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Originally Posted by JeremyR
But you know, libraries aren't free - they are mostly paid for by property taxes by residents in the area.
Is it fair to take money from the middle class (which is the most important class in the economy) to fund libraries?
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Why wouldn't it be fair? The middle class does get to vote, and most voters are, in fact, middle class. (Although "middle class" is kind of vague, encompassing people earning $35,000 per year to those earning $350,000 + per year, with local variation).
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Especially as much of the money doesn't go to books, but things like computers, video games, movies, etc...
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Doesn't this make it more fair? Since the library is also providing services for those people who may not read, but enjoy movies, video games, using computers, etc.
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Especially as they are the ones getting squeezed by higher fuel prices, higher food prices, higher utility bills...
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I'm not sure that the middle class are being squeezed by this things more than the poor, particularly.
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It's great to give people free stuff - but to do so you have to take stuff away from other people. There's no such thing as a free lunch...
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This is true. But that's a decision made by the voters...if they wanted to, they could just eliminate library service (which does vary widely from community to community anyway, so people may already be making this decision in a granular way).