Opinion - Letters to the Editor

POSTED: Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Promises to send money to support libraries

Today I called the reference center of Whatcom County libraries and received their usual thorough research on my unusual question.

Then I got to thinking of Proposition No. 1, and possibly losing library staff and hours if it does not pass.

Citizens who are educated, aware, passionately informed and literate are essential to our democratic form of government. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie understood this when he built beautiful libraries all over this nation, one of which still operates in Fairhaven.

Although we still pay the same taxes, state and federal programs are getting cut all over Whatcom County now. But with Proposition No. 1, we can choose to spend tax money locally. And WCLS is surely one of the finest library systems in the nation.

I read that for a $250,000 house, taxes will increase by $26 with Proposition No. 1. But I am a low-income renter, so the tax will not affect me. So here is what I decided: I am going to cobble together that $26 and send it to WCLS as seed money to hopefully snowball into a landslide of "yes" votes so libraries can carry on their splendid work here.

Virginia Hoyt

Glacier