Pacific Northwest Library Musings
I am currently attending the 2019 Pacific Northwest Library Association Conference, and getting a lot of ideas for improving the programs I offer. The PNLA isn't just US libraries. The Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta are also members alongside the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Among the good ideas, I can't help but notice a deep philosophical blind spot in the library culture. Libraries are funded by tax dollars in most cases, and that makes them a thorny subject when it comes to liberty. Several Washington State libraries are celebrating the passage of new tax levies, and other libraries are asking for more.
Do they not see how this is extortion? Libraries are too important to be funded by violence and subject to the whims of politicians. I am also probably the only one who sees the incongruity of weapon-free policies in libraries funded by taxes collected through the threat of weapons and violence for non-compliance.
Another oddity is the talk of "tolerance" that I guarantee would be set aside if I expressed the above thoughts out loud. It's easy to be tolerant when ideas don't stray too far from the mainstream, but directly confronting the status quo is perceived as a threat no matter what. But hey, at least our name tags let us declare our preferred pronouns, so there's that.
And lunch wasn't bad. Is this too late for a plate photo shoot?
I thought that is why people went to conferences, for the free lunch, and you managed to dispose of it well. [did it taste any worse knowing it was purchased by the threat of police brutality? and the stand over tactics?
Be pleased that your libraries are using some of the ill-gotten gains for a useful purpose, the more you can get the less that goes to some politician.
:-)
True, libraries and fire departments are among the few government services that are unequivocally good for the community, and we don't abuse minorities, bomb brown people overseas, or funnel money to corporate cronies and special interest groups. I think they would be better without the political entanglements, but they aren't bad.
is your St Johns medics a separate thing over there, or are the tied up with the fire brigade? if they are separate, they would definably be "one of the good guys" as well
anybody who has to put up with the "General Public" on their bad days deserve all the help and money that we can give them.
"St. John's medics?" Not familiar with that term, but I assume it's an ambulance service, and yes, our fire district also handles paramedic services and ambulances. There is also a non-governmental helicopter ambulance service covering the region and especially serving remote areas with poor roads.
being smaller, our firecrew are trained in emergency first aid but their main job is fighting fires, St John, dating back from the cursades / holy wars to Palestine in the 12th century ish. .Use special built ambulances and attend accidents and emergencies. in the big cities they can afford a helicopter service as well.
our equivalent to your 911, askes fire, police or abbulance, and if there is no fire, no baddies, St John attends by then selves, and at times only one person in the
ambulance. Fire and ambo's get 75% finance from thr government and the rest by fund raising.
this saves two fire trucks ans an ambo arriving to treat an angina attack on a middle aged woman, a hell of a lot cheaper when it comes time to pay as well
I'm glad the conference provided you with some useful ideas. And the empty plate is a perfectly acceptable plate shoot. It indicates you ate it! (And I hope it tasted good.)
It was salad with an odd vinaigrette dressing. Fortunately, there was chicken available to add for us omnivores.
haha and what's your preferred pronoun?.
It's amazing to see someone who works in the system, or for the system thinking and stating taxation is extortion.
Props to you for keeping it real.
Cheers
I self-identify as tax-exempt.
respect!👊
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Yup. I don't like getting fucked by the IRS. I've experimented a little, but I didn't enjoy it, so I know it's not for me.
:D
Good topic friend, I enjoyed reading this wonderful content and understanding. And of course good photography haha.
The good thing about being in a library is that you learn a lot about a variety of topics very important to our lives.