I have recently come to realize that public libraries rest in the armpit of a list of possible areas for government funding and acknowledgement. Why would the government care about the literacy of its people? That will not make our politicians rich like oil does. The only way to get a lot of funding is through grass roots movements by people who actually care about the future of the people of the country. While looking on the American Library Association website, I came across a story about a group o outraged parents who were protesting at the state capital in Olympia, Washington. The state government had decreased the amount of money allotted to the public school libraries’ media program. To me this seems like one of the most absurd things a state government could do to its people. Whether or not the politicians give a damn about the children in public schools, because I am sure all of their children go to private institutions, they should know that messing with peoples kids is the number one way to enrage them. To make the politicians really feel like dirt bags there were several small children along with the protestors holding signs that read “I need our school library.”
