The link goes to our local new station, but the story is the same all over Ohio.
So the places people go to find entertainment and escapism in these tough times are not important. People who have been using the libraries computer resources to update and post their resumes and look for jobs are going to have to go elsewhere.
Now the Governor’s office has shut down the phone lines and e-mail account so people can’t even contact them top express their opinion.
I started working at this library six years ago when i was the victim of another round of lay offs, so yeah i am not even sure I will have a job at the end of the month.
So since this is the pit, fuck Governor Strickland, sideways with a rusty harpoon!:mad:
Well, I can’t think of a better way to keep the lower classes in their place, can you?
Seriously: From your link, it sounds like this is a proposal, not a done deal. It sounds more like a wake-up call about the seriousness of the situation than a genuine plan, but of course I don’t know the personalities involved. Can you give us more details?
Well, considering the way he ran Hill Valley High School, and who could forget that incident with the stolen newspapers, I think the people of Ohio can’t really complain that’s he’s proven to be such a hardass … oh, wait, they’re not the same person??
As a library trustee and board president, I hate it when libraries lose funding.
But…
Holy shit, 70% of Ohio’s libraries rely on the state for all of their operational costs! We don’t get a dime from the state, and haven’t for about 8 years. We don’t even have a library distict, so every library in Boulder County has to rely on the city government for funding.
Well it is a proposal, but it will be decided on this Thursday. Not a great deal of time. At this point the governor's phone line and e-mail has been shut down, so he is not in the mood to listen to his constituents. We are urging people to write their State reps and try to let them know this would be a bad idea.
Library funding has been under fire in Ohio, Gov Taft wanted to eliminate ALL funding. Still i have been through a round of layoffs before and lost my job then. I don't want to go through that again, or have it happen to any of the staff that I have come to depend on!
Lamar Mundane. Yes that is the way libraries have been funded in Ohio for some time now. The big problem is if we had to switch to the cities for funding, we would lose more than 50% immediately, and even more when the voters realize that it would mean a raise in local taxes, or they would have to vote for a levy for something to do with education that didn't involve a football team.
I’m really pessimistic about the situation in California. It seems like the state can afford to fund two out of three: police, fire, or schools. But not all three. Parks, libraries, etc., are total luxuries which are almost for sure going to be eliminated.
Luckily, libraries here are funded by the county as a millage agency, and we pick up the rest of the slack ourselves. We weren’t fully funded this year, but we weren’t shown the door either, at least. I even heard a rumor we’re getting our usual raises, shockingly enough. (I’ll tell you July 1.)
New York cut state funding to libraries too. Thankfully, state funding doesn’t cover all library expenses, so we were still able to do something. But it has resulted in a big decrease in the services, hours and materials we offer this year.
Which then makes the jackass local Republicans turn around and say “Why should we restore the library’s funding, fewer people are going there and fewer things are being checked out!”
My gut says that this is a really bad idea, especially since libraries are instrumental in helping people find jobs, apply for unemployment benefits, and advance their educations. And 50% certainly seems excessive.
Has anyone proposed an alternative to this cut, though?
Agreed. People need to get over the idea that libraries are book repositories. They’re community centers and they’re frequently the only source of some services for people who can’t afford them.
And on the flip-side, look at that list. Council on Aging, MRDD, youth services, developmentally disabled, mental health, schools for deaf/blind, etc. etc. There are many community agencies taking it in the ass here, not just libraries, although they are closer to my heart on a personal level.
My local branch library has adult learning services, and I believe English as a Second Language services. I know that a lot of people around here (and I live in an area with a lot of Hispanic immigrants) use this library to help teach their kids to read, and to feed the reading habit.
I think that cutting library services is incredibly short-sighted.
I’m hoping that Governor Strickland is just using this as a tactic to get the Ohio legislature to agree to some alternative like (gasp!) raising taxes.
I’m not sure that’s a question that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.
Government budgeting at any level is always a balancing act between the services you want to provide that the income that you need to provide those services, and there is always going to be debate about what is the right balance. However, if Ohio got is about right last year, then a very large cut in expenditure is almost certain to be wrong, since demand for education and libraries is likely to be higher in the middle of a recession.
But Ohio’s problem is a drastic decline in projected revenue because of the recession, and because of the need to balance the budget. If and when state revenues increase in the future because Ohio’s economy gets out of the current recession, then it might be possible to reduce tax rates – and, indeed, that has happened in Ohio in recent years.
What really needs to be done, IMO, is to stop raising budgets during good years and lowering them in bad years. {I’m speaking from MN experience here}. When good years come they don’t lower taxes…they just take all the money and even raise taxes some more. then when the bad years come they stand around going…we can’t CUT. Well, shit man…just lower the budget to what it was 2 years ago and you will have a surplus!
Anyways…Try to level the funding out. Schools, libraries etc need STABLE funding. Tax revenue is not stable. So, when good times come around…DON’T SPEND IT. Increase budgets but only a little. Take the rest of the money and save it. When bad times come, there is your money to make up the shortfall.
