The Tea Party Targets Public Libraries

[marmar]

from OnTheCommons.org:


The Tea Party Targets Public Libraries
Even a $1 year tax hike to maintain services is too much

| by David Morris


In September 2012 the Library Board of Pulaski County, Kentucky raised property taxes $1 per year for a typical homeowner to maintain the existing level of services in its five libraries. Voters were not given the opportunity to reject the increase; in 2006 however, they were and resoundingly approved a much larger increase to finance a new library.

But in 2006 the county and the country did not have a Tea Party. That grassroots movement sprang up early 2009 in fury at the federal government’s attempt to help millions of people facing foreclosure stay in their homes. In 2010 it escalated into a full-throated attack on the federal government’s attempt to expand medical care access to tens of millions. By 2012 the Tea Party movement’s virulent anti-government, anti-tax philosophy and take-no-prisoners, I’m-not-my-brother’s-keeper attitude had come to define American politics.

Pulaski County Tea Partiers, justifying their fury by noting the $1 increase had not been voted on by the people began circulating a petition to dissolve the library tax district completely. The effort’s leader declared her group would stop accumulating signatures only if all members of the current library board resigned.

The Board did not resign and ultimately the petitioners found they had too little time to gather the necessary signatures. But the Tea Party had demonstrated its strength and revealed its willingness to use scorched earth tactics. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://onthecommons.org/magazine/tea-party-targets-public-libraries#sthash.7ufMNSyk.dpuf

[Berlum]

1. "Libraries are dangerous. People are learning stuff, and shit like that." - RepubliBaggers (R)

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” ― George Carlin

[polichick]

29. Exactly.

[n2doc]

2. Article is wrong in one respect

That grassroots movement sprang up early 2009 in fury at the federal government’s attempt to help millions of people facing foreclosure stay in their homes.

No, it sprang up because a Black man was elected President. And because a few billionaires seized the opportunity to fan the flames. All else followed from that.

[Javaman]

5. I saw that too.

continuing the myth

[HardTimes99]

9. Excellent annotation! The publication this article appears in is very interesting and I'll

be taking a much closer look at it today.

http://onthecommons.org/magazine

[jmowreader]

11. No, the article is wrong in a different respect

It wasn't a "grassroots" movement and I really wish people would quit calling it that. It was started by the Koch Brothers and FreedomWorks specifically to combat healthcare reform or any attempt to allow the Bush tax cuts to sunset as the law that put them in place was designed to do.

"Grassroots" movements don't have corporate sponsorship.

[n2doc]

12. Well I noted that too n/t

[Blue_Tires]

20. exactly...been saying that from the start...

[Berlum]

39. + 1,000

[spanone]

14. ^^^^^^ +1,000,000

[hibbing]

17. Stuck out like a neon light

Hi,
I knew I wouldn't be the only one to notice that total bullshit. You nailed it.

Peace

[Xyzse]

22. Have to agree

[Jackpine Radical]

25. Wrong in 2 respects.

Grassroots Bullshit.

Astroturf.

True, it caught on readily among the drooling class, but without the likes of Dick Armey & the Cock Brothers, it would never have come into being.

[n2doc]

27. I think the virulent racism would have found an organized outlet

Without that, nothing would last.

[Jackpine Radical]

28. Outlet, yes--but organized?

Maybe not so much, and maybe more blatant & less effective. Maybe they would have tried to resurrect the Klan or something.

I don't deny the existence of the impulse, but doubt that it would have taken a somewhat unified form under a collective banner without the machinations of the mighty.

Like I said, it's populated by the Drooling Class.

[Brigid]

52. "Drooling class!"

You win the thread.

[Jackpine Radical]

55. Thanks.

I was kinda proud of that one myself.

[polichick]

30. True.

[MisterP]

48. THRICE: "grassroots movement," "fury at the federal government’s attempt," and

"the federal government’s attempt to help millions of people facing foreclosure stay in their homes"

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. Yeah. It'd be shame if we had to stop bailing out corporations just to fund stupid libraries. n/t

[durablend]

4. Communism, socialism, marxism

And a bunch of other BAD BAD BAD isms.

[Javaman]

6. Books bad! Burn them!!!nt

[HardTimes99]

7. Not 'scorched earth' tactics; more like 'scorched book' tactics - nt

[awoke_in_2003]

57. defunding libraries...

doesn't have the visual impact that a book burning party does, but the impact is much greater.

[spanone]

8. the teaparty is highly dangerous...

[Dash87]

10. I literally cannot stand these people.

They're one of the few groups that's true of.

They openly attack knowledge and education, and are literally trying to make Americans stupid. Every time I hear "College is only a form if Communist indoctrination" or "Libraries are Marxist" I realize how truly stupid the Tea Party is, and how much they want to bring the rest of the country down with them.

I blame morons like Hannity and his "elitist educated Liberals" crap.

[datadem]

13. Troy Library 1, Tea Party 0

Check out what the very brilliant and creative staff at a Public Library in MI did to defeat the Tea Party a couple of years ago. This short video is well worth watching.

I love libraries and I vote!

[Brigid]

15. Once again, Ron White is proven right:

"You can't fix stupid."

[kentauros]

19. No, but you can certainly penalize it.

"So, you object to $1.00 per annum added to your property taxes? Then expect to pay an annual municipal road-use fee of $1.00. Stickers will be distributed to those vehicles legally allowed on city roads. If you refuse to pay this fee, you will be fined $50 for illegal use of city roads. Fines and fees levied will be applied to library costs."

[Brigid]

21. Me likey.

Me likely very much.

[kentauros]

37. Realistically, cities don't have to justify any fee.

They could just as easily levy a "printing and printer maintenance fee" and no one would question it. An inventive public employee will find a way of getting that $1 from the stupid, because, well, they're stupid!

Now another funny yet unlikely fee would be "sewer-line fee." Won't pay it? Don't flush!

[grilled onions]

16. There Should Be A Comparison

Tax dollars-- library vs the continual war machine. Do they ever complain about the $$$$ that is wasted every single day on war and it's side effects ?

[Hayabusa]

34. You think that will ever phase right wingers?

More war! More war! More War! More war! Gotta make millions!

That and: Guns good! Books bad!

[kentauros]

38. Although, I sould suspect that books on guns would be good.

Therefore, what they need to do is have a "Books on Guns" section of the library. They'd fund that!

[Hayabusa]

44. Hell, even I love books on guns.

I prefer Osprey's Weapon series. Of course, the main form of war that I prefer takes place on an eight foot by six table...

[kentauros]

45. There are only two kinds of war games I would play any more

(if I knew anyone locally that wanted to play them) and that's Risk and Nuclear War

[MisterP]

49. Honduras's streets are full of "- armas, + libros"

[jmowreader]

46. They complain very much about the side effects

A lot of them hate the VA, vets retraining, PTSD counseling and so on because those things are socialist. Once you have served the teabaggers' purpose you're on your own.

[EC]

18. This is what is making our

country sub-standard. We'll be a cheap country and an empty behind the times shell. We'll begin to look like we live in the 1800's if we don't put an end to this crap soon.

[Ian_rd]

23. Book-learning decreases the chance of Republican victories. Therefore Libraries are political ...

... organizations and should not receive tax money.

[Jackpine Radical]

26. Intellect

has a well-known liberal bias.

[pokerfan]

24. Bill Hicks was right

You know I've noticed a certain anti-intellectualism going around this country ever since around 1980, coincidentally enough. I was in Nashville, Tennessee last weekend and after the show I went to a Waffle House and I'm sitting there and I'm eating and reading a book. I don't know anybody, I'm alone, I'm eating and I'm reading a book. This waitress comes over to me (mocks chewing gum) 'What you readin' for?

Wow, I've never been asked that. Not 'What am I reading,' What am I reading for? Well, goddamnit, you stumped me. I guess I read for a lot of reasons, the main one is so I don't end up being a fuckin' waffle waitress. Yeah, that would be pretty high on the list. Then this trucker in the booth next to me gets up, stands over me and says [mocks Southern drawl] 'Well, looks like we got ourselves a readah!'

What the fuck's goin' on? It's like I walked into a Klan rally in a Boy George costume or something. Am I stepping out of some intellectual closet here? I read, there I said it. I feel better.

[SheilaT]

33. Anti intellectualism has been rampant

in this country pretty much from the very beginning. Adlai Stevenson was derided for being "an egghead". In the 19th century there was the proud No-Nothing Party.

Tea Party rank and file members don't read themselves, so they see no need for libraries. Or, if they read they only read the Bible, so they're more ignorant than most illiterates. The Koch brothers and the others who fund the Tea Party don't want libraries because they don't want to take the risk that the ignorant will learn anything beyond what they tell them.

It's exactly like a religious cult: the leader does not want anyone to find out anything outside the official doctrine.

[Berlum]

42. The Grammar Police have you on alert

[SheilaT]

43. No! No! That's not a grammar mistake.

It's an ignorance mistake on my part!

[Johonny]

31. they are supposed to be an economic conservative voice but they constantly show they suck at it

Legate Damar asks, “Why should my neighbors be able to rent non-educational DVDs and video games at a cost to the tax payer when I rent mine at Redbox? Redbox charges a $1.27 per movie including taxes which I think is a steal.”

First of all, no one rents anything from the library. They borrow it from their community. Second, the economic case for going to the library rather than Redbox is incontestable. Assuming I borrow just one DVD a week, I’ll save some $70 a year, as much or more than my household pays in taxes for the entire library. - See more at: http://onthecommons.org/magazine/tea-party-targets-public-libraries#sthash.7ufMNSyk.WgXgzXEq.dpuf

My favorite part of the article. Hey I use Redbox and waste more money than if I used my library. That isn't economically conservative that's just sucking at math, dude.

[lastlib]

32. GOD, I HATE TEA-BAGGERS!!!!

When will we EVER be RID of them??!?

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . nuke: . . . . .

[SCVDem]

35. Look at a photo of a Bagger rally

Looks like an AARP convention so I figure they are getting more infirm and dependent on everything they need on a daily basis.

The old white demographic can't last too much longer.

[mysuzuki2]

36. The teabaggers don't care about libraries because none of them know how to read.

[DissidentVoice]

40. I suppose they hate Andrew Carnegie then n/t

[Brigid]

50. I thought about that too.

I wonder if this library started out as one if those Carnegie libraries.

[Rex]

41. Libraries are a hotbed for liberal activism

all that readun and thinkun goin on in thar!

[Brigid]

51. Yeppers.

Ah don't cotton much to all that book larnun.

[Generic Other]

47. Deport teabaggers to some tax free haven on a garbage barge

Honestly, this country is pay-as-you-go.

[SummerSnow]

53. Farenheit 451: The Bagger tapes

[xchrom]

54. du rec.

[kiranon]

56. The new Dark Ages has begun. n/t