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Again, a library is not a "resource". It is something that costs a lot of money that comes from the taxes of families that need the money to pay for their own living expenses. We have people losing homes.
Of course a library is a resource. And like most resources, it has a cost associated with it. Do we currently pay too much for it? Probably. I happen to live in Somerset County, which has a County wide Library, so perhaps I don't see as much waste in the library system as in some other towns. I'm all for cutting wasteful spending, and getting rid of unnecessary programs & services. And while the library system may have some room for cutting, to suggest getting rid of public libraries is shortsighted and irresponsible.
Of course a library is a resource. And like most resources, it has a cost associated with it. Do we currently pay too much for it? Probably. I happen to live in Somerset County, which has a County wide Library, so perhaps I don't see as much waste in the library system as in some other towns. I'm all for cutting wasteful spending, and getting rid of unnecessary programs & services. And while the library system may have some room for cutting, to suggest getting rid of public libraries is shortsighted and irresponsible.
Yes, every program is vital, and every program has its beneficiaries, and we can never cut anything because everyone will die.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we have the highest taxes in the country.
I love and use the library system alot. I have been to every Bergen County town library when I lived in Hillsdale and now in Morris, I have been to just about every library in the Morris County system. I read about 6 books a week. I would gladly pay a fee to use the library once a year fee. Even if it was lets say 100 dollars a year. I used it so much that to buy these books would cost way more. I dont care if they merge towns like lets say Chatham and Madison and get rid of one library , but dont cut out the whole system to bare bones. I use it and love it.
Yes.... the library. Why? The state is taking money out of your paycheck to build buildings, pay people salaries and benefits, pay insurance and buy a hundred thousand books. The same hundred thousand books the town next door just bought for their building.
And why? So a tiny subset of the population can read books for free.
No this is not a proper role, or expense, of government. If I want to sit and read books for free I can go to Barnes and Noble. Or better yet, buy the books so authors have an incentive to keep writing them.
One thing we need in this society is more libraries, not fewer.
In the end people complain about NJ being expensive and it is.
However, it is expensive for a reason and it's becuase the quality of life is higher here.
Other states have awful school systems, higher crime rates (NJ is top 10 safest), higher poverty rates, poor jobs, etc.
NJ ranks well in all of these categories.
Yes, just don't set foot in most areas of Trenton, Newark, Paterson, Camden, or any other semi-urban area in our state after dark...
NJ is probably the only state I can think of in which I generally feel unsafe in every major city. The state's largest city, Newark, is a dump fit for the scrap heap, Camden is a warzone that rivals Mogadishu, and the state capital is a physically nauseating disgrace.
Of course, everyone feels safe in NJ's suburbs and at the beach, where it's all parties and good times.
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Yes, just don't set foot in most areas of Trenton, Newark, Paterson, Camden, or any other semi-urban area in our state after dark...
