Republicans actively oppose education ... AGAIN

It would be astonishing, unbelievable, even disturbing to see that Republicans in the Florida legislature are so vehemently opposed to education ... if it weren't so typical of them. It really goes back to the damaging legacy of Jeb! Bush, whose incessant crusade against public education I've covered here before, but it is truly upsetting to be reminded constantly that the GOP just doesn't want people to learn, to be educated in any way. It's how they keep their base uninformed and blind to facts, of course, but it's still distressing.

Yesterday the House and Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Conference Committee recommended cutting all state funding from Florida's libraries, to the tune of $21.2 million.

Over the weekend, that decision will be reviewed, and could possibly be changed, at two levels. It goes first to the chairmen of the ways and means committees, state Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, in the Senate, and state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, in the House.

The proposal then goes for review to Larry Cretul, speaker of the House, and Jeff Atwater, Senate president.

Alexander said the elimination of state library funding could be reversed before Monday's expected adoption of the state budget, but that appears unlikely.

"The concrete has been poured and it's hardening, but it's not finalized yet," Alexander said Friday from the state capital.

"That's one of the issues that are raising some concerns," he said. "We will take a hard look at it."

Alexander called restoration of library funding "possible," but added that the leadership "gives great weight to those conference committees."

Eliminating state aid will force the closing of branch libraries around the state and "have a particularly devastating impact on rural counties," said Faye Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Florida Library association.

State funding accounts for between 30 to 50 percent of the funding for rural libraries like the Highlands County system, Roberts said.

All funding for technology, including computers, in the Highlands County libraries comes from the five-county Heartland Library Cooperative, which is funded entirely by the state, Myers said.

"If the cooperative goes out of business, we won't have Internet unless the county could step up with the funding, but the county doesn't have the funding to do that," she said.

We're not talking about belt-tightening here; this is devastating to all Floridians, but naturally -- like most Republican legislative efforts -- the burden from these cuts falls disproportionately on minorities, the elderly, and lower-income citizens, who rely on libraries for everything from information gathering to Internet access.

Florida's GOP leadership must think no one's watching. First they try to keep otherwise eligible people from voting through dirty tricks and obfuscation, and now they add to their legacy of destruction with regard to education in the state. Isn't it time that the electorate woke the fuck up and realized that Republican legislators only care about themselves and maintaining their hold on wealth and power?

The battle isn't over yet. Folks like you are bombarding the legislators and the governor's office with phone calls and emails demanding that library funding be maintained.

A decision by House and Senate budget negotiators to wipe out $22.2 million [sic] in state support for public libraries, a program that has existed since 1962, may not be the final word.

Senate budget chief JD Alexander, meeting this morning with top budget lieutenants, said he will try to restore all or some of the money.

"We've had a lot of concern expressed over the funding for libraries," said the Lake Wales Republican. "I'm sure we'll get to that."

Gov. Charlie Crist, who showed up [at] the first round of budget conferences this morning, said he was already hearing from library supporters and said he hoped some money could be found.

Yeah, Charlie, we hope so, too. Someone has to stop the GOP-led War on Knowledge in Florida ... and this is where we draw the line.

Check out the Florida Library Association's (FLA) press release (.pdf) on this issue. Then find and contact your legislators at these links:

House of Representatives

Senate

Governor

Let them know that these indignities will not be forgotten. (And while you're at it, you might point out the irony of the image shown at right, taken from the "Government" page of the state's main Internet portal: "Sign up for your free library card?" Indeed ...)