The two stories below scream out how local governments can get their priorities ass-backwards.
The first story is on New York City's decision to close 14 library branches in Queens. It's a bad move. Bloomberg has enough loose change in the couch cushions in Gracie Mansion to fund these libraries. I wish Bloomberg would apply the same dedication to libraries that he does to banning smoking in public places or the use of trans fats. If I was granted five minutes of Mayor Bloomberg's time, I would urge him to spend his post-mayor life emulating Andrew Carnegie. When he was a young kid, Carnegie was a poor Scottish immigrant who tried to gain entry to a private Pittsburgh library. Pittsburgh had no public libraries at that time. Carnegie was denied use of the library because of how he was dressed. And he never forgot the sting of that moment. When he made his billions, he wanted to do his part to ensure that poor people who wanted to read books in libraries were never turned away like he was. So he funded/started OVER 3,000 PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE U.S. Mayor Bloomberg, you have a good role model in Andrew Carnegie.
The second story is the one that has me scratching my head on the Stoop. NYC has spent taxpayer dollars on printing a booklet that teaches heroin users how to properly shoot dope.
What's next, a guidebook on how to successfully rob a bank?
Let me get this straight: we close down libraries, places where people can read & educate themselves, but we print pamphlets, which people can also read, on the proper way to inject heroin? WTF?
Something you should know about Baldman: While he is a foot soldier in the Goldwater/Reagan/Buchanan/Scalia/Thomas pitchfork brigade, he is also very liberal when it comes to government funding of public libraries. Other than the use of tax dollars to build bombs to kill those who want to kill us, the public funding of libraries is Baldman's favorite use of the taxpayers cash.
As the noted philosopher Roddy Piper used to say: "Just when they think they have the answers, I change the questions."
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