http://www.care2.com/greenliving/socialist-propaganda-to-benefit-librarians-and-the-libraries-that-recruit-them.html
Socialist Propaganda to Benefit Librarians and the Libraries that Recruit Them
The free-market economy is flagging, but public libraries are booming. As banks and lending institutions are being rescued and resuscitated by the federal government, and effectively making us, the taxpayers, shareholders in numerous deteriorating financial institutions (not to mention the auto industry and the sure to follow airline industry), many people are left alarmed and see this as the start of a capitalist freefall into the vortex of socialism. To those people, I would recommend going to the library.
As is evidenced by all the chin wagging and name calling that erupted at the tail end of the 2008 election season, people are still sufficiently alarmed by the specter of socialism. Pundits and everyday Joes sounded all sorts of Cassandra cries that we were walking backwards into a socialist state. But I assure you, if you want to find triumphant socialism at work in nearly every community in this great nation, you would be well advised to visit your local library.
This is a place where public tax dollars are being used to buy massive amounts of reference and research material to be accessed and loaned out for free. Walk into any library and you will no doubt see a dozen or so people accessing the Internet (for free), accessing reference materials (for free), and borrowing (also, for free) all kinds of books and media (CDs, DVDs, etc) amounting to what some might interpret as an undermining of the capitalist system and unabashed intellectual theft on a massive scale. Even satirist Stephen Colbert took a pot shot at the unsavory lending practices of our public library system, and how they threaten to erode the very fabric of our free market capitalist system.
In all seriousness, the long established public library system is a relatively untapped treasure, especially in these wintery economic times. Instead of accumulating titles in your Amazon shopping cart, you could be requesting books and media (including DVDs) directly from your library (in person or online), and if they don’t have it, they will, in most cases, locate it from another regional library. Libraries routinely offer all sorts of classes for children and adults alike, and reserve special multipurpose rooms for children’s storytime activities, visiting authors and speakers, and a myriad of special events. While some libraries have more comprehensive collections than others, nearly every library in the country has a sizable children’s literature section with all of the classics alongside current award winning books, books on CD, and age-appropriate DVDs.
I personally cannot say enough good things about the library system, and am an avid user and patron (currently with 25 titles out on loan). Beyond being a tremendous resource, it is a great lesson for children illustrating how publicly funded institutions in this country, can truly serve the people of the community.
Eric Steinman is a freelance writer based in Rhinebeck, N.Y. He regularly writes about food, music, art, architecture and culture and is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit among other publications.
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83 comments
add your comment »I have another Socialist concept. Why don't we pool the fees we pay to our Internet providers (ISP) and own the Internet ourselves. The public already owns the land that the cable companies rent to put their poles on so the tough part is already done. I will bet that after a year, there would be such a surplus of money in the kitty (to provide for emergencies and maintenance) that our costs would drop dramatically. We don't need CEOs getting millions in wages and bonuses or stocks issued in order to have an Internet. If we collectively pool our funds, we can do better ourselves. Look at the great highways we have, the great military and police force we have. They are all paid for by the people from the pool of funds we pay with our taxes.
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Watch out... if you give a government agency too much credit for functioning efficiently and providing a legitimate benefit to 'the public' it serves.... well, next thing you know we'll be using this 'socialistic' model in things like health care and education... and perhaps even applying the 'cooperative' principle to things like energy stewardship...
Now wouldn't that be sumthin..??? But you know, we could actually do this... We can insist on it now.
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I am thankful for the resources available in this country, we are able to access information from the world over. There will be no fear of a collapsed economy in the future once we all start changing the way we do commerce and live. It is the very abundance that we enjoy that is also the downfall of the economy at present time. Let's not fear and lets begin to reevaluate our individual business and commerce practices as to keep intact the very fibers which will sustain the future generation without dependency on this continual raping of the entire worlds resources.
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My family uses our local library very often. I only hope that in this economy they don't start canceling the free programs like story hour, crafts, and play groups for the kids. My son has learned about taking turns whenever he has to return a book that is due. He understands, at age 2, that the library is for everyone and we all need to pitch in to make it work. If that's how a small dose of socialism works in our system, I'm all for it!
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I'd much rather see my tax dollars go towards buying books than bombs and bonuses for bankers. The whole fear of socialism thing is so surprising . . . are people really afraid that if the government taxes the very rich for the common good, that we'll lose sight of our democratic values? I don't think its something we really need to worry about.
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I too and my family love the idea of libraries but when my mother worked at a library in a village town the real people running it are sadly not the patrons but the library boards. They decide what happens and they mostly don't treat their librarians and others as they should. If most of the people really knew the behind the scenes of what happens they would be outraged and I would hope they would stand up and fight with the librarians and other patrons to better their libraries. It is a dictatorship for sure that must end and the people must help end it. I also know because I have tried to work with the library boards as a patron to get things done for me the patron and it's either their way or no way. They refuse to listen to most patrons. It's really truly sad. I love the ideas of libraries I just don't agree with having people whom don't care about books and people running them.
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I read the title and thought ," good grief! What did some crazy right wing fanatic write?" Actually, I got ready to write a very strong response!Then I read the article and knew that everythings cool. Thanks for the article!
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You forgot to mention that being a library patron also teaches responsibility. If you don't get those "free" books back on time, you have to pay. Oh, what horrid things we should teach our children! Love of learning, Reading, finding information, responsibility--oh my, we surely must close those places down! They will definitely bring about the downfall of Western civilization.
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Briefly what i was saying before was that I see three options for the future of humanity.We can continue with free market individualism with two possible outcomes.Economic collapse or at best the most extreme case of haves and have nots the world has ever seen, that makes third world countries today seem like paradises of equality when compared with The U.S./world of the future.
Or we an adopt a planned economy so that we can intelligently solve the mounting crisises of dwindling resources and over population.With an active outspoken populace and transparent government that could be achieved.
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First things first.You can't compare democracy and socialism.Democracy is a forms of leadership.Ex: Anarchy,Dictatorship,monarchy etc.Socialism is how the government functions.Ex: capitalism,communism, etc.
So i just wated to say that while i'm a socialist i understand both sides.And i think this blog shows good examples of both.
I think Kristina C is a great example of what good capitalists expect others to be like;and ideally the kind of people who make up a true capitalist society.She gives to charity but i'm sure feels no obligation to do so.Helping the less fortunate should be a choice and taken care of through charity and non profits,that way you get to choose how,who,if and when to help your fellow man.
The shining star for socialism is Lynette B.She is not lazy,uncreative or unambitious as capitalists claim socialists are.She is kind,caring and just generally loves to be of service to others, And is thus ideally the kind of person that would comprise a socialist state.
On a few miscellaneous notes i'd like to say:I agree with Elizabeth abbot in getting rid of the federal reserve and all that.Its true aaron russo bashes socialism in that movie but he obviously hasn't done his homework on that subject(The old Commie scare) and he is clearly just using it as his whipping boy to get his main point across.
Socialist societies are planned.Economics is a depressing field when your studying the free market because it leads to collapse.
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