Durst writes “ The Louden, VA, Times-Mirror wrote in yesterday’s edition about the proposal from Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio to privatize the county’s library system. While Louden Co. is not the best example of a public library system, his comments about raising literacy rates SHOULD be a slap in the face to the professionals that are currently employed by the county.”
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Ah Republicans!
This article goes to show you an interesting theory I have heard: Republicans – and Delaguado in Loudon Cty. is one – are or will systematically dumb down public systems, as much as possible, to reduce the competition to their kids. The objective is to make lousy schools, lousy libraries, but those with the money – Republican fat cats – can afford to send their own spawn to private places to get an edge over the great unwashed, who have to settle for crummy public systems. And the people most hurt by this vote these Republican creeps in to screw them! Perhaps the Repubs have thus already succeeded in dumbing down the public.
Re:Ah Republicans!
sure we are…
“Delgaudio’s suggestion was met with little support by other supervisors, who defended the county’s library system.
“I can’t believe that anybody could run a library system … any more efficiently than we do,” said Supervisor Bruce Tulloch (R-Potomac). “I mean, I just can’t believe that.”
Chairman Scott York (I-at large) said that privatizing the system would lead to a degradation of services.
Several people arguing the issue, none Democrats, and two people with opposing viewpoints are both Republicans. Not much a conspiracy if nobody agrees.
Re:Ah Republicans!
No, I don’t espouse private “public” libraries.
But let’s be realistic here. Republicans don’t hold a monopoly on private schooling their kiddies. Gore and Clinton’s kids come to mind. But here’s an idea. Why not apply the concept of the universal public library card to public education? A voucher?
If I can check out books from another community’s PL, why not send my children there?
Re:Ah Republicans!
My theory is most of them aren’t doing this to reduce competition for their kids, but rather are doing this to stop/reduce/weaken institutions that are “liberal” in other words, get rid of things that are not teaching good Christian values. By demonizing everything that is not Christian they strengthen their base, while at the same time slowly wearing away those who they see as inferior. Eventually public “liberal” institutions will be worn down to next to nothing, and thanks to vouchers and such our only choice for a good education (unless we’re rich) will include a few periods of Bible study.
There’s pleanty of fat cats in both parties who might try and give their spoiled kids a leg up by stepping down on anyone else they possbily can, so I don’t think it’s fair to single out the Republicans for that theory.
Re:Ah Republicans!
I believe you are on to something. Inter-library loans notwithstanding, the patron policies that libraries have for non-community residents vary widely. Because most (1) all Ohio public libraries get some amount of their operating funds from a portion of the State income tax (2), they are obliged to offer a library card to anyone who can prove residence in the state. I live in Columbus, but have almost a dozen cards for various nearby systems. Some of the more stuffy ones *cough*Bexley*cough* give you only limited privileges until you can hand return a postcard that they mail to your home address. When we go to Ocean City, New Jersey on vacation, the resort town’s library charges me a $25 fee for a privilege-limited card that is only good for 365 days from the issue date.
So, yeah, you can, in a way, check out books from another community’s PL. But on to the thrust of your query:
Open access for Public School systems is a very interesting idea. But I’m worried that the Realty industry would stand for it.
“Location! location! location!” says “good suburban school district” more than it does “low crime rate” or “close to shopping/golf”. Feminism and (more) equal rights (if not equal pay) may have given women the choice to pursue a career, but for most families, housing costs in desirable school districts have made the second income a necessity. Reduce the effect of geographic exclusivity in school district admission, and the variations in housing prices would dramatically flatten. Obviously proximity would still play a roll, as it would be unlikely for Cleveland families to drive their kids down to (Columbus suburb) Dublin schools. But with almost 7 times as many school districts (~600) as there are counties (88) in Ohio, many of the neighborhood borders might as well be moats.
I really DO think that open enrollment is worth an attempt. And not in a half-baked way via vouchers, either. Something equalizing, like the LLGSF’s formula (Roughly: Everybody got what they got last year; Everybody gets an equal increase; What’s leftover goes to the poorest first.) bears investigation.
(1) 500 Quatloos (3) to the first person to tell me which community library system in the state of Ohio is privately funded.
(2) Save the LLGSF!
(3) 500 more for anyone who knows what a Quatloo is.
Ah Conspiracy Theorists!
It seems to me that dumbing down public schools would harm business interests. For a business to be competitive, it needs well-educated workers who can learn new things, and this is the case now more than it ever was. I recall reading that the private sector is one of the interest groups pushing for better public education.
In what way does the article go to show the theory you mention? Are you saying that privatization = dumbing down? Do you have evidence for that claim?