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[sanrico AT highdesert.com]

Because...
knowledge is power, and we're only supposed to have enough of either to 
enable us
to do our jobs, and therefore contribute to the economy. That's why 
free-thinkers
are perceived as a threat, and why intellectuals are perceived as being 
'geeky'.
Instead of celebrating and encouraging the potential of these people, we raise
our children to ridicule and fear them - or worse, muzzle them and isolate 
them.
Hence the proposed internet tax that keeps rearing its ugly head - how better 
to
make money and silence the sharing of knowledge in one fell swoop?
Sandy
 
On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 21:25:06 -0800, "Lynda" wrote:

> 
> We built our own library in the county I used to live in.  Got a load of
> donation and raised another $1 mill or so plus had volunteer labor on the
> thing.  We spent hours and hours each year working on Buck-A-Bag sales, an
> internet sale, silent auctions, black tie affairs and so forth and so on to
> keep the shelves stocked with books.
> 
> I sometimes think the more we were able to do ourselves the more they cut.
> Well, we could keep the shelves stocked but we sure couldn't raise enough to
> pay the employees, at least not all of them.  They too are now closing for
> one week a quarter and are down to being open 4 days and 1 half day a week.
> 
> In the town we moved to the library is only open 3 days a week and only for
> a few hours a day.  There are only two employees and the rest of the folks
> are volunteers.  It isn't unusual to see a sign up saying the library is
> closed because someone is ill or couldn't get to work because of the snow or
> because of some other emergency.
> 
> Always amazes me how the idiots in Sac can run around wonder why Johnny
> can't read and wanting to throw money at the problem with one hand while
> taking it away with the other.  Schools are boring as snot and libraries are
> a world of wonder.  So they cut and cut and then wonder why kids don't have
> an interest in reading.  Do they really expect the average family to have
> the $$ to bring enough diversity of reading materials into a house to keep
> the interest of all the kids in a family?
> 
> Lynda, who has at least one bookcase in everyroom in the house but still
> used the library at least once a week.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
> >
> > The Bryson book came from the library and I just returned 5 books and
> there
> > is one more in the pickup that needs returned.  I am a heavy user of the
> > library making at least one trip a week.  Still the county sees fit to
> > spend money on another helicopter rather than on the library.  The main
> > library is a 50s era building with leaks and poor access but the county
> > would rather build a new jail.  The politicians got themselves elected by
> > "law and order", none of this touchy feely intellectual stuff for them.
> In
> > fact one county supervisor said the solder who killed a wounded Iraqi
> > should be given a medal.
> >
> > Here they have cut staff, hours, and book purchases and still are looking
> > for ways to cut even more.  Just over a year we had a new branch open but
> > the shelves were only 1/3 full.Just keep them dumb by cutting libraries
> and
> > schools then maybe they will be good little citizens, go to church, and
> > become fodder for another silly war.
> >
> > Don Bowen
> > Awl Knotted Up Woodworking
> > Valley Center, CA             http://www.braingarage.com
> 
> 
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