🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec14.144232.21162@syma.sussex.ac.uk> mapd1@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Nigel Ling) writes:
>>
>>If you want poor people to be able to read, you should give
>>them money - not libraries.
>
>Heaven help us! Well, I may say this for you: you're probably in
>tune with a few government officials these days, but not, I hope,
>the majority of people.

This debate has strayed rather too far afield from writing, and I
think we should end it, but I can't resist explaining myself here.

When you spend X dollars on libraries for the poor, instead of giving
the poor X dollars, what you are saying is:

"You do not have enough money to spend on things you need, but we do not
trust you to decide what things you need.  Therefore, instead of giving you
money, which you would not spend wisely, we will give you what we think
is best for you."

If you approve of this attitude, probably the less said the better.

c