Should libraries be privatized?

[Democratic Hawk]

No - Public libraries should be free at the point of use and funded through taxation

Dave

[Bdub]

No.  They are a public service that should be funded by tax money.  I cant see a library being run any other way.

[Gustaf]

I don't see why it couldn't and just be run like a video rental store.

Because a) the sample would be similar to that of a video rental store and b) it would make it harder for poor people to read books, which is a more important right than watching movies.

[AkSaber]

Yes, but there are more important things to privatize first.

[nclib]

No.  Libraries are there for education, not for turning a profit.  I really don't see how a private company could run libraries more efficiently, and they'd probably charge a rental fee per book, too.

^^^^^^^

[Beet]

And no, air should not be privatised, because Dean is an idiot who doesn't understand that air is not a commodity.

That insult seems uncharacteristic for the general friendly atmosphere of this forum, at least among non-trolls. If your definition of commodity is something that is manufactured or created through service, one only needs to point to the privatization of land to establish a counterfactual.

[CheeseWhiz]

And no, air should not be privatised, because Dean is an idiot who doesn't understand that air is not a commodity.

That insult seems uncharacteristic for the general friendly atmosphere of this forum, at least among non-trolls. If your definition of commodity is something that is manufactured or created through service, one only needs to point to the privatization of land to establish a counterfactual.

To MaC's defense, I believe Dean has said that libertarians would privatize air if they could before, but I am definitely not sure about that.

I'm sure someone said that, and MaC's post leads me to believe it was Dean, and I do apologize if I am mistaken.