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While there are some truly poverty-stricken people who patronize libraries, very few of the people I see there are wearing cardboard on their feet. They have a few bucks, and they can afford some modest fees. After all, they have an ereader that set them back a hundred bucks or more, so why should all the media be totally free?
Just because something is worthwhile, like a public library, that doesn't mean the government has to totally underwrite it. A library should very reasonably expect to get some government money, do some private fundraising, and charge a few fees. It's a mix.
And I agree about the DVDs. When did public libraries become government sponsored Blockbusters? Is the best use of tax money to loan out free copies of Cabin Boy? Surely there's somebody out there who needs, oh, I don't know...food, maybe, or health care?
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