Editorials / Opinions

Trump is suing his own government. Our government. Trump is suing the IRS and Treasury Department for $10 billion, as he accuses the federal agencies of a failure to prevent a leak of the president’s tax information to news outlets between 2018 and 2020 (which he should have disclosed anyway). Trump paid only $750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017. Sure glad I filed and paid my taxes. Trump’s $10 billion cash grab from the IRS is an ethical disaster that would likely make him dramatically wealthier while sticking American taxpayers with an outrageous bill. Taxpayers are already paying for covering government lawyers from the Department of Justice, court administration costs and agency time and resources for this lawsuit. Now Trump and the IRS are discussing a possible settlement which the taxpayer would have to pay. If you are getting a federal tax refund this may explain why it will take a long time before you see your refund. For Trump to line his own pocket at taxpayer expense is a shameless misuse of power that should make any American’s head spin. What to read more, just look up this lawsuit as I did and contact your Senator and Congressman to stop this betrayal of the American people.

Sincerely,

Joan Reading, Union Dale, PA

On the evening of April 16th there was a meeting at the Montrose Library billed as “Join The Discussion About The Future Of Our Library.” Notices of the gathering were passed out at the Montrose franchise of No Kings rallies several weeks ago. The meeting was attended by 40-plus people, and demographically the average age was probably over 60.

For some perspective, for many years the library board was what can reasonably be described as liberal activist, but for the most part ostensibly innocuous until a few years ago when it was revealed they decided to disallow parents from knowing what their kids were checking out. Board meetings that until then had been sparely attended swelled by concerned parents and citizens. Toward the end of 2024, through some procedural maneuvering and symbolic but strategically ill-conceived resignations of liberal activist board members, a new board ascended that is conservative leaning and non-activist. The April 16th meeting was called by supporters of the former board but was also attended by a number of people supporting the current board.

The meeting was cordial and civil, with basically three featured speakers, one (perhaps named Barbara: my hearing is not flawless) made introductions, another named Kate who described herself as a retired professional (and/or) certified librarian, and a gentleman named George, a member of the former board. Much of the discussion focused on the absence of a person with a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree serving as the head librarian, and that a person with that credential had been discharged by the new board. Apparently it is accepted as a fact that PA law requires the head librarian possess an MLS. I spent much time researching this and concluded it’s actually a little murky. The pertinent law is 24 Pa.C.S. § 9319, which states “Professional librarians shall have a college degree in addition to one or more academic years of professional library education;” there is no specific mention of an MLS requirement.

Of concern is the Dept. of Education guidelines state, “The State Library recognizes a master’s degree in library science (MLS/MLIS) from a school accredited by the American Library Association (ALA), or an equivalent program of professional library education, as satisfying the 5th-year degree in library service required for certification as a professional librarian.” The issue is that the ALA, whatever it might have been, is notorious for its progressive left wing views, not just casual but radical, coupled with vociferous activism. Anytime a governmental body delegates authority to a non-governmental organization it must do so with wisdom and good judgment. Perhaps there was a time the ALA was a true professional organization made up of adults, but at the present it’s like the government deferring to an extreme religious group. In other words, anything associated with the ALA is tainted.

The second speaker, Kate, referred to libraries as being “safe spaces,” and admittedly I’ve come to recoil at that phrase. I’ve spent a number of years living in counties where gun and machete violence was ubiquitous and constant vigilance was necessary, so I’m pretty well acquainted with spaces that aren’t safe. I seriously doubt that at any point the Susquehanna library system was dangerous, and the reality is in the modern cultural lexicon a “safe space” is where select demographics groups are preferentially welcomed over others. We increasingly hear from immature and entitled people claims they don’t “feel safe,” when what is meant is they expect special consideration and treatment. This is not only selfish but ultimately demeaning to them, that they require and even demand extrinsic affirmation, and it’s not the place of a library or any other organization that is supposed to serve everyone with equal consideration and respect to acquiesce to this mind set.

As mentioned, the meeting was not at all acrimonious. There was a question and answer session in the second half, and one attendee became a little animated when advocating for a librarian with a MLS. She likened it to health care: when you have a medical problem you expect to see a professional, and it’s the same as when you need a librarian. To me this is an unconvincing argument, and in many ways the entire concept of “professionalism” has been diluted in recent years, often by “professional” organizations such as the ALA. Even the medical world, in which I spent my working life, has thrown away much of its credibility by embracing activism and conjuring up science (and accompanying slogans) that comports with a particular worldview rather than what is actually known and experienced. At the meeting there was some mention of a MLS professional librarian being the arbiter of what is appropriate in regards to books and knowledge to be disseminated, which is consistent with the elitist mindset that “regular” people need to be told by their betters what they should think.

I’ve been a library guy all of my life, often hanging out at the local library when I was a kid. My hope is that the future of the Susquehanna County library system is one of impartiality, where everyone can feel welcome and particular people, groups, and beliefs are not welcomed above others. This approach costs nothing, is easy to accomplish, offends no one, and respectful of all.

Sincerely,

Reid Fitzsimons, Thompson, PA