Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBigGuy
How am I stealing library books if my taxes already paid for them? It does mean they are mine for the taking.
chiroptera, your link says private philanthropy has a significant role in the expansion of libraries. It does not have the only role. Where do you think most of the money for library funding comes from? Gov't taxes. I don't know how anyone can refute this. I never said it was only gov't taxes. It is mainly gov't taxes that libraries live on.
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You took books that belong to all taxpayers, not just you. It is public property that you took and that makes you a felon. That is exactly the same as someone who checks out a book and does not bring it back. They just committed a felony too if they did it willfully.
Most states have laws about the sale of public property. What you did is not the worst I have seen. Our state has very specific rules as to how to dispose of public property, be it a car used by public employees, a computer or a book. A public sale has to be announced a certain number of days before the property is offered and everyone has to have access to the property equally. Public employees cannot call their in-laws and offer them a great deal on anything bought with taxpayer money. The shelves the books are on in the library is known as a virtual sale. If any librarian goes to the discard room and offers anyone a book that was not already displayed on that shelf; that librarian has broken the law in our state. But the very worst I have ever seen this law abused is when a friends of the library group offers these books to members only before the public gets a chance at them. That would be breaking the equal access law.
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