Hooray for open access to books. To contribute, click here. Those were the ancient s, and although times have changed, some things remain. Thankfully Minnesota is still a state where authors like me feel welcome to write and publish books and tell the stories we wish to share. The book is probably available or can be ordered from Amazon and the local bookstore. The Legislature should focus instead on helping schools address deteriorating reading scores in Minnesota.
That is the real problem. So the Legislature has outlawed book banning. It needs to think again. Public schools have been under attack for years, which has resulted in marked reductions in enrollment. More students are going to private schools or being home-schooled. Taking away the opportunity for the public to take part in deciding what students are to be exposed to is another step distancing public schools from the very people they need for support.
The legislators are playing right into the hands of those attacking public schools. Few topics for discussion bore me the way government budgetary matters do.
The city faces some sobering financial realities. Sugar Daddy Washington stopped pandemic funding. Pandemic-induced inflation made it harder for marginal earners to put food on the table. What to do? Well, those of us who are enjoying the good life here, and who can afford to do so, need to recognize our obligation to pay back the community. That may mean accepting higher taxes. These civil servants are dedicated, upright folks.
The programs they run bring us our quality of city life. After that? We have to accept, with compassion, that there are members of our community who need our help β through tax-funded services. And, we have to recognize that the vast, vast majority of these people are not loafers who are scamming the system. So, in summary, this budgetary shortfall is an opportunity for each of us to do some introspection.
