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Bill: Public Libraries Bill
Details
Submitted by[?]: Modern Intellectual Party
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: July 2178
Description[?]:
| We believe that to provide the best service libraries should be ran by the government. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy towards the funding of libraries.
Old value:: The national government contracts with private companies to maintain a system of libraries.
Current: The national government controls a vast and comprehensive system of public libraries.
Proposed: The national government controls a vast and comprehensive system of public libraries.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 16:09:09, January 28, 2006 CET | From | Partiya Rizgarî ya Bamenistan | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | The current law is sufficient. Why do you believe civil servants can do a better job ? |
| Date | 20:59:18, January 28, 2006 CET | From | Cydweith Rhydd | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | Because they will never charge, and care about something other than profits. Libraries MUST be free to use, at least for books. This is the only way that can be ensured - it's the only way it's even possible. |
| Date | 21:21:10, January 28, 2006 CET | From | Bastiat Party | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | "Because they will never charge, and care about something other than profits." Yeah, instead of ASKING for customers to VOLUNTARILY pay a fee to rent a book, you prefer this wonderful thing known as "government" to step in and just steal money from other citizens to buy books so it is free for others to rent. Of course there is no charge, and it is only free to those that don't pay tax, those who do pay tax have no choice, they are forced to pay for something they might never even use, for somebody who does use the library. |
| Date | 00:29:26, January 29, 2006 CET | From | Modern Intellectual Party | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | The books are free for everyone to borrow, that is the beauty of the system. Knowledge and education are not things that people should have to pay for...that some people should be denied because they have no money. Of course there are then the issues of would a company running such a library stock a book that criticised that company? Would they keep books that weren't popular but were considered classics? Would they only keep really popular books, therefore denying so much information? If libraries were given to private companies to run no one would use them as they would cease being libraries. |
| Date | 00:31:19, January 29, 2006 CET | From | Modern Intellectual Party | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | Also the Bastiat Party seems very confused as to the whole principles of taxation, public spending, the greater good of society, helping the poor, corporations being legally obliged to put profit before all other consideration. |
| Date | 00:45:21, January 29, 2006 CET | From | Partiya Rizgarî ya Bamenistan | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | Profits make this country prosperous. It means tax revenues to pay the costs of your bureaucracy, reduces unemployment and gives people the spending power they to fulfil their dreams.... |
| Date | 02:16:34, January 29, 2006 CET | From | Cydweith Rhydd | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | I'm perfectly able to fulfil my dreams without spending power. Since when did money bring happiness? |
| Date | 10:18:24, January 29, 2006 CET | From | Bastiat Party | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | MIP "Knowledge and education are not things that people should have to pay for" What this means is that whoever creates knowledge should not be rewarded for it, and has no right to the product of his mind and effort. Let's say Mr A writes a book about economics, with this product he has created, he takes it to the market and asks a price for it. Customers come along, they like his book, some choose to buy it and agree to pay the fee, others don't. This is exchange for mutual benefit, else no exchange would take place. You say, "NO, you may not ask people to voluntarily buy your book, this book belongs to everyone, and therefore it is free." What would be the result? the writer would not bother to expend all that effort for no reward, there would be no incentive to create this new knowledge, with no new knowledge there is no progress. "Of course there are then the issues of would a company running such a library stock a book that criticised that company?" China does not allow its citizens to access knowledge regarding the tiananmen square massacre, and probably many more things that are anti-china and anti-communist. So a government cannot be trusted. There is no freedom of speech or expression. The difference is, a government can deny ALL access to knowledge it doesn't like, a private company cannot, as another competitor can just release that book. A government can deny freedom of speech, a company cannot. |
| Date | 12:30:52, January 29, 2006 CET | From | Modern Intellectual Party | To | Debating the Public Libraries Bill |
| Message | The idea that a company cannot deny freedom of speech is ridiculous, ideas are suppressed by news companies, corporations impose their world views. Besides Mr. A still gets paid for the book he writes, the government buys copies for the library, and if Mr. A is a writer of any moral worth he will like the idea that people are reading his book even if they haven't paid for it. There are millions of people who create things with no idea of profit at the end of it. I am baffled at this belief by some parties can corporations never do bad things, every day we hear about another company who has stolen its employees pension fund, has poisoned drinking water, defrauded its investors and these are the people you want to have power over libraries? Besides, in the event of a totalitarian regime civil servants who belief in the spirit of libraries would be far less open to restrictions of speech than a corporation. Also you have not addressed my concern about popular books being the only ones libraries would stock. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 208 | ||||
| no |
Total Seats: 116 | ||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 77 |
| Random fact: Alduria, Rildanor and Lourenne all have Canrilaise (French) cultures. |
| Random quote: "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated" - Mahatma Gandhi |