Sunday, May 28, 2006

NO on Prop 81

You would have almost expected it, but I don't think the Times- Standard has endorsed every bond measure that's come before the voters. I think they've backed most of them, over the years, if memory serves me correct. Now they've endorsed Prop 81, that library bond on the June ballot.

They do point out our that our local library, as nice as it may seem, is open for short periods at a time and is unable to provide a wide array of services. But, they suggest that's just a temporary inconvenience and that someday our ship will come in, the economy will be steaming again, and the library will attain its full glory.

Well, let's hope so. Naturally, I'm not so optimistic. If we keep passing bond measures, we might well be spending any money an improved economy would give us paying back this and every other bond we've passed over the last couple decades.

We need to stop acting like we can borrow now because prosperity is just around the corner. Let's deal with the library we have now, with what we've got. Let's not borrow money for improvements we won't be able to use.

Call it pay as you go, if you'd like, but passing bond after bond will get us nowhere but the poorhouse.

6 Comments:

At 2:29 PM, Blogger Nick Bravo said...

I think that public libraries will soon become a thing of the past, especially ones like in Eureka and Arcata. either they will get with teh program or go out of business.

 
At 8:21 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another multi-million dollar program to fuck statewide taxpayers. No on 81 and 82.

 
At 10:58 PM, Blogger Eric V. Kirk said...

Libraries aren't a luxury. If you want to attract high tech business into the area, you have to consider that the type of people who would be employed by those businesses expect a certain level of quality in infrastructure. That means good schools, public transit, and libraries.

I'm voting for 81. Have some problems with 82, and haven't made up my mind yet.

 
At 11:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I voted no on both. No to another bond measure, and no to the state raising our kids. We already plug 'em into the system way too early.

 
At 7:48 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

I realize some people hang around libraries a lot but I think they're becoming less and less relevant.

I never go to the library anymore, although I'll admit that in the over thirty years I've lived up here I've only been to the county library less than ten times.

Now I get any info I want or need online, as more and more people are doing.

PS: I don't think the kind of people we want coming up here are ones that are concerned about abundant government services.

 
At 7:59 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

As an aside, the Los Angeles Daily News reminds us that a 350 million dollar library bond was passed just six years ago.

http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_3872867

I thought so, but I thought there was more than just one passed in the last few years.

 

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