Posted on 02/23/2015 8:19:02 AM PST by Freelance Warrior
Three years ago, The Los Angeles Times published a story on the Little Free Library movement. The idea is simple: A book lover puts a box or shelf or crate of books in their front yard. Neighbors browse, take one, and return later with a replacement.
The L.A. Times followed up last week with a trend story that got things just about right. "two cities have recently cracked down on one of the country's biggest problems: small-community libraries where residents can share books," Michael Schaub wrote.
"Officials in Los Angeles and Shreveport, Louisiana, have told the owners of homemade lending libraries that they're in violation of city codes, and asked them to remove or relocate their small book collections."
We've constructed communities where one must obtain prior permission from agents of the state before freely sharing books with one's neighbors! And their proposed solution is to get scarce public art funds to pay for the needless layer of bureaucracy being imposed on the thing already being done for free.
The power to require permits is the power to prevent something from ever existing. This lovely movement would've never begun or spread if everyone who wanted to build a Little Free Library recognized a need to apply and pay for a permit. Instead they did good and asked permission never.
(Excerpt) Read more at citylab.com ...
This article made me think.. our recent snow storm was a decent one. I loaned a shovel to our neighbor... guess I needed a permit to do that?! The control over citizens in this country is simply beyond comprehension.
Ping for later
But you’ll need a permit to read the permit.
We once loaned a shovel to our neighbor who needed it after a discussion with some bureaucrat who was telling him he needed a permit to fix his fence.
Coincidentally, we haven’t seen that bureaucrat around lately.
Gov’t tamping down Socialism?
How in the wild wild world of sports is that a problem??????????????
There isn’t ONE “thing” the government does not control or regulate. Literally.
:)
The sooner people realize that government bureaucracy is a jobs-creation program, the better. Can you imagine the unemployment rate if we got rid of the little tin-pot dictators at every level of government?
You got a permit for that freedom?
I believe your sarcasm detector is broken.
(Or perhaps mine.)
I refuse to buy a house. No matter how much money you pay for it, IT’S NOT YOURS. If you have to ask permission to build something, or will pay taxes year after year after year, despite the mortgage being paid off, that property DOES NOT belong to you. It belongs to the State.
I’d be interesting in seeing the ACTUAL governmental complaints. You could put these boxes someplace that’s actually a problem, messing up foot traffic, blocking postal delivery, obstructing utility work.
IMHO.... if a county/town/jurisdiction has employees to check on/regulate/etc.. a small, doll house type structure with a few books.. then there are too many employees to begin with. I guess they have people to check Craigslist for the free stuff they put out on the curbs, too. Mind blowing...
Half the population of LA can’t read or never reads...seems that anything that encourages literacy..in any language..would be welcome.
Plus..LA has thousands of unlicensed street vendors, but they are mostly protected minorities(now majority).
Proof that most bureaucrats are on crack.
I don’t think these thing actually encourage literacy. People that don’t want to read don’t want to read. Putting a stack of books in their neighborhood isn’t going to suddenly change them. Meanwhile there are some pretty bad places you could put these boxes. Like I said, I’d like to see the actual complaints.
This doesn't help: you still need a place to live, so if you don't have one, you rent one. And the landlord pays the taxes with your rent. All you can do is to choose whether to pay the taxes yourself or via another person together with his interest.
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