The Clark County Democratic Dinner seemed to have a theme of get involved. And it is not all about money. If you feel strongly about an issue, contact your representatives in Madison or Washington D.C. For that matter, talk to your local town board members, village board members, city council members. If you have the time to devote, run for office. Learn about the issues and the consequences of what happens when there is a vote on something. Or in the alternative, when they are so concerned about party, or one person’s opinion, that they forget to do their job, which is to keep the government open for business. Congress holds the purse strings. Their sole purpose is to create laws and fund the government. If they can’t do that, they need to step aside for someone who can.
Another item mentioned at the dinner was our libraries. I know many people never go to the library. But many of us do. Just like Amazon, libraries are not just about books anymore. They offer programs both for fun and education. They offer access to computers so people can do job applications if they don’t have a computer or internet at home. They provide information, like tax forms, that can’t be accessed in many other places. They provide books, videos, audio books, and so much more. It would be great if they didn’t have to be funded by tax dollars but that is how libraries are funded.
The county board seems to think that by not paying for Marathon County circulation and not funding libraries the way they should be, they are saving money. But if local libraries close due to lack of funding, those library patrons then become county library patrons and the county will have to pay for them to go to other libraries in the county. They will save nothing, and because the local municipality isn’t paying any of the bill, it might even end up costing them more.
The question I keep asking is how many county board members have a library card. I would love to know. Because a number of them don’t seem to think libraries have value. How can they judge something they never use?
There was a time when Walter Cronkite was one of the most trusted men in America. He said, “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.” Something to think about as it seems ignorance may be at least part of the reason why this country is in the mess it is in right now.