Archive: Opinions

Dear Editor:

 

As a Lansing Resident for nearly 40 years, I plan to vote "No" to the proposal to close the Lansing Library. The library is part of what makes Lansing a good community to live in. Last year my tax bill for this was just $20.72-less than 50¢ a week! How could I object? My taxes also pay for the maintenance and scheduling of the sports fields, which I never use. But I don't object to that either, because like the library, they contribute to our community by bringing people together.

There are many things that determine the strength of a community. Surely two of them are the institutions that bring people together for various activities and the willingness of people to unselfishly support such things for the good of the community even though they may not benefit from them personally. What kind of community will Lansing become if  people are willing to pay only for the things they use directly? And what kind of community would vote to close its own library-a resource that provides information and learning for nearly 3000 people, including many who are young--our next generation of leaders?

 

From: Frank Barry

 

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