4111111111110,, -41111•06 IN Thoughts A MONTHLY MIX OF IDEAS George Cantor's Reality Check column will return next week For $10, Preserve The Zoo! VOTE AUGUST 5th ver its 80-year history, the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak has become 0 known as one of the top accredited zoos in the nation and, along the way, it has educated and entertained every generation for gener- ations. As important as the zoo is to our community, it is cur- rently without a sus- tainable, long-term funding source. In 2006, the city of Detroit turned over zoo management and governance to the Detroit Zoological Society and ended its annual subsidy. As a result, the zoo lost approximately one-third of its $26 million annual operating budget. To fill that gap, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties have placed a 0.10 mill proposal on their Aug. 5 primary election ballots that would be lev- ied over a 10-year period. To the average homeowner in the tri- county area, the cost would be just $10 a year. We know this is a difficult economic time for many, and some may question whether they can afford to support the Zoo right now So let me explain just how important this wonderful facility — the state's leading family attraction — is to the economy and quality of life in this region. In some way, the Detroit Zoo touches just about everyone who lives in the tri-county area: • 85 percent of our 1 million annual visi- tors come from Wayne, Oakland or Macomb County; • 97 percent of our employees reside in the three counties; • Approximately 500,000 kids visit the Zoo each year, including 127,000 schoolchil- dren on field trips; • $60 million a year is pumped into the state's economy by zoo operations. Most zoos, and every single one nearby, receive major public funding. The Toledo Zoo has a millage of 1.85 mills, while Lansing's Potter Park Zoo operates on 0.46 mills. Our request is far less than even Lansing's comparatively small millage sup- port, but it would keep our zoo. Should the millage pass, residents of counties approving the proposal will receive benefits such as discounted school field trips, a $10 discount on a Detroit Zoological Society family membership and two free days for senior citizens. But the greatest benefit of all is that your zoo will continue to provide great experiences and memories to kids and families for generations to come. As home to more than 3,000 animals from around the globe, the Detroit Zoo expands our knowledge of the world far beyond what any one of us might be able to experience. Thanks to the zoo, children learn the wonder of nature, the fascinat- ing attributes of animals and the vital role a healthy environment plays in protecting them all. It will be up to voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to decide if these les- sons, and our zoo, are worth keeping. The Detroit Zoo is part of every tri-coun- ty family — it's your zoo. With the approval of this millage, our children — and hope- fully even our grandchildren's children — can lay similar claim to it. So please remember to vote on the zoo millage Aug. 5. The children — and the animals — are counting on you! Zoo Hosts 80th Birthday Bash The Detroit Zoo turns 80 and invites the community to celebrate at a birth- day party in the Main Picnic Grove on Friday, Aug. 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors 80 and older will be admit- ted free with a photo ID including birth date. Visitors 13 and older will receive $8 admission with a coupon found on the zoo's Web site, www. detroitzoo.org . Regular $7 admission applies for children ages 2 to 12; chil- dren younger than 2 are free. A live performance of the Matrix Theatre Company's "Marsh Magic" will take place 1-2 p.m. on the Main Stage, focusing on the lifecycle of the frog in Michigan marshes. The show is presented in recognition of 2008 Year of the Frog, a global awareness cam- paign to focus attention on endan- gered amphibians. For 80 cents on Friday, guests can take a journey on the Wild Adventure Ride – regularly $4 – or zip through the zoo on the Tauber Family Railroad, regularly $2 one way. The Detroit Zoo is at 10 Mile and Woodward, just off 1-696, in Royal Oak. Call (313) 852-4056. ❑ Ronald L. Kagan is executive director of the Detroit Zoological Society, a nonprofit organiza- tion responsible for governance, management and operations of the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. First Time Voter At 80 W hen the telephone rang on the morning of my birthday, I assumed the call was from one of my children. "I passed. I passed:' the voice sang out. I recognized the excited tone of my new friend from the former Soviet Union, the person I had been tutoring for a citizen- ship examination. We had worked together for several months, one day a week for an hour. He had just returned from his interview with the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and called to share the news. "What did they ask? How was it?" He repeated some of the questions: "Name the 13 original colonies. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? What is the name of your mayor, the governor, your representative in Congress? How many stripes are on the flag?" "Your dictation? How did that go?" B6 July 31 • 2008 He had correctly spelled and punctuated, without error, a sentence with the word, "daughter." Later, I learned the examiner report- ed he had been "perfect:' My student is an 80-year- old man born in Ukraine. He served many years in the Soviet military before joining his two sons in America five years ago. One son, a com- puter scientist living in West Bloomfield, drove his father to Detroit for the examination. My student's beloved wife of 50 years died a few years ago. He lives alone in a Jewish Apartments and Services building in Oak Park. That evening at dinner, I related the suc- cess of my student to friends who asked why an older man would go through the rigors of preparing for and taking the citizenship examination. I told them what he told me. "I want to vote. I want to have an American passport:' This soon-to-be American citizen is a lean, dignified, sweet man. He speaks fluent Ukrainian, Russian, German and Hebrew; but English is very difficult for him. Studying for this examina- tion took tremendous effort over many months. I was assigned my student through the Volunteer Service Department at the Jewish Family Service offices in West Bloomfield. The program offered by JFS has been running for 12 years. Two of the finest teachers in Michigan, Doreen Sabin and Carole Maltzman, have been preparing men and women from various countries to become citizens. They have impressed numerous public officials who have visited their classes. But most impressive of all are the stu- dents. They know that many Americans, born and educated in this country, could not answer all or even most of the ques- tions on the citizenship test. Nor could they write the dictated sentences, in their native language, without errors. I wonder if these students are aware that many American citizens will not vote in the upcoming primary elections. Some won't vote in the general election. Too bad the American electorate must not work diligently for the privilege of vot- ing. If they did, perhaps, those of us fortu- nate enough to be born with our right to vote would share the joy of being able to cast it. ❑ Jeannie Weiner is a West Bloomfield resident.