A typical Oregon day – you look out the window, notice it’s sunny, and then notice that it’s still raining. At the same time.
I’m halfway done voting – although the most entertaining part, the ballot measures, is still to come. The pro and con arguments are guaranteed to provide a few laughs. I’ve never known anything except vote by mail, and I really like it. I can stretch out the process, or get it over with. Then I get to take it in to work and stick it in the ballot box. It’s always fun, seeing all the people come into the library with their ballots.
Hmm, I’d hope that any self-respecting person dropping off a ballot at the library will have voted for the library ballot measure. Honestly, I care more about that library district ballot measure than all the other issues – and candidates – put together. My particular library will lose a significant chunk of funding over the next few years, unless it passes – but our 25% of funding is nothing compared to the libraries that will lose 50-80% of their funding (the rest of the funding comes from the invididual cities). And it’s not like “oh, we want more money and if it doesn’t pass, we won’t be able to get raises/afford that remodel/increase our budget in proportion to the number of new users we’re getting.” If the ballot doesn’t pass, we lose our current county funds. A bunch of libraries will close. The rest of us will probably cut back on hours and ordering, if not staff.
I get ticked off when I see letters to the editor against the measure – especially one today that talked about how we can’t vote for new taxes in these tough economic times. Blah blah. These tough economic times are exactly why our circulation goes up every month, and why there was a 25% increase in participation in the summer reading program. We’re the place people go when they penny pinching.
Okay, enough of that. I don’t think anyone reading this lives in my county, plus I’m preaching to the choir. I’ll just shut up and put on my “vote for books” button. And go check out a stack of stuff from the library.
By the way, Octavian Nothing II rules. The vocabulary! The sentence structure! The characters! Oh, the joy!
4 comments
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October 20, 2008 at 6:11 pm
babelbabe
have you read any eva ibbotson? i just finished The Star of Kazan. FUN!
*I* care, and *I* will vote for books : ) oh, wait, I live in PA. grrrr.
October 21, 2008 at 1:22 am
Julia
I’ve already voted too, but we had no books on the ballot this year. If we had, they would have gotten my vote for sure!
Are you submitting an absentee ballot as well? I keep hearing about early voting but I don’t think we had that option in North Carolina, which is where I last voted in the US.
October 21, 2008 at 9:38 am
jessmonster
All of Oregon does vote by mail – absentee or not! I think Washington is also switching to this system. So I think it operates like absentee voting, except on a much larger scale, and there are no polling places, just ballot drop off sites on the day of the election. You can drop off or mail in the ballot, just as long as it reaches them by election day.
I love Eva Ibbotson! I read The Star of Kazan a few years ago. I think A Countess Below Stairs is my favorite so far, but I’ve got a ton left to read.
October 22, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Katya
When I lived in another state a similar measure was on the ballot. The library explained and explained how we would have to close some branches and cut out some services. Apparently we were not believed because people voted against the measure anyway.
Then they whined when we closed branches, cut back hours at others and cut back on some services and laid off some people.