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CA: Tax-cutting Prop. 13 sent chill through community libraries
Mercury News ^ | 5/26/03 | Patrick May

Posted on 05/26/2003 10:02:29 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

Edited on 04/13/2004 3:31:16 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

REDDING - There are holes in the heart of the main library. The shelves appear flush, but so many books are missing. The works of Updike and Oates skip over the '80s. Volumes of the Best American Short Stories run from 1942 to present, but 1988-90 is a gap-tooth break in the stacks. And the 60-year O. Henry Prize Stories collection stops abruptly in 1989.


(Excerpt) Read more at bayarea.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: calgov2002; chill; community; libraries; prop13; taxcutting
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The repeal/modify Prop. 13 crowd is beating the drums for reform(higher taxation).
1 posted on 05/26/2003 10:02:29 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Prop. 13 Ping
2 posted on 05/26/2003 10:02:58 AM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi .. Support FRee Republic)
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To: NormsRevenge
Uh huh. Its the darned taxpayers fault for missing books in local public libraries, doncha know?
3 posted on 05/26/2003 10:08:14 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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In the basement of Shasta County Library in Redding, approximately 1,200 left over books due to a lack of library space, are stored on shelves waiting for the next library branch to be built.

In the basement of Shasta County Library in Redding, approximately 1,200 left over books due to a lack of library space, are stored on shelves waiting for the next library branch to be built.

RELATED LINKS

4 posted on 05/26/2003 10:09:18 AM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi .. Support FRee Republic)
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To: NormsRevenge
``Living up here in the woods, you're left to your own devices,'' said Bessie Doner, the 85-year-old live wire behind Shingletown's literary storehouse. ``We're proud that this library is run by the community for the community. This library doesn't belong to the county. It belongs to the people of Shingletown.''

Libraries should be paid for through user-fees, not taxes. I never go to the library, choosing instead to buy books I want or use internet resources. Why should my tax money go for public libraries?

5 posted on 05/26/2003 10:11:17 AM PDT by toddst
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To: NormsRevenge
Last year, my town had a ballot for adding a tax to fund a new library. I voted against it. Lots of other people did also. The measure failed.
Lo and behold, a new plan has come forth for a lot less money. Instead of building a completely new building, an existing city building is being re-purposed.
6 posted on 05/26/2003 10:15:50 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: NormsRevenge
#1, people can request ANY book within California

#2, in SF, the main library is stinky and LOUD

#3, I'd rather get my books from a bookstore or over the internet, especially in this day and age of diseases.

#4, don't come to me to raise taxes!
7 posted on 05/26/2003 10:27:01 AM PDT by I_Love_My_Husband (Defund the left now! We can not wait any longer!)
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To: NormsRevenge
CA: Tax-cutting Prop. 13 sent chill through community libraries

I'm not up on my Kookifornia history. Did proposition 13 cut taxes, or just stop the automatic tax increases based on increases in property value? If so, then taxes weren't cut, just frozen, and if the libraries want more money, they can just ask the citizens to raise taxes to pay for it.

8 posted on 05/26/2003 10:35:25 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Paranoia is when you realize that tin foil hats just focus the mind control beams.)
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To: KarlInOhio
Actually, all it did was to reduce and limit the rate of increase. Funny how that gets translated to "tax-cutting" in media-ese, eh?
9 posted on 05/26/2003 10:38:40 AM PDT by B Knotts
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To: toddst
Libraries should be paid for through user-fees, not taxes. I never go to the library, choosing instead to buy books I want or use internet resources. Why should my tax money go for public libraries?

Thomas Jefferson is the father of our library system and he did initiate user fees. I visit my local libraries regularly and I would happily pay one.

10 posted on 05/26/2003 11:00:34 AM PDT by Dianna (space for rent)
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To: NormsRevenge
Most of the libraries I know have pretty well given up on books and are spending their money on staff offices and computers. When the succeed in raising funds, they double their size but spend nothing on books. Meantime, they have library sales and get rid of a lot of the good older books.

It's not a matter of funding, it's a matter of mismanagement. The problem with journalism is the journalism schools, and no doubt the problem with libraries is librarian degrees.
11 posted on 05/26/2003 11:12:09 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Cicero
"It's not a matter of funding, it's a matter of mismanagement. The problem with journalism is the journalism schools, and no doubt the problem with libraries is librarian degrees."

The problem with socialism is mismanagement. The more taxes paid, the more government programs grow, the more taxes are needed to sustain the machine that gives itself pay raises and benifits, and insists it needs more taxes to maintain quality...."READ MY LIPS! NO NEW TAXES!"
12 posted on 05/26/2003 12:00:44 PM PDT by Blue Collar Christian (If he's a cowboy, then I like cowboys)
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To: Dianna
Thomas Jefferson is the father of our library system and he did initiate user fees. I visit my local libraries regularly and I would happily pay one.

Thanks for the information on Mr. Jefferson.

I believe most people who use public libraries would pay a user fee. Locally, many families take their youngsters to the library often. I have asked folks about the idea and most simply never thought about the possibility. No objection to a reasonable fee thus far.

Some have wondered what the per-family tax is under the present arrangement. I've been told it works out to about $50 per residential property owner.

13 posted on 05/26/2003 12:27:06 PM PDT by toddst
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To: KarlInOhio
Prop 13 was on the ballot in 1978, and did three basic things (which have since been eroded)

1. Rolled the tax base back to (i think) 1975 assessed values. (someone else may be able to confirm this date.)

2. Required that taxes be based on assessed value as determined by the last sale price (though a property owner can petition for re-assessment.)

3. Limited the tax to 1% of the assessed value (this has seen the worst erosion over the years.)

The problem that was being addressed was that the assessor was looking at property values on a very frequent basis, in most jurisdictions annually. The 70's saw huge increases in real estate prices, so folks were being hit with these giant increases based on the paper value of their property. If you were on a fixed income, you were just out of luck.

The left hated this measure. I remember sitting in my "government and society" class (this was my senior year in high school), and listenting to the teacher actively and openly campaign against prop 13. Gloom and doom were predicted, and they've never really stopped complaining.

Passing special assessment districts has been a specialty of circumventing prop 13, and library districts are a particular favorite. People foget that funds are fungible, and vote "for the libraries". With the state budget crisis, there is new energy being placed in killing prop 13.
14 posted on 05/26/2003 12:39:57 PM PDT by absalom01
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To: NormsRevenge; *calgov2002; snopercod; Grampa Dave; Carry_Okie; SierraWasp; Gophack; RonDog; ...
Thanks for the ping!

calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register



15 posted on 05/26/2003 2:33:09 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Recall Gray Davis and then start on the other Democrats)
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To: NormsRevenge
Yeah, you can always count on scumbag liberal publications like the Merc and writer Patrick May to help the Democrats in every way they can. That's what they're there for. It's their mission.
16 posted on 05/26/2003 5:20:56 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: NormsRevenge
And while Salini was happy Proposition 13 had helped her afford her house, she said, ``When I see all the damage it's done, I'm not for it at all.''

Translation: Raise my neighbors' taxes so the libraries can have more money.

17 posted on 05/26/2003 5:23:08 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: NormsRevenge
This is a straight-forward matter of priorities. Other programs are deemed higher priorities than the libraries.

If Prop 13 had been defeated, perhaps there would be more homeless in the public libraries of California.
18 posted on 05/26/2003 5:26:17 PM PDT by gitmo (THEN: Give me Liberty or give me Death. NOW: Take my Liberty so I can't hurt Myself.)
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To: NormsRevenge
How about going to a subscription/membership library?
It is high time to start privatizing more of this bloated government overhead.
19 posted on 05/26/2003 5:28:01 PM PDT by pointsal
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To: NormsRevenge
Here in Lost Angeles, they are building brand-new public libraries at an astounding clip. The one around the corner from me. They demolished the old one. The one on the way to where I work out. It is brand-new; no library was there before. You literally cannot turn around without seeing a new library--each with a different, expensively architected design.

A few years ago, I wandered into the one nearby and volunteered to read to children. The staff seemed surprised. "We'll get back to you."

Need I say they never did?

--Boris

20 posted on 05/26/2003 6:58:59 PM PDT by boris (Education is always painful; pain is always educational)
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