If This is Socialism, Just Call Me "Marx"

This morning, I made the short trip down to our public library on Main Street to attend my weekly Yoga class.  When I was a young man, I was quite accomplished at Yoga, was trained extensively, and even taught a few classes myself.  Now that I'm in those "golden" years, I find that I don't have that same flexibility I had when I was half this age.  However, I'll be damned if I'll let myself get stiff - at least, not without putting up a pretty good fight.  So I get myself out to class once a week and do some basic stretches, twists, bends, and balances along with the good number of other folks in the class.  

I imagine that not all of the people in the class could afford to maintain this regimen if it were not for the affordable price of the class, which is part of the public library's program.  I could probably get a class of the same or even better quality in a private studio - of which there are plenty around here - but probably at nearly ten times the cost.  So how does the library manage to offer such a useful program at such a low price?  There's a tax levy specifically for the library district, which amounts to less than I would pay just for weekly Yoga classes in a private studio.  And for this, I also have access to books, audio discs, videos, downloads, and much more.  Just last year, when a hurricane knocked out power to our area for four days, that same library set up extra stations for people to come in to charge their cell phones and use their laptops to check email.  I took advantage of their friendly service, after striking out at our local Starbucks and other private establishments not equipped to handle the demand.

When I hear arguments from the right side of the political spectrum, it seems that all I hear is that services are better offered through the private sector, and that public services provided by taxation smack of Socialism.  Now, I'm not advocating a socialist economy where the means of production are publicly owned - there is certainly a place for capitalist businesses in our country.  But there should also be a place reserved for services like libraries, schools, sanitation collection, transportation, and anything else that serves the common good.  Let's not be bullied into being afraid to support these public agencies because of a label slapped on them by partisan political interests.

So next week, I'm going out to vote "yes" on the proposed library budget.  How about you?

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