What did libraries ever do to you, Doug? I mean, come on, they are practically defenseless. With nothing more than a stern ‘sshhh’ to ward off a rowdy rabble, the average librarian is hardly a formidable target for the might of the Ontario PC Party. You’re not playing fair Doug.
O.K, O.K. I know I’m a bit behind the times with this missive about cuts to our libraries but I got all caught up in the buck-a-beer booze up that never happened because contrary to Doug’s promises no one sold any beer for a buck. And then came the smoke screen of legal pot. Can’t exactly blame Doug for that, it is Justin that wants us all high, but Doug certainly managed to bogart that joint by limiting the number of pot dispensaries to just about none and his cronies stifled ‘government supply’ so much that folks probably turned to harder stuff to cope with the frustration. And then there was the fun of the carbon tax but I won’t go there for fear of upsetting far too many folks on both sides of the argument.
But libraries, really? All libraries do is good stuff. First off, they let you borrow books for nothing. How many things in this life can you get for nothing nowadays, eh? But libraries, they make it their main thing – books for nothing and DVDs, too. And, if the book that you want isn’t in your library they’ll get it for you from another one. All you have to do is ask. Or you did but Doug put a stop to that. Obviously trying to stop us little folks from reading. The last institution to do that were the Nazis. They just burned the books in the street, something that I’m surprised Doug hasn’t taken up because it’s probably cheaper than restricting library services and we could all stand around the burning piles with our not-so-buck-a-beers.
Then there’s the computers that folks can use at the library. Doug wants to restrict that too. And, the community gatherings by all kinds of social and charitable groups who use libraries as their meeting spaces. These won’t be happening so often soon because the libraries’ funding has been torn asunder and so they can’t offer such simple and mundane services as a room for people to meet. Hmm, stopping groups of people meeting in public buildings. Probably a good thing because all kinds of crazed, politically-motivated, anti-government agitators are bound to be using library space. You know, those good for nothing mothers and babies; or the trouble-making Lego Club; how about the scourge of local society, the coffee and colouring folks from the HHHS. Thanks Doug, you’ve put my mind at rest, knowing that such malingerers will no longer find it easy to use our libraries.
And, now that you’re well underway to crippling the Ontario library system, Doug, why not go for the jugular and see if you can cut off the learning at the source. Why not see if you can screw up the education system, eh? How about increasing class sizes and cutting funding for after- school programs?
Oh, of course, you’re already doing that. And you’re gonna ‘streamline’ the health service too. Good man, let’s make real sure that when we’ve all drank ourselves into an illiterate oblivion there will be no hospitals or health services within a 100 miles to help us get back on track. Libraries, really Doug…
