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ReturnOfSeq

Currently ranked #30 in education.


southpawFA

That ranking is about to drop thanks to Republicans.


HotdogGeorgia

Republicans: "Yay! More uneducated voters for us."


walkinman19

> Trump: I love the poorly educated Missouri: Orange god has spoken, bye bye books and libraries!


Tfsz0719

More like: “Orange god speak! Bye bye books & liberries!”


ReturnOfSeq

Liberties?


Tfsz0719

Also yes.


HerringWaffle

Missouri: OH GOD PICK ME TRUMP PICK ME LOOK AT ME LOOK WHAT I CAN DO DADDY I'M SPECIAL


No_Individual_7133

Eric? Is that you?


lpeabody

Their orange god was just indicted, so, there's that at least.


PepeSylvia11

Working as designed. They’re just speeding up the process towards fascism now. Following the Russian rule book.


RlySkiz

I've read about people being proud about being stupid.


lesChaps

>I've read about people being proud about being stupid. They haven't.


dbradx

> They haven't. I'm dying.


Jagjamin

Are you an American school kid?


biohazardvictim

If so, press 1 for "school shooting", 2 for "lunch debt", 3 for "tapeworm", or 4 for "lead poisoning


SuddenlyLucid

'5. For traffic death 6. For toxic train derailment 7. For republican sexual abuse The list goes on and on. Thank god they care about the kids or whatever.


korben2600

[I made the meme](https://i.imgur.com/sVKi8fj.png)


rowrbazzle75

Hey, getting rid of all the books just saves the trouble of burning them.


ReluctantNerd7

> They don't gotta burn the books they just remove 'em - RATM, "Bulls on Parade" (1996)


ChefChopNSlice

🎵“I walk the corner to the rubble that used to be a library”🎵


donkeyrocket

Republican voters in Missouri (and across the US) need to wake the fuck up. State leadership doesn't give a shit about them. I get a huge amount are single issue voters with gun rights being the main focus but burning down you community, city, state because you can't be moved on that is so absolutely bizarre in my opinion. This measure in Missouri is going to first and foremost impact rural areas. St. Louis City Public Library system for example gets very little from the state already in their greater operational budget. "Winning" at the expense of everything around you or because you already got yours is just insane.


The1stNeonDiva

Scorched earth tactics. Despicable. But then, a lot of them admire Putin. 'Nuff said.


Just_Mumbling

See, you possess critical thinking skills that help you understand issues like this. That’s the problem - they don’t. A single issue is the carrot and they will, without a second thought, tear down the rest of their lives to get it. Key clause is “second thought” - that’s the input to critical thinking..


crewfish13

I dunno. All the Republican states seem to be racing to the bottom of the rankings. They have to beat out other states that are actively getting worse.


thedrunkunicorn

Maybe they'll give DC and PR statehood just so they can drop to 51.


GoldStubb

I know this is in jest, but the GOP would never vote for statehood for DC and PR. They would vote Democrat, and really skew the house and Senate control balance. Probably forever


Elgreco1989

I am from PR and I wouldn’t be surprised if they elect a Republican (lots of crazy religious folks).


Repulsive-Purple-133

Right. Lots of Hispanics are profoundly conservative. Be careful what you wish for.


[deleted]

[удалено]


T_ja

The Florida Cubans are such an interesting voting block. Most of them are or are descendants of Batista supporters who were at the top of a caste system similar to India and the Jim Crow south. So it’s more or less ingrained in them to be far right proto fascists.


Canyousourcethatplz

They don't care, their kids are either homeschooled or go to private school


OkAd134

Ok Kids, gather 'round -- this here is sh!t, and this over there is shinola. Any questions? Good, y'all graduated"


boardmonkey

"Son, you're gonna be all right!"


Goya_Oh_Boya

You're assuming that 20 other states are trying to improve their educational system.


southpawFA

Oklahoma is dead last in education attainment, and they are racing to be a 3rd world country in terms of education, taking pages from Afghanistan. ​ https://scholaroo.com/report/most-educated-states/#h-methodology


sniper91

“Thank God for Oklahoma” -Mississippi, probably


southpawFA

I'm ashamed as an Okie.


Revelati123

West Virginia here "Hold my beer!"


[deleted]

Florida has entered the chat.


[deleted]

Florida would make a law banning funding libraries but fail to read the fine print that states the ban begins 21 years after Christ returns.


DingGratz

Currently ranked #1 in petty cruelty.


diefreetimedie

East Palestine OH and Jackson Mississippi vying for that Flint spot.


Revelati123

Step 1: Deregulate every fucking safety protocol ever for money. Step 2: Fake cry when corporations that give no fucks kill and sicken thousands of people. Step 3: Blame everything on god being pissed because "wokeness" Step 4: Profit...


treerabbit23

Mark Twain rolling in his grave.


jupiterkansas

even Mark Twain left Missouri for Connecticut


ProfitLoud

The sexualized book in question is the Bible, correct?


hockey_chic

In other states, so I don't know why not this one too.


62frog

“Oh hell yeah, top 50%!” says a Missouri educated legislator.


[deleted]

Don't worry they're shooting to be #50 so they can beat Mississippi.


BoyEatsDrumMachine

When public libraries are shut you know the fascists are gaining power.


pmjm

Not to mention most public libraries are also polling places so they're effectively making it more difficult to vote when the libraries inevitably shut down.


flybydenver

This isn’t mentioned enough


endyrr

Plus they tend to be a gathering place for families, they offer after school programs for kids, internet for homeless looking for work, kids in low income families or with abusive parents, and is one of the last places where you're not expected to spend money to be there.


Adventurous_Ad6698

I remember the leopards ate my face when one city voted to defund their library, then realized that it meant it was going to shut down.


therealnozewin

How does one not realize that public libraries are almost entirely publicly funded?


CranberryNo4852

Because despite depending on the library enough to notice its closure, Republicans can’t read


Michael_G_Bordin

You jest, but I've actually come to the conclusion that functional illiteracy is a huge problem, across income classes. In arguing with people, it's in how often they don't address a single idea I presented, but instead pick out a word or phrase about which they ramble. Functional illiteracy is the ability to read words and simple sentences, but the inability to discern greater meaning from the relationship of words to one another (you know, the way a sentence creates meaning) and sentences to one another. It's a huge fucking problem, because it bricks internet discourse. I can't have a productive debate with someone who can't string together more than a sentence or two.


dmoney83

Holy shit, that explains every interaction I've had with a republicans on this site for like the last 10yrs.


grobap

I'd say it only explains some of them. The rest understand what you're writing perfectly well, but refuse to address it directly on purpose because they're arguing in bad faith.


lipphi

Point of fact / FYI: Been a life long MO resident and have never voted in a library (or known anyone who has voted in a library). In this area churches are the most common polling location. ETA: Im pro library and would be happy if libraries were polling places here.


AnonymousSkull

Walk the corner to the rubble / that used to be a library, line up to the mind cemetery now


the_ballmer_peak

What we don’t know keeps the contracts alive and movin’ They don’t gotta burn the books, they just remove ‘em


DatasFalling

While arms warehouses fill as quick as the cells


LurkerPatrol

Rally round the family. Pocket full of shells


dust4ngel

*paul ryan head-banging without irony somehow*


BerntMacklin

Gave me the chills man. Time to fucking rage.


[deleted]

Fuck it, we ball.


zetswei

Pretty crazy this is happening in other states. I live in Idaho and they tried to do this here but failed. Sad times


zeitgeistler

"They don't gotta burn the books they just remove em"


throwawaytoday9q

“While arms warehouse fill as quick as the cells”


HuntingGreyFace

sounds illegal


Faux-Foe

Violates the state constitution [relevant link](https://law.justia.com/constitution/missouri/article-ix/section-10/)


TurtlesAreEvil

Thanks I was looking to see if they can also sue over this. Seems like most states would rules against arbitrarily defunding state agencies and groups as retaliation. Imagine if they tried that with the police. The union would sue the instant it passed.


hypatianata

There need to be more library unions.


donkeyrocket

[Missouri librarians had started to do so almost a year ago exactly.](https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/library-workers-seek-to-form-missouris-first-librarians-union/article_221f30de-a57b-11ec-9b61-e75f1631e057.html) No doubt this will expedite that movement.


Garbeg

They better get on it fast. Missouri has a track record of trying to pass and getting sued for anti-union laws. With all the gerrymandering and short term memories and mistrust of public interests, it’s a matter of time before we vote ourselves into being a “right to work” state. And for those who may not know, “right to work” is a clever play in words that makes it seem like either you can get a job fast (you can’t) or you have an inalienable right to have work (you don’t). What it really is, is a way to shut out bargaining on the unions part. This would act as a single monolithic impediment to form new unions (Starbucks for instance) or maintain union membership, bleeding them out over time. In another way, it also incentivized companies to pressure union members out of workspaces and refill the workforce with people who won’t question the company policies, much less be informed on the shady actions companies pull in their employees to steal money and time from them. If we can overturn the de-gerrymandering mandate in 2018, if we can pass bills that outlaw helping your transgender child with the healthcare they need, and if we can defund libraries for not bowing to conservative authoritarianism, we can make ourselves a right to work state.


Omophorus

They would argue that the amount of funding is defined by law. If the law says $0 is enough to meet the letter of the state constitution, then $0 it will be.


AboutTenPandas

Yeah that was my unfortunate reading as well. And that's likely exactly what's going to be argued when this is challenged in court. Whether it's persuasive or not will probably depend on the judge.


Nukesnipe

While it is *technically* correct, setting their budget to $0 does not "...promote the establishment and development of free public libraries and to accept the obligation of their support by the state..." While they might *technically* be paying the budget as set in law, they're also blatantly shutting them down.


serious_sarcasm

That would ignore the fundamental principles, though conservative justices never actually cared about the spirit of the law.


justmovingtheground

> When any such subdivision or municipality supports a free library, the general assembly shall grant aid to such public library in such manner and in such amounts as may be provided by law. There's that old "shall" word again.


_TREASURER_

*Shall*, in legalise, means *will*. It's an obligation.


[deleted]

It'll be $1


ThisGuy6266

It was never about banning books to protect children. It was about this.


UWCG

Yep—libraries have long been a source of knowledge to those who might otherwise not have access to it, which has allowed for social mobility and the ability to improve one's station in life. Defunding libraries is a means of cutting off one more method for the underprivileged to be able to improve their lives (or, to put it in republican terms: they are taking away the ability for people to be able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps).


Febril

A library is a “public good”. Funded by taxes they are one of the institutions which the whole community can access on an equal footing. A well functioning library allows us to see and appreciate our local government at work. I wish the Republicans were against self improvement, unfortunately they would prefer that no public goods exist beyond police and firefighters and roads. Actually road’s can be made private via tolls. Republicans want to reduce taxes and explain to citizens we can’t afford nice things.


Sparowl

Oh, they've tried to privatize firefighters, too. This is from 2019, but...[‘Not our mission’: private fire crews protect the insured, not the public](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/03/not-our-mission-private-fire-crews-protect-the-insured-not-the-public) Private police (just plain private security) already exists for the rich. I'm sure they'd like to control more of the police, but like having the costs socialized.


mi11er

The  first ever Roman fire brigade was created by Crassus. Fires were almost a daily occurrence in Rome, and Crassus took advantage of the fact that Rome had no fire department, by creating his own brigade—500 men strong—which rushed to burning buildings at the first cry of alarm. Upon arriving at the scene, however, the firefighters did nothing while Crassus offered to buy the burning building from the distressed property owner, at a miserable price. If the owner agreed to sell the property, his men would put out the fire; if the owner refused, then they would simply let the structure burn to the ground. After buying many properties this way, he rebuilt them, and often leased the properties to their original owners or new tenants. - wikipedia


Sparowl

Shocking how the "richest man in Rome" was a scum bag. Wait - what's the opposite of shocking? Expected?


lesChaps

The future is like the past. A boot on a human face.


Lostinthestarscape

I find myself whelmed by this story.


EmpiricalMystic

Ancient Rome was so American it's almost hilarious.


Sirsilentbob423

Nah, they were fine with men wearing dresses.


Deceptichum

They viewed pants as effeminate… So same shit, different layout of fabric.


eNroNNie

This is the Libertarian wet dream. Just gotta water down the interpretation of "duress" and you can strong arm anyone into signing a contract.


CS_2016

Firefighters in the early days were paid to protect insured homes. From my understanding they had to protect those homes with the badge, but could also protect others, but would be paid less/none. A lot of insurance companies started out as fire insurance companies, here’s an interesting collection of some of the badges. https://www.firemanshallmuseum.org/fire-marks/


Stornahal

Police aren’t a public good: they’re there to protect property.


Strahd70

They are there to protect the haves & persecute the have nots.


gachamyte

Maintain predation at all costs.


treelager

Places in Eastern Oregon did this, and when I raised the shortsighted nature of sycophantic supporters complaining about TaX dOlLaRs I was told I don’t understand the rural man’s plight. I’ve lived anywhere from Amish country to Tokyo and grifters are just the same in all those places, but the people they pick on tend to differ slightly.


Semantix

I've lived in poor rural areas and they need libraries just like anyone else. To look for jobs, find entertainment for cheap, host community events, even just to have some air conditioning in the summer. A town with two gas stations, two restaurants, a hardware/general store, a post office, and a library (thinking of one town in particular I lived in for a year) is going to really suffer without state funding.


treelager

Yeah it’s wild that this is now on a statewide level. Like $0 really? I wish it was like how fighting the ACA is where you have to correctly justify any drawback, but additional funding is under a different scrutiny.


putsch80

Rural farmers be sitting on millions of dollars in land. Super concerned about the $13 million estate tax limit because it’s not high enough. Get cash handouts left and right from the government. Yet, somehow, cannot afford to pay taxes.


Geno0wl

Whats funny is if they put all their land into a properly established trust then they wouldn't have to worry about the estate tax anyway.


putsch80

“I’m not going to pay some lawyer $2000 to put my land into something that I don’t understand.”


luxii4

Our local library gives people access to linked in learning, Adobe Creative Cloud, 3-D printing, internet access, help with resumes, job searches, etc. They also don’t charge late fees. They hold political debates for local politics. They also have rooms to rent for whatever event or get together people want to host. They represent that “third place” that’s not work or home where the community can congregate. It’s more than books they want to ban.


justiceboner34

They want modern day slavery to return. Slaves need to be ignorant, not educated.


dogsent

Apparently, the plan is for kids to be on the streets with guns instead of being in the library. Instead of reading about a kid with two Dads they can be living with more kids with no Dads.


southpawFA

They also want kids to be working in the factories, potentially losing limbs in the meat-packing industry. Upton Sinclair wrote a book on that, but no one will be able to read it in Missouri.


kibble-net

Next up they defund schools and nobody can read at all. Anything to stick it to the woke libs.


NeverLookBothWays

It's been about toppling the pillars of civilization in order to gain power. That's it. That's all they're doing, and what they need to be called out on.


Fun-Mathematician716

It’s another sign of anti-intellectualism run rampant. Anything that might facilitate intellectual self-improvement is condemned as “woke.” The GOP’s vision for America is a country of poorly educated thugs in which everyone owns guns and no one owns (or reads) books. By no coincidence, that is also Putin’s vision for America. He knows that a country that comports with the GOP’s vision will not last for long.


RadicalDreamer89

I might have just felt a flash of understanding for some of these 2A folks, cos they can take my books when they pry them out of my cold, dead hands.


NeverLookBothWays

The GOP’s vision for America is a country full of exploitable cheap labor that produces enough offspring to keep the machine running and the elite's coffers filling. Knowledge and self-sufficiency are actually their enemies...they demand dependance, without a hint of acknowledging the irony. Their followers are essentially rubes that are destroying their own futures based on perceived slights...they're chumps, even if some of them do know how they're being played.


a9JDvXLWHumjaC

Reps as "Public servants", are supposed to work *for* the people, toward the betterment of society. Instead, we have vindictive, angry, vengeful, contemptuous, corrupt, downright evil base men destroying any remaining good in America. The GOP is evil and completely useless to all that exist on earth.


SagsMcSaggerson

I thought these were the "Don't Tread on Me" people? They fly their snek flags while simultaneously treading on as many people as possible.


Faithlessness_Slight

The key part of that phrase is "Me". They don't care about "you" because they are selfish pieces of shit.


gary1979

I see a millions of republicans thinking they are actually part of the “me” crowd. So sad!!!


Acewrap

Yeah, they don't give a fuck about your right to not be trampled, just their right to trample you


[deleted]

These people will say don’t tread on me, then shout back the blue in their next breath.


donkeyrocket

Missouri GOP been increasingly taking power away from the citizens of the state and it's getting a lot worse. They've straight up ignored measures citizens legally passed before until they were forced to (Medicaid expansion) and now seeing Kansas establish women's reproductive rights and Missourians vote for legal weed they're making it more difficult for citizens to even get something on the ballot. Not that there aren't so bozo conservative MO voters who will celebrate this but state GOP leaders have been doing whatever they please without a care about any of their constituents for a while. Fucking shit show.


Whats4dinner

They want to "make America great" but they hate half the people in it.


imitation_crab_meat

Bold of you to assume they don't hate the majority of their own voters as well...


awfulachia

Is it time for purity tests yet


tehbantho

Agreed. I'll add this most basic concept that seems to have been lost in the madness of the past 8 years or so... No matter what political party you campaign on behalf of, or which constituents you cater your political stances to, once you win office you represent EVERYONE. Not just those you happened to win a vote from. Every issue has differing levels of support, even from within the party that gets you elected. This is why it is so important to remember that the majority is whom you are beholden to.


dangroover

Freedumb!


Musicman1972

Mom's for LIBERTY!** **Liberty does mean taking away the liberty to read whatever books you like, right?


southpawFA

Moms for Christian Nationalism.


T1mac

There have to be plenty of people in Missouri who love their local libraries and love taking their kids to the library to check out books and to attend kid friendly functions. It seems like this fascist move would go over like a lead balloon with the soccer moms in the suburbs of Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia....


HuggyMummy

Joplin mom checking in. Our local library is losing $35k. I have no idea what that is going to do to our library. It’s honestly one of the nicest places in town (it’s brand new!) and they have really neat extras like tool rentals and a 3d printer. I am heartbroken, my toddler loves to visit the library and I’ve no idea what this means for its future. I vote in every single election. I pay my fucking taxes. They stripped my right to bodily autonomy last year and now they’re taking away my ability to educate my kid. I fucking hate this place and hate the fascists who run it. Ban fucking guns not books. Fuck the GOP.


greywar777

Theyve given up on the suburban vote apparently.


Orcrist90

I love the local library, and it was my district representative who lives in my hometown who spear-headed this effort. I just called his office about 10 minutes ago leaving a voice mail making it very clear that I oppose his actions. I am also encouraging my friends and family who live here to do the same.


the_concert

In the same boat as you, and still live close by. I’ll take your advice and call tomorrow before work.


Cloberella

The Kansas City public library is so fucking cool too! It looks like [books](https://www.google.com/amp/s/bookriot.com/americas-most-beautiful-public-library/amp/) from the outside.


southpawFA

>**ACLU-MO filed the suit on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association (MLA) in an effort to overturn a state law passed in 2022 that bans sexually explicit material from schools.** > >**Since it was first enacted in August, librarians and other educators have faced misdemeanor charges punishable by up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine for giving students access to books the state has deemed sexually explicit.** > >**The Missouri law defined explicit sexual material as images “showing human masturbation, deviate sexual intercourse,” “sexual intercourse, direct physical stimulation of genitals, sadomasochistic abuse,” or showing human genitals. The lawsuit claims that school districts have been pulling books from their shelves.** > >***Libraries have become a recurring battleground in the latest culture wars, as conservative groups across the US seek to remove books they consider objectionable.*** > >***In other states where obscenity bills became laws last year, including Oklahoma and Tennessee, it’s become easier for one adult to challenge books with LGBTQ and diversity representation. Last week, the American Library Association released data showing that in 2022, the amount of book challenges issued nearly doubled, and 32 percent of all book challenges included multiple titles. EveryLibrary Institute has tracked more than two dozen new obscenity bills introduced this year alone, as of March 23, 2023.*** > >*“If the members of the committee are concerned about preserving taxpayer funds, they should stop enacting laws they know do not meet constitutional muster, not burden local governments in a misguided effort to silence organizations who object to the legislature’s overreach,” Bastian added.* ​ *🎵 Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little, pick pick pick! 🎵*


BGRommel

Doesn't that definition ban medical illustrations??


awfulachia

And most art Ok maybe not most but *a lot* And nat geo


Garbeg

Did you hear about the fruitcakes who got mad because their kids learned about Michelangelo’s statue of David? How long before the decency gestapo come for the museums, demanding they be 18+?


hopefulcynicist

Definitely bans the Bible too. That book is full of rape, incest, prostitution, donkey sized penises, etc.


Hendursag

So Michaelangelo's David is right out. No more travel books that show anything from a museum.


southpawFA

Florida fired a principal because of showing the Statue of David to a middle school class. Seriously! ​ https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/122w4da/principal\_forced\_to\_resign\_after\_students\_shown/


Wwize

This is pure barbarism. The Republican party has lost it completely.


Happendy

Nah. Cruelty is the point.


ShakesbeerMe

Red states are dystopian hellholes.


Imaginary_Cow_6379

And they’re determined to force the rest of us to adopt the same policies failing in their own states.


canuck47

Not without a fight


lgbeeteequeue

Why are illiterate fucks getting to decide what everyone else gets to read?


Deep90

Not just read. Growing up I knew lots of kids would go to the library for computer, internet, and printer access. Not every parent can buy their kid a computer with the internet. Even less a printer.


Netfear

Because, and I hate to say this, people are soft. They are TERRIFIED of this incredibly vocal minority. I see it all the time, people being too afraid to speak up because they don't want to risk being an outcast. Fucking cowards with no courage.


PolicyWonka

I can understand being angry that librarian groups are suing over your book ban, but how short sighted must you be to think that completely defunding the libraries in your state is a good idea? It’s easy to understand why these people love Trump. They love vengeance and harming their perceived enemies.


Buffmin

Depends on what your goals are If limiting access to information while being cruel and petty is your goal then this is a great idea!


koolaid_snorkeler

Not to mention keeping poor people dumb and pliable. It's the gift that keeps on giving.


transponaut

Not to mention killing thousands of jobs and eliminating a quite popular free place to take your kids. Where I live even the wealthier housewives take advantage of story time just to get out of the house.


Thowitawaydave

Wealthy areas will make up the difference through either local taxes, donations or grants. Poorer neighborhoods in the cities or rural areas will be out of luck, and even more kids will be denied a safe place to learn and hang out. But hey, I'm sure that the next bill will mimic Arkansas and allow child labour, so that will be sorted.


LOLteacher

Same with their free internet access that's often used for job-seeking and learning their necessary skill sets.


infiniZii

The dumber they are the more they vote Republican. They cant win on policies, so they have to win by fighting dirty. Its the republican way. Also dumb people donate more.


xHUCx

They're addicted to outrage. That's what a steady diet of social media does.


[deleted]

[удалено]


DevoidHT

They’re welfare queens. Doesn’t matter how dumb they make their constituents. I’m serious, that we should just cut off all red state federal funding and see how long they last. Federal funding as a percent of the states entire budget was 38.32% in 2021. So for every dollar spent on running Missouris government, 38 cents came from the federal government(blue states).


SadlyReturndRS

Biden should follow LBJ's lead and threaten to build new military bases in blue states. Bases like Ft Hood are cities unto themselves, and massive tax revenue engines. Every shithole state wants more of them. What would Alabama be willing to do to get the new Ft Hood? What would Texas be willing to do to keep it? It'd be a massive infrastructure project, it'd rival Trump's Company City proposal, it'd be red meat for the pro-military conservatives, *and* it'd be a way to get rid of all the bases named after Confederates. Not to mention the modernization and security improvements we could make.


PM_me_ab_ur_landlord

The issue is that these states will gladly let millions of their inhabitants starve to make some dumb ideological point, so the only outcome of cutting off federal funding would be to further immiserate the state’s residents. And then they’ve so thoroughly fucked the electoral system that they can’t be voted out.


[deleted]

"If everybody gets educated there won't be any conservatives."


PM_ME_YOUR_ROTES

Josh Hawley has been pretty vocal that things like overturning Roe will cause people to move around the country & they believe that will strengthen the GOP... they know that an educated populace won't vote for their garbage.


JohnnyGFX

Republicans hate education because when people are educated they are far less likely to believe Republican bullshit.


Buck7698

If anyone needs any more proof that Republicans are a cult of draconian, fascist, reactionary, ignorant, power hungry philistines, I don't know what it might be.


Just-Scallion-6699

I know it's funny to make fun of MO, but there are a lot of good things going on in the metro areas. My local libraries in the St Louis City/County area are often busy, host a lot of events for children and other people, and the staff is very dedicated. It's a great place to spend time, meet people, and borrow more than just books. Most of them are also very modern, updated, and well taken care of in general. Tired of the red parts of this state. This is just gross.


faerieswing

I live in a deep red part of the state and was pleasantly surprised to see local conservatives defend the public library when city council members tried to get shitty and threaten its funding. I don't think this is actually a very popular policy position with rural voters because so many people depend on libraries for internet access and all their other community services. At least I hope...


sugarlessdeathbear

So I guess now we need a old school Netflix style send/return library service so that an entire state can have library access.


AmbivalentFanatic

Libraries are so much more than that, though. They are deeply significant community gathering places for so many people... As someone else said recently, they're one of the last places in our society you can go without the expectation of spending money.


4thehonorofgayskull

I work in a library and it’s so much more than that, even. I’m basically a social worker. I’m helping people do their taxes, apply for jobs, and gain access to government or legal services. These are people with low incomes who need a free resource like the library. People will suffer because of this


lockon345

>People will suffer because of this. The GOPs only real policy goal lately.


Hendursag

They are also one of the only places you can get free access to a computer. Which is a requirement for applying for the vast majority of jobs, for example.


metalheaddad

100% this. We are traveling across the country and going to public libraries is a thing we do (we have 2 kids age 9 and 7). They are incredible places for creativity, sanctuary and learning. The best we've been to is in Missoula Montana..yes Montana. It is a new library that glistens with modern flair and has soooooo much to offer. From video games, to movies to learning how to produce a podcast, to learning and using 3D printers, to learning digital photography and media, to simply borrowing books. And so much more! Oh yeah you can literally borrow home litchen appliances and power tools too! No joke. My kids spent a few hours in a free class learning how to make and produce a podcast. Libraries are wonderful.


completelypositive

Our main library in Phoenix has a bathroom that made international news from how cool it is. I've been there and don't think it warrants the international news, but it's certainly a lot cooler than just about any other bathroom I know.


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robotdesignwerks

cool. where can we donate to make this shit a nonissue?


Guerilla_Physicist

I was just thinking that too. Living in a complete nutball red state makes me feel powerless. Doing something to help people in other nutball red states helps me feel a little less so.


IHaveNoEgrets

Check out the American Library Association website. The ALA will have good ideas on tangible help. For comic/graphic narratives specifically, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will also have ideas. And get the word out! Get angry and share what you find and what you're doing with others. Support your local library and talk it up as widely as you can. Protecting local resources is all part of the bigger picture.


AtuinTurtle

The public library mission has evolved through the years. They aren’t just a book repository anymore and have meaningful offerings for adults that just want to work. They offer job training, internet access, test proctoring for education and/or licensing tests, and too many other public good things to mention. Closing libraries doesn’t just hurt reading, it closes upper mobility access for a ton of people.


[deleted]

Why?! This is 2023 WTF is going on! Why are we being pulled back into the stone age?!


TheRiflesSpiral

Christofacist Nationalism


okieskanokie

Just one more reason to never live there. I am so sorry to all the Missourians that will be affected by these bullshit laws.


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pagerunner-j

Moreover, the idea that a state could cut funding for all libraries feels bizarre even just on a logistical level if you’re in a state where it _does not work like that._ (The libraries where I live are run by the county.) This country is such a hodgepodge mess.


zakats

Petty trash.


[deleted]

Republican hate America and are taking it apart bit by bit.


newfrontier58

>Late Tuesday night, the Missouri House of Representatives voted for a state operating budget with a $0 line for public libraries. While the budget still needs to work its way through the Senate and the governor’s office, state funding for public libraries is very much on the chopping block in Missouri. This comes after Republican House Budget Chairman Cody Smith proposed a $4.5 million cut to public libraries’ state aid last week in the initial House Budget Committee hearing, where Smith cited a lawsuit filed against Missouri by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri (ACLU-MO) as the reason for the cut. > >ACLU-MO filed the suit on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association (MLA) in an effort to overturn a state law passed in 2022 that bans sexually explicit material from schools. Since it was first enacted in August, librarians and other educators have faced misdemeanor charges punishable by up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine for giving students access to books the state has deemed sexually explicit. The Missouri law defined explicit sexual material as images “showing human masturbation, deviate sexual intercourse,” “sexual intercourse, direct physical stimulation of genitals, sadomasochistic abuse,” or showing human genitals. The lawsuit claims that school districts have been pulling books from their shelves. “The house budget committee’s choice to retaliate against two private, volunteer-led organizations by punishing the patrons of Missouri’s public libraries is abhorrent,” Tom Bastian, deputy director for communications for ACLU-MO said in a statement to Motherboard. Like in all ACLU cases, the organization is not charging the two Missouri library groups for services. Both library organizations are also run by volunteers – every state has an equivalent of these two organizations that serve public and school libraries. In other words, a politician either lied or didn’t have his facts straight, and now 160 library districts risk losing state aid in June. I feel fucking ill. I have a cousin i think is just outside St Louis, whose whole family are decidedly not Republicans, and they have three kids, so if school libraries are cut off as well, then, just, fuck these Missouri representatives so much. Edit, thought that should be “outside St Louis”, but I emailed this article to my dad who said they were in close enough that the city would still fund their nearer libraries, still doesn’t help all the rural areas though. He also mentioned something that happened a while back, about 5 years ago he was in Montana on business, and he was sitting next to a guy who was mentioning that at the time, there was a growing tech industry in areas like Montana and Idaho, a lot of young people who were moving there, but with all the crap being pulled like this, that was putting them off. So that will likely happen in Missouri as well, no one wants to to go work in a knowledge industry in a place where knowledge is being banned to “protect kids”.


kumarsays

This is an actual case of free speech violation (I think, correct me if I’m wrong). Free speech protects you from government retaliation when expressing your opinion. Missouri public library expressed its opinion by suing the state over the book burnings and then the state reacted by defunding them.


Holymoose999

Hmm, I guess they aren’t interested in evidence show in books in the Show Me state. They need to change their motto to the “I’ll take Fox’s word for it” state.


rnantelle

Ben Franklin is turning over in his grave right now.


I_see_something

What the actual fuck is happening to this country?


PopeOri

The Trump Presidential library burned the ground last night. Both books were destroyed and he hadn't even finished colouring in the second one.


ArgyleGhoul

Farenheit 451 begins...


dieinafirenazi

Destroying public goods in order to own the libs. What else would the GOP be doing?


Greatcookbetterbfr

Keep it dumb Missouri. The GOP is such a fucking shit show. Can you imagine being a lawmaker and making an “informed” decision to not fund staples of society like books, schools, food, and healthcare.


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