The article is about the Michigan Library Association battling with the Michigan State Legislature on its decision to keep funds that belong to the libraries. The state legislature set up tax free zones for businesses years ago to help stimulate the state’s economy. In doing so the state was required by law to compensate the loss of money to tax funded programs such as libraries. Apparently now without changing the laws the legislature has decided to keep that money rather than give it to the libraries. The amount of money being illegally kept by the state is around three million dollars. For some libraries the loss in money is painful but only about five to six percent where for smaller libraries the loss in funding is estimated to be around thirty percent. Some of the library representatives have stated that this could cause branch closings and that there is no evidence the state is actually creating jobs with the money.
This is very similar to the last article I chose. The big difference is that the state legislature is blatantly breaking the law. They are openly stealing from a state funded business. It is amazing at how corrupt and greedy our government is becoming. Not only are they breaking the law, and stripping money from a vital community service, but one of the state representatives openly admitted it when confronted. How far are they willing to go to get money? First it was cutting money now it’s openly stealing it. I would also like to point out that the area of money that is being taken by the state is also supposed to go to schools. I guess literacy and education take the back burner when the state representatives need a raise.
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