To The Editor:
Re the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to library funding. I suppose one could ask who needs libraries anyway? You can look up almost anything on the internet these days and if you absolutely must read a book, why not join the 21st century and buy a Kindle? On the other hand, while the $1.55 million spent by the federal government on libraries may sound like a lot of money to the average taxpayer, it is an infinitesimal portion (1/10,000) of a percent) of the total proposed $1.15 trillion budget. That “savings” isn’t even going to register on anyone’s tax bill.
However, if Trump does succeed and the citizens of Vermont continue to stubbornly demand library services, I suppose the state can just raise our local taxes by the necessary amount in which case we won’t gain anything anyway. Is this a serious approach to fiscal responsibility or does Mr. Trump have some ulterior motive for this wackadoodle proposal?
Paul Hanke
Warren
