HERE HERE!! --- sdmarsh <sdmarsh@flash.net> wrote: > Hi Everyone: > > Ann and I exchanged emails earlier in the day about > my response to the Governor's canned response to > everyone who had sent him an email concerning his > proposal to break up the State Archives and Library. > She asked if she could send it in full and I > suggested my bluntness with him might offend some so > I would edit it and share. > > Dear Governor: > > Your proposal is a bad idea. It demonstrates your > lack of understanding of the role of a State > Library. It demonstrates your disdain for the > Legislative process and the need and expectation of > Voters for politicians to be knowledgeable > representatives of the People. It demonstrates your > financial link to Nova Southeastern supporting your > current and future political aspirations. It > demonstrates your disdain for the Florida residents > and sons and daughters of Florida across the country > and our ability to read agreements and follow the > conversation and still manage to smell a rat. > > Let me help you out by summarizing my concerns with > your proposal: > > * A State Library is an asset for all of the State > and especially the persons at the Capitol who want > to be informed Legislators and staff. Certainly > there are still some. All state residents already > have access to these documents through interlibrary > loan and they can actually get ACCESS to the > documents and get a LIBRARY CARD by simply coming to > Tallahassee and completing the paperwork. The State > Library is not a County Library. It should be > compared to other State libraries in looking at its > productivity. Your proposal will only make the > documents accessible to Broward Co. residents and > Nova students. Everyone else will have to do > interlibrary loans. The real purpose of a library > collection of related documents is to be able to sit > among them and do research, following up with links > in other documents while you are there and then > being able to check them out if you need to. That > will now only be possible for the good folks of > Broward Co. That's not better access! > , that is worse access, and almost everyone can see > that except you. Even the Broward County > Commissioners think this is a bad idea. Go figure. > * You failed to offer any funds to FSU, a public > university, even after significant reductions of > their budgets; but readily rose to magnanimous > levels of funding for Nova, a private university, to > move and house these priceless documents. Why is > that? ($10 million collection given away, $2 > million the first year, $1 million thereafter) > * The agreement provides no remedy (including > removal of the collection from their possession) > should Nova breach any of their requirements under > the agreement, though I have to admit you and your > folks did a wonderful job of not including too many. > You essentially give this collection to Nova and > once the documents are there, they are the property > of Nova, regardless of the reason for the breach or > termination of the contract. > > While you may have the ability to do this since the > reorganization of the State, you still have to go to > the Legislators for funding. And while you may be > able to do this, it may come back to haunt you. > Remember the Republicans (Newt who?) in Washington a > few years ago that thought because they were in a > slight majority that the voters had given them carte > blanche to reform and destroy. Got their message > loud and clear the next time the voters were allowed > to speak, didn't they? And we do speak loud and > clear, Mr. Bush. This isn't an oligarchy, we are > still a democracy. We value our history in Florida > and wish to preserve it and provide a vital resource > to our Legislators who we expect to be knowledgeable > and independent enough to seek the truth, past and > present. I think you will find that the Florida > people who you have such disdain for when they > disagree with you aren't as cowed as some State > employees who are being told they better not be > involved in any of the p! > rotests to dismantle the State Library, even on > their own time. Just remember the old adage about > the "Bigger they are, the harder they fall." Or as > one of my Florida grandmothers use to say, "Don't > get too big for your breeches". Some folks may > decide to take you down to size (i.e. THE VOTERS). > > Sharon > Come visit the family (30+ lines online) > www.roadshometofl.com > > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion > online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/