecks in person. More than 200 employees didn’t even exist.
He’s one of the last four employed people in Detroit ... if they let him go, the employment rate will drop by a quarter.
SnakeDoc
I WONDER WHO HAS THE ‘BUGGY WHIP CONTRACT’?..........
I hear it is Nancy Pelosi’s husband;-)
Get him some horses and a load of horseshoes and put him to work. This is a classic.
” Yeah. I would do what the emergency school manager did with school employees and make them come to his office and pick up their paychecks in person. More than 200 employees didn’t even exist.”
Sure they do....I cash all 200 of them every 2 weeks.
What they need is a couple of zoo keepers.
According to the original source, the man is actually a welder for the Water Department - that is his main job. There is featherbedding here - he is collecting a paycheck for a second job that doesn’t require any additional work.
The Police Department in Detroit has a Mounted Unit. There are horses.
The US Army still has a farrier, aka horseshoer. He is a member of the 3rd Infantry, known as the “Old Guard” at Ft. Myer, VA. He is responsible for shoeing the horses that the ceremonial burial platoon has and uses on a regular basis for burials in Arlington National Cemetery.
Thanks for the information. I forgot about that —
I guess ‘farrier’ is not in their lexicon.
It was not made clear that it was a secondary compensation job. Make that "job". I figured the welding was the main task of the position now.
And the union pres/rep said "there's no room for cuts".
In any case, while this may one of the "jobs" singled out for ridicule, at a yearly compensation package of < $60,00, I seriously doubt that it's the lowest hanging fruit that is going to make the biggest difference in getting reality back in focus.
Not that it isn't a start...
Some believe that asses should be shod. Maybe Detroit has more than its share of them.
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