Libraries lose state support; must turn to local residents

Libraries lose state support; must turn to local residents
EDITOR:
The defeat of the Trumbull County library levy in the last election showed the all too typical shortsightedness that too many in the area have repeatedly shown where the education triad, schools, universities, and libraries are concerned. These, and the way the state and its citizens treats them, are what the real high tech industries look at when they are searching for a new place to locate a facility. Why else would they choose a location such as Boston, with taxes that are higher than ours?
Yes, libraries took another hit in the last budget, but it was by no means the first one, a fact that could be found out by those who take the trouble to do some research. As with the state support of the universities, the promise was always made that the cuts would be restored in the future. Since this was a typical politician's promise, worth less than nothing, those promises were never kept. Nor will they ever be kept.
I have been told there is a 10-person committee looking into the needs of Ohio's libraries. Big deal. If it were a committee such as would have been appointed by Gov. Taft's grandfather, I would have some hope of their coming up with something sensible. They will never do that. They most likely will sit in their chairs, take testimony from carefully chosen individuals, and come up with even more destructive recommendations. And, if by some miracle they do come up with constructive recommendations, you can be sure that the governor and General Assembly will ignore them.
Taft's grandfather was a member of the General Assembly in the 1930s when the libraries were in a similar crisis. He came up with a proposal that, when implemented, set Ohio's libraries on the road to becoming the best in the nation. Now Gov. Taft and his advisers are willingly presiding over their destruction while pretending to help them.
Maybe the new Cortland branch should be put on the back burner for now, but the real question is whether we want the service we had 5 and 10 years ago. The naysayers should get out of their chairs and spend a week on the bookmobile, seeing where they go and what they do, and spend a week at Cortland to see what happens there.
Can Trumbull County's citizens afford this levy? The question really is, can they afford to not pass this levy? Judging by where Ohio is headed with the aid of the government of Ohio and all too many of its citizens -- down to the bottom with a dull thud -- the answer is a resounding no. The chances of the money that is really necessary to restore Warren's and other Ohio libraries to the prestigious position they once held ever coming from the state are nil. Voting for the levy in May is an absolute necessity, and even that won't really be enough. And, yes, it does need to be a permanent levy. All those renewable levies that are the norm can only promote the instability that businessmen deplore in a region.
JEROME K. STEPHENS
Warren
Time to stand up, America
EDITOR:
It's time for Americans to stand up. We better watch our elected officials. There are some very important bills to be voted on before the November election. We have illegal immigration, port give away, the nuclear treaty with India, and then the economy (great for the rich).
In the paper we see plant closings and employee reductions, ot 10 or 20 but hundreds or even thousands. February was the biggest one month trade deficit in our history. Our government is still telling us how good we have it. Our purchasing power is falling, we can buy less for more money this year than last year. If you're not happy with the way our government is being run, look to your rubber stamp elected officials. Call them and tell them what you think.
BOB SLOVKOVSKY
Youngstown