Lost In Middle America 02

"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories. And to render them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree."

Thomas Jefferson 1782


In my prior L.I.M.A. post I expressed a heartfelt desire to serve my community as a reflection of what it means to me to be "American" on a personal level and as an expression of Freedom. For me, promoting literacy - the life giving tools through which one learns of this world and expresses the fundamental exercise of free speech, liberty, choice, and individual value - is the niche to which I feel led to serve. The volunteer spirit is a community resource that can be trusted because it generally places the individual in a realm of personal interest in the welfare of others whether we serve in hospitals, churches, as scoutmasters, coaches, firemen, and the like - our service offers multiple benefits. For some it is an escape from the drudgery of our everyday routine or the thankless job we have come to despise. It pacifies the loneliness of the aged widow or the retiree, it's an investment in our children's lives, an inroad of experience towards career motivation, or simply an exercise of obedience towards a higher good. Our lives would be very different without volunteers filling the gaps of service, or if everyone was only motivated by material gain as a prerequisite to act. And so it was with this understanding and the desire to make a difference somewhere that I set out to pursue my interest in public service.

The pursuit of commitment to a cause is never without challenge and this endeavour is no exception to the rule. I contacted the Lima Public Library via e-mail and expressed my willingness to serve an institution I cherish with all my heart, only to find that even here, too, the very values that undermine public benefit are deeply entrenched by the system. It was certainly not the educational experience I had hoped for, because from my inquiries it was surprising to learn that the public library is a privately owned business, subsidized by public donations and state government funding. This seems like a balanced arrangement between personal interest and accountability, public trust, and government responsibility for basic access to information and self-education, which I feel is part and parcel to the pursuit of happiness.

Let's face it, a library is not a money making venture and because of its apparent vulnerability it has been quickly cast aside, one of the earliest casualties of the economic collapse and subsequent budget cuts that were to follow and was struggling long before this. This was unfortunate because next to our courts of law the library stands as an equally sacred institution for its charity and representation of diversity of opinion and expression that is found nowhere else other than in our institutions of higher learning. Not everyone can go to college, but everyone can go to the library, and this is freedom.

The law does what it can to protect our mortal coil and preserve civility so that we can pursue our own interests, and the library is for the soul and for the mind in which pursuits take form and are rooted in us. If we hold the opinion that the library is an antiquated dinosaur on life-support because maybe we have money to buy books, or we read from our laptops, don't read at all, or just watch TV, it's easy to forget that there are people who regularly depend on the library that don't have the money to buy books, they don't have a computer at home they can job-hunt on, or maybe have no place to go. The library is a sanctuary for people looking to find something to do with themselves, for the individual on the job hunt and the kid reading a book, or misfit with time to kill is a lot less likely to be a problem. What is the cost to the community when our public library is closed? How can you honestly measure the impact of a 25% [1.5 days cut out of 6] decrease in hours of operation to the public and be okay with that. Next to health care and defense, education and access to information is fundamental in a free society, or it should be, and these sentiments are what moved me to offer my time.

However the kick in the teeth came when I was told in a very polite manner by a library representative that my enthusiasm to serve was very much appreciated, but unfortunately for us both the library is forbidden to accept volunteer aid due to contract stipulations supervised by the union branch of [are you ready for this?] the Environmental Protection Agency which oversees government employees. Who are they protecting and what do they truly value? Let me get this right - the union jobs have been cut or cut back because there is no money to pay for them, so it's not like a volunteer is taking a job away from somebody - a job that no longer exists in the first place. This is only in the interest of one specific group and not in the interest of the public at large, particularly in light of tough times and haven't we had enough of this already? Isn't this just another example of private interest coming before the benefit of the people, and all the more profane and hypocritical that it's the government employees doing it? And even if there was a job open, what threat is the volunteer to them? Is not the public library equally supported by public giving and donation, which is how they operate. I can give my money, which I have very little these days to spare - but I cannot give my time, in many regards my most valuable resource.

So here, too, is yet another example of the private interest of the few superceding the welfare of the citizenry who are paying them to serve US. I fail to see the logic in protecting jobs that don't exist in the first place and limiting available human resources willing to serve the noble and worthy commission of education and opportunity, which the public library serves. Rather than honor the progressive spirit of public opportunity and commitment, this is just another shot in the arm to the dumbing down of our society. During my last visit to the library I asked them what they were proposing to do to keep the doors open and was told that they were going to pursue another county tax levy. Just what we need - another freakin' tax! This doesn't make sense. The problem with this country is we fail to make good use out of the resources we already have available and here again is the same scenario playing out - they will take [literally now] my money, but not my time.

As previously noted I have been somewhat dismayed over President Obama dropping the ball in his call to service to the American people. In the most recent issue of Rolling Stone the Obama administration was criticized for not doing its part to rally the volunteer force that supported his campaign and got him elected in order to keep people actively involved in the process, which has had a negative impact on his political agenda. I e-mailed the White House asking how disappointed I was that very little focus was being placed on the community service ethic that was part of the platform upon which he stood and asked what measures the President is willing to take to facilitate a maximized return on the volunteer spirit in light of my own interest in serving the library. They never responded and I'm sure I've probably made the agitator list since some government employee doesn't really give a shit what I think.

At least I still have opportunity at the Literacy Counsel but this won't begin until May when the next training session is scheduled. Will I vote for a tax levy for the library? If that's the best option available to keep the doors open of course I will, but I won't do so without begrudging the incompetence, stupidity, and slack of the ruling elite.


"If a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be."

Thomas Jefferson 1816