With the election is just days away, there are many important things to vote on, races of vital importance to our nation and our world. I want to write in favor of an initiative with a more local import. That is ballot measure N here in Oakland,California. Measure N calls for the city to issue bonds for $148 million for the improvement of the library system of the city. Measure N will fund improvements at many branch libraries, build two new branch libraries, and move the main downtown library from its present location to the HenryJ. Kaiser Convention Center.
I’ve always maintained that the quality of a community’s libraries is a good measure of the quality of that community in general. Libraries are places where people come together to learn, to share resources, to show civic pride. I want my city to have a fantastic library system. Look at all the money and energy that’s been used to bring and keep the Raiders in town. I think our libraries deserve just as much attention (both monetary and otherwise). Please join me in voting YES on Measure N.
Measure N is neither about neighborhood libraries nor about books and such downtown. It is about some City "leaders" palace envy, their desire for an "architectural landmark" to gloss over the elementary failures of City government. See http://www.orpn.org for details.
Posted by: Charles Pine | November 02, 2006 at 10:12 PM