Libraries and the Free Market
Libraries and the Free Market
When I ran for Metro Council as the Libertarian candidate in 2002, I took a position against enacting a special library tax that both my Democratic and Republican opponents supported. How could I oppose such an obvious public good, especially one with the warm and fuzzy character of a library? As I read Craig Buthod's rebuttal to Kathleen Parker's assertion that libraries are an anachronism, doomed to be replaced by Starbucks, megabookstores, and the Internet, it fascinated me how both writers built strong positions while neither suggested the optimal solution.
The free market will always find ways to deliver services more efficiently than government institutions -- at a price. While Ms. Parker may believe Starbucks to be ubiquitous, she hasn't been driving her SUV around the less affluent corners of our cities. Not everyone in America can afford a $4.95 latte; yet the poor still have a thirst for the knowledge. Public libraries can and do fill that need. The question is: how to fund them?
While Mr. Buthod believes taxes are necessary, he also points out the strength of private donations as a measure of public support. Were Americans not so heavily taxed, and our reliance on government to educate the general population not so deeply entrenched, I'm sure private charity would be far greater, not just for libraries but for schools as well. While public tax money can build beautiful buildings that offer politicians glorious photo-ops, delivering quality education at an affordable price is not something government has demonstrated the ability to do.
I would like to see the meaning of 'Free' restored to its proper place in front of 'public library'. Free should mean more than just free to the users, but also represent the free choice of those who fund them. Charity will assure the best use of the money we allocate to those less fortunate than Ms. Parker. By keeping taxes low, and returning responsibility for education back to the private market, we advance the universal access of knowledge.
George Conrad Dick
Chairman Libertarian Party of Kentucky
When I ran for Metro Council as the Libertarian candidate in 2002, I took a position against enacting a special library tax that both my Democratic and Republican opponents supported. How could I oppose such an obvious public good, especially one with the warm and fuzzy character of a library? As I read Craig Buthod's rebuttal to Kathleen Parker's assertion that libraries are an anachronism, doomed to be replaced by Starbucks, megabookstores, and the Internet, it fascinated me how both writers built strong positions while neither suggested the optimal solution.
The free market will always find ways to deliver services more efficiently than government institutions -- at a price. While Ms. Parker may believe Starbucks to be ubiquitous, she hasn't been driving her SUV around the less affluent corners of our cities. Not everyone in America can afford a $4.95 latte; yet the poor still have a thirst for the knowledge. Public libraries can and do fill that need. The question is: how to fund them?
While Mr. Buthod believes taxes are necessary, he also points out the strength of private donations as a measure of public support. Were Americans not so heavily taxed, and our reliance on government to educate the general population not so deeply entrenched, I'm sure private charity would be far greater, not just for libraries but for schools as well. While public tax money can build beautiful buildings that offer politicians glorious photo-ops, delivering quality education at an affordable price is not something government has demonstrated the ability to do.
I would like to see the meaning of 'Free' restored to its proper place in front of 'public library'. Free should mean more than just free to the users, but also represent the free choice of those who fund them. Charity will assure the best use of the money we allocate to those less fortunate than Ms. Parker. By keeping taxes low, and returning responsibility for education back to the private market, we advance the universal access of knowledge.
George Conrad Dick
Chairman Libertarian Party of Kentucky
posted by George Conrad Dick at 5:11 AM
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