A big win for public education in West Virginia

 In what was a clear case of people power versus money power, West Virginia voters overwhelmingly rejected two state constitutional measures on the ballot this election day that would have (further) threatened public education in West Virginia.

Amendment 2 would have given the legislature the power to eliminate business equipment taxes, most of which go to local governments to support public education, emergency service, public libraries, senior centers, parks, etc. It was a power grab that would have taken away control from local voters and governments and given it to politicians in Charleston to give tax breaks to their supporters. Needless to say, business interest groups and dark money supported the amendments.

Amendment 2 was defeated by a nearly 2 to 1 margin.

Amendment 4 was equally bad because it would have taken control of public school curriculums away from boards of educations and given it to the same politicians, opening the way to censorship, book banning, stifling of education, and bogus culture wars. 

Amendment 4 was shot down by a margin of approximately 60 to 40.

Credit for this was due to mobilization from many quarters, including boards of education, county commissions, unions, parents, educators and school support workers, firefighters, grassroots advocacy groups and many others. Lots of people I know (myself included) hit the road and threw hearts and souls into stopping 2 and 4.

For once anyway  people power won over money power.

Groan

(This is what libraries looked like when I started working in them.)

All we need these days is another embarrassing story about West Virginia. Well, guess what? We got one. This one hit a little close to home.

First a digression. By an accident of fate, I spent 10 years working in public libraries in WV. I started out as a part time janitor after high school. In fact, I got some of my best reading done when I was supposed to be cleaning the little library in my home town.

After the big flood of 1978 trashed my town, including the library, there was a lot of extra work. Eventually I started working with the public. I really loved bantering with people, waiting on kids, helping people find the information they needed (even if they weren't very clear on it sometimes) and putting on programs people wanted to come to.

Aside from the whole poverty thing, it was a good gig.

Libraries are like little liberated areas carved out in the midst of the reign of greed. They are refuges for people of all ages and passports of the mind.They are places where people can make a fresh start on education, careers, and personal development. They are places that provide a venue for many diverse viewpoints.

They're also outposts of free speech and bulwarks against book banning. Or were meant to be.

That's where the groan comes in. A national news story recently broke about the library director in Berkeley Springs who tried to keep a copy of Bob Woodward's Fear off the shelves. Fortunately, the library board lost no time in reversing the decision.

I'm hoping that the exposure this incident has gotten sends a loud and clear message that this kind of **** is not to be tolerated.

The distance between book banning and book burning isn't that far.