Save the horses

By BRUCE PLANTE - 11/3/2009





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Tulsa World Reader Comments
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Observer3, (11/3/2009 4:57:56 AM)
There's nothing funny or amusing about losing the Horse Patrol. It was a great asset to the Tulsa Police Department and the City of Tulsa. I don't know how Kathy Taylor can even look at herself in the mirror after almost sending these horses to the glue factory. She could have had one of her rich friends step up (or even her own foundation) and pay the $51,000 a year to keep the horses. That's peanuts (or hay) in her world and in the city budget. She knew she was getting 18 of the 21 officers back before she ever laid them off. Just a ploy to look good when she was able to pull off rehiring them. Let's hope the next mayor has good sense and a conscience--something Ms. Taylor is sorely lacking.

RAJOKC, (11/3/2009 6:58:32 AM)
I thought Obama's stimulus package was a failure. The rehiring of the police officers occured when the Mayor accepted stimulus money to rehire the laid off police officers. Where are Sen's Inhof and Coburn who voted against the stimulus package and why aren't they protesting the rehiring of the laid off police officers?

Zoltar, Boltar (11/3/2009 7:20:34 AM)
I heard there was a French meat processing company inquiring about the laid off horse patrol and Mayor Taylor is considering her options!

Polar Bear, (11/3/2009 7:47:19 AM)
The Horse Patrol should be saved.They say their presence,doing nothing but standing there,calms a crowd.People are so disconnected from the natural world,the horses' help in many ways that cannot be measured..

dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/3/2009 8:07:30 AM)
Was worried you were sick Bruce when Halloween came and went and your Halloween Toon was still up. Glad to see you're back. As for today's toon I think you missed the point somewhat. Mounted Police go hand in hand with police in general. Mounted Police can be very important with crowd control, rowdy fans after a concert, etc.. The amount of money spent on those horses was neligible. Could be covered by the laying off of one of Kathy Taylor's bloated staff. I've toured this country and been in most states and as an avid concert goes, someone who has been to Mardi Gras and Times Square for New Year's eve, to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and been a part of several cities Super Bowl and NBA victories, I've never seen a city of this size without a mounted Police presence. This is a step backwards for Tulsa. Again, glad to see you back Bruce.

TK1, (11/3/2009 8:18:02 AM)
Isn't this cartoon a day late?

lucky girl, mine (11/3/2009 8:22:47 AM)
Dusty said "The amount of money spent on those horses was neligible. Could be covered by the laying off of one of Kathy Taylor's bloated staff. Amen.

FIREHAWK, Tulsa (11/3/2009 9:00:03 AM)
LOL....surely you people are not comparing Tulsa with New York City or LA... Cops on horses in Tulsa for crowd control...get real...what is a crowd in Tulsa..a couple of hillbillys hanging out on the corner? You want the horse patrol back..take up a collection yourself.....but then again...it is always easier to whine and blubber about things than it is to do something so if I were betting on you folks actions...I would bet way more whiny posts and good bye horse patrol

dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/3/2009 9:07:29 AM)
Is there a fund to donate to to save the horses? If so post it. I'll put my money where my mouth is. And in case you haven't noticed, the BOK has more than just a couple of people coming in and out now and then. I'd like to know horse mounted police who can see over the crowd are watching over in case perverts are trying to snatch little kids at a Miley Concert or some drunk idiots are looking for fights after a Kiss concert. Thinks of that nature. Ya know. The little things that six lousy horse mounted cops might make a difference.

Daniel Day Simpson, Edmond (11/3/2009 9:15:10 AM)
The way they are administering the stimulus funds they are cooking the books to make the administration get the most political benefits. They could have just let Tulsa keep those officers on duty a week ago instead of them starting over from scratch. Now the officers will have to reset their retirement and benefit clocks. It affects seniority and vesting when they start over. But the Obama administration wants to treat stimulus jobs as "NEW" jobs. So when the election cycle rolls around they can add those 18 "NEW" jobs to their list of accomplishments. But in reality those are not new jobs those are jobs that were already in place at the time the funds became available but were forced to fire then rehire under the disguise of good budget management. Its like the old Anchor/Corning factory where they took blocks of glass and broke it down then melted it further to make the final product. They treated those officers like blocks of glass.

Daniel Day Simpson, Edmond (11/3/2009 9:20:30 AM)
Sorry, meant to say Owens Corning, was thinking of Anchor in Chicken town.

Tulsa World Editorial Cartoonist Bruce Plante, Tulsa (11/3/2009 9:23:58 AM)
TKI wrote: Isn't this cartoon a day late? …and perhaps a dollar short. I was gone all last week for a funeral. When I came back I read about the demise of the Tulsa PD Mounted Patrol and noticed the outpouring of help from the good folks of Tulsa . It just seems to me we are quicker to rush to the aid of animals rather than people. (I'm guilty of it too)

Tulsa World Editorial Cartoonist Bruce Plante, Tulsa (11/3/2009 9:26:06 AM)
I don't think this toon is "a day late." Because there are a few officers still laid-off.

dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/3/2009 9:26:36 AM)
To a point you're probably right Bruce. But not in my case. In my case I think mounted police are important to the community in terms of events like I mentioned at the BOK and the fun runs and things of this nature. I support the police in general and don't want them laid off but at the same time I think the mounted six are important in that mix. Anyhow, hope things are OK and glad you're back.

Tulsa World Editorial Cartoonist Bruce Plante, Tulsa (11/3/2009 9:54:18 AM)
Thanks Dusty. Happy to be back. I too believe the mounted police are important. Anytime we subtract a tool for law enforcement it's not a good thing.

JNE, (11/3/2009 10:17:05 AM)
I think the mounted patrol could have been a great asset. Horses are unparalleled when keeping large crowds in order. However, in these last few years I haven't seen the mounted patrol present a single time at any of the large events downtown. The only reason I've known that we had a mounted patrol is because I lived near the Village Inn on Harvard and have noticed the horses parked on 28th street in the trailer extremely often. If that is the only way we were utilizing such a great asset, then I'm not surprised that it came under the chopping block.

RGM, Tulsa (11/3/2009 10:23:28 AM)
Maybe if we quit spending money on Segways for the police we could save a few horses. That is almost embarrassing to see them downtown cruising along. What happened to walking? Reminds me of Mel Gibson's line in "We Were Soldies". "Welcome to the new cavalier! You will ride into combat, and this will be your horse!" (helicopter comes by). "You don't have to feed it!" The mounted patrol and helicopter patrol were probably the worst things to get rid of. I'm sure if I had the TPD budget I could find plenty of programs that are a waste and take police off the streets. I'm sure there's a half dozen task forces or similar groups that could be disbanded and those officers could be on patrol, instead of at the court house or division at a desk.

paprika, teahas (11/3/2009 10:50:37 AM)
Hey, somethings had to go, to bad it wasn't the meter maid that makes sure no one parks in the mayor's spot at the glass castle....

Bluebell, Tulsa (11/3/2009 11:21:47 AM)
Bring back the horses. Tulsa needs them. The mayor is over staffed.She can cut back.

tulsajhawk, (11/3/2009 1:09:14 PM)
Maybe we can get rid of the fat guy driving the car on the river trails and save the horses!!

SS_Hippy, Tulsa (11/3/2009 1:33:09 PM)
Walking on the cobblestone streets at the Main Mall doesn't hurt the horses feet? or require different shoes?

Faith, (11/3/2009 1:56:33 PM)
I agree with what Polar Bear posted - The Horse Patrol should be saved. They say their presence,doing nothing but standing there,calms a crowd.People are so disconnected from the natural world,the horses' help in many ways that cannot be measured.

Few Clothes, America (11/3/2009 4:11:18 PM)
They could always try New Balance horse shoes SS_Hippy.

Few Clothes, America (11/3/2009 4:12:58 PM)
Plante. You keep having only white people as the idiots. Aren't there people of color that have been laid off?

crzyppl, (11/3/2009 4:17:37 PM)
Why don't they use the mounted patrols for the parks? I think that would be a wonderful way to utilize them in a natural setting. I agree that they should be retained and that it is a shame for such a patrol to go to waste. I also agree that they are a huge help in keeping crowds calm and everyone orderly.


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