Archive: Opinions

Normally I write these editorials before dealing with 'Letters to the Editor,' but this week Hugh Bahar's letter struck a chord.  I disagree with Mr. Bahar when he says that Dan Pace's intent isn't to shut down the library.  While Pace himself says he doesn't want to shut down the library but only wants to remove public funding from it, doing so would effectively shut it down.  This notion that you can unfund the library without that result is absurd.  Unfunding the facility on the grounds that they may ask for more money in the future, or the one and a half employees may want to join the UAW in the future is also absurd.  If that happens, call for this vote then.

I am for the library, and I don't think my reasons are emotional as Mr. Bahar has characterized them.  But I must say that I agree with the thrust of Mr. Bahar's letter.  If Mr. Pace is successful in getting a new vote on the library budget it's time for voters to stand up and be decisive on whether they want a library or not.

So far we've had two votes.  The first time Mr. Pace's camp won by a few votes.  The second time the library won by more, but still only a few votes.  Neither vote could be said to represent a mandate by any stretch of the imagination.  Now that the library is a public library this third vote can't disestablish it, but it can remove public funding and the access to grants its current status makes it eligible for.

Library supporters and opponents alike should welcome a new vote as an opportunity to finally and decisively determine whether or not Lansing wants its own library.  Just because the vote isn't on November 11th, and you have to drop everything to go down to the school district office doesn't mean it is an excuse to not vote.

They say that people who don't vote have no right to complain about their government.  That especially holds true here.  If you really believe in a library, or are really against funding it, you are obligated to vote your conscience.  You shouldn't assume that your vote doesn't count.  The last two votes proved that it does.

While I don't agree with Mr. Bahar on this particular issue, I admire that he is standing up for what he believes in and acting on it.  I admire all the library volunteers who have spent many, many more hours standing up for what they believe in.  If Mr. Pace is successful in getting enough qualified signatures on a petition to force a new vote I hope every eligible voter will take a few minutes to vote on what they believe in.

Not taking those few minutes is disrespectful to the volunteers who have spent countless thousands of hours raising money, manning the library, and even rebuilding it at no taxpayer expense before they asked for one cent of taxpayer money.  It is also disrespectful to Mr. Pace and Mr. Bahar, who also deserve to know whether Lansing really wants to fund this jewel of a resource, or not.

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