h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Even better! I've always thought that people should be paid according to how much actual good they do for the community. In which case, we'd do just fine. But it will never happen. We are totally unappreciated.

Have a great mini-vacation.


H

Yeah, try telling the community that! "I pay my rates! I demand this, this and this!" Bleah! If they were aware how little a percentage of their rates acutally goes to the library service, I'm sure they'd think again.

How's the house coming along?

I don't know how your taxes work, but here the library gets almost nothing. Our tax rate is $4.23 per $100 of assessed valuation. The library gets $0.14 of that. But we're expected to have absolutely everything ever published, recorded or filmed. The school district is going to ask for an additional $0.40 which would bring their levy up to $3.67. But when I suggest raising the library levy I'm treated like a thief or a greedy conman trying to rob the taxpayers.

H

That sounds about right to me. *shakes head dejectedly*

I know. It's really depressing. We're the only educational entity that serves every single member of the community - cradle to grave - and yet we are always either shorted or totally ignored when the education funds are distributed.

Take state aid. The local school district receives about $3,000 per year per student from the state. In contrast, we get $0.55 per person in our district from the state.

H

Hmm, yes. You're preaching to the converted.

Maybe one day. . .

I don't think so. We'll always be the poor cousins.

H