I was going to write about how excited I was that both the Ignyte Awards and the Shirley Jackson Awards nominations both dropped last week. I’ve already started reading through the Hugo Awards nominees, which were announced back in April, and now I have plenty of reading material to last me the rest of the year.
Then I saw this drop: Senate budget threatens Ohio library funding
Senate Republicans aren’t coming to the rescue of Ohio libraries.
The Senate budget plan mirrors a House proposal that eliminates guaranteed state funding for libraries, tied to percentage of state tax revenues.
Under both budgets, library funding instead appears in the budget as a simple line item that could be slashed in subsequent budgets without notice.
On top of that, it lumps together several other library entities into the same Public Library Fund so the money allocated would potentially be cut into smaller pieces.
Needless to say, libraries are concerned.
This is the budget which Republicans passed in both the Ohio House and Senate. The Senate passed the bill today, in fact, with just one Republican joining Democrats to vote no. The bill removes the Public Library Fund, which gives Republicans the option to kill funding for libraries in this and future budgets. Meanwhile, Republicans chose to fund the proposed new Brookpark Browns stadium with $600 million.
It is clear that Republicans don’t care about knowledge. They only care about grift, as the Haslem family is a major MAGA donor, all while showing they are inept at actual business.
This is due to Republican corruption.
This is due to Republican gerrymandering.
This is due to Republican greed.
If you vote Republican, this is all on you.
