{"id":213,"date":"2013-01-10T17:42:06","date_gmt":"2013-01-10T22:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/30000-saved-by-library-furloughs-millions-for-building-construction-idelle-dear-lcc-2013-01-08.html"},"modified":"2013-01-10T17:42:06","modified_gmt":"2013-01-10T22:42:06","slug":"30000-saved-by-library-furloughs-millions-for-building-construction-idelle-dear-lcc-2013-01-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/30000-saved-by-library-furloughs-millions-for-building-construction-idelle-dear-lcc-2013-01-08.html","title":{"rendered":"$30,000 saved by library furloughs, $millions for building construction —Idelle Dear @ LCC 2013-01-08"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\n<\/a>\nIdelle Dear noted we’re up to 12 library furlough days,\nand reported a flaw in that picture to\n\nthe 8 January 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n

\nI looked across the street\nand there are millions of dollars being spent on the construction of the\nhospital, construction of the VSU Health Sciences building.\nAnd yet what is happening, because\nthis is a mandatory furlough for all employees,\nis that people who are employed by the South Georgia Regional Library,\nmost of whom are minimum wage, work part time,\nrely on the income: they are going to lose out….\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nWe’d heard about these\n\nstate-mandated furlough closings<\/a> at a library board meeting.\nIdelle Dear spelled out some of the consequences, and made\nsome telling comparisons.\n<\/p>\n

\n

\nSomething is wrong with this picture,\nand I realize there are different kinds of money,\nbut something is wrong with this picture if we can spend\nmillions and millions of dollars on construction of these buildings\nand yet shut down the library and the employees who are in low income\nare going to be affected.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nShe said she wasn’t sure most people even knew about all this.\nAnd she heard somebody had said most people have Internet at home, but\n<\/p>\n\n\n

\n…that’s just so not true.\nMany people use the library who can’t afford Internet at home.\nThey use it for filling out job applications, for doing homework…\nmany uses of the Internet….\nAnd of course there are a lot of people who check out books,\ncheck out DVDs, use the meeting rooms constantly, and there are\nall the education programs for the children.\nSo the library is very much needed and very important for the community.\n

\nAnd I think I neglected to mention that the\namount of savings due to these 12 furlough days is $30,000.\nAnd that is just so piddling compared to the amount\nbeing spent on these buildings,\nSo I’m here to ask that y’all come up with money so that we can keep\nthe library open.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nWhat will the Commission decide is more important?\nKeeping libraries open, for which Ms. Dear presented quite a bit of evidence,\nor\n\nstriping roads<\/a>, for which Mr. Lee presented none?\n<\/p>\n

\nHere’s\n\nthe video:<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

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