Quick Idea as I was walking through the crappy Houston zoo the other day (April 2010)…
the thousands of decorative plants could be replaced with food plants…which in turn could feed not only most of their animals, but most of the people…they have literally thousands and thousands of square feet being used by decorative plants…
they could grow bananas, apples, oranges, all types of food instead…they could sell fresh garden salads and fresh fruit all grown right on location…or use it to feed the animals…
that would save tons of money…and they might even be able to charge patrons almost nothing for the food when they visit…(they are government controlled anyway…no reason to try to maximize profit by (not) selling gmo soy burgers and hotdogs…hardly anyone buys em anyway…
just a thought…
if governments really want ot help people out and feed poor people, they could start putting these magic food machines in the ground all over the place called seeds…they actually create (out of only sunlight and water) food…unbelievable…its magic…
Well the most profitable legal plant they can grow is tobacco. The second would be cotton. Food crops would be somewhere way down the list.
Why not just privatize the zoo and let the owners decide what kind of plants best suit their needs? Decorative plants do have their uses. I wouldn’t particularly care to look at a bunch of corn stalks while strolling around the zoo.
of course…privitize the zoo…but the gov. will never allow that…
I wouldn’t mind looking at apple trees and orange trees and pinapple trees and other food plants…my kids love to see them..
Zoo’s are a public good. They suffer the collective action problem. Also what if you didn’t allow blacks/gays/browns into your zoo? If people are allowed freedom, they’ll just use it to be racist.
Manure wouldn’t go over too well in a Zoo.
“If people are allowed freedom, they’ll just use it to be racist.”
I know you’re just playing the devil’s advocate, but if people don’t believe in letting people use their private property as they see fit, then they don’t believe in private property rights…
“Manure wouldn’t go over too well in a Zoo.”
I don’t see why not…zoo’s already smell like crap all over the place…or at least the Houston Zoo does…
I fantasize so often about having a season pass to Disney’s Animal Kingdom…my kids would love visiting that place…
that’s how you create a zoo…