I’m not against literacy programs. Quite the opposite, in fact. But having the government send every kid a book each month is problematic. First, the government doesn’t know which books each child already has. So you have some kids getting books they already own (or maybe just aren’t interested in) which literally go from mailbox to trash. Let’s not forget that too many parents would rather just put a screen in front of a kid rather than read with them. So instead of a book going from mailbox to trash, it goes from mailbox to destroyed-at-the-bottom-of-a-closet-and-never-read. Most parents would tell you, the books would literally be a waste.
We also need a (well-paid) committee to determine which books are selected for the program, which is an absolute nightmare in itself. Conservatives screaming bloody murder about their kids receiving Islamic material. Liberals screaming about receiving my new children’s book, “My First Budget”, available next March (oddly enough, Trump supporters would share in the screaming about the exact same book). And literally everybody screaming about their kid getting the book “Why AI is Necessary and Good for All Humanity”…
Now let’s look at the supply side. Government contractors are not exactly known for supplying things at rock-bottom prices. That great children’s book you saw on Amazon for $4.95 with free delivery? We end up paying $32 plus delivery, for each and every child, each and every month, with money we agreed to borrow via public bonds, yet another layer of debt on the $40 trillion we already owe and can’t service. Who really profits from this? The banks and other entities who buy the bonds that those children will have to pay when they grow up. Plus interest. Which really puts the cost of that $32 book at about $100, for each and every book, which they’ll have to pay later on in life.
And let’s not forget the trees. You don’t get a book without cutting down a tree (which we kinda need for oxygen). I like trees. They’re pretty. Birds like them, too. There are actually entire ecosystems that function around trees. Let’s keep those.
We have schools, which supply books. We have libraries, which let you check out any book you like and read for free. Libraries even have free e-book checkout, so you don’t even have to leave your home. The problem here isn’t that children don’t have access to books. Let’s save our kids billions and send a cheap map to their parents with directions to the local library. Or in some cases, directions to the local schoolhouse.
I think it’s a bad idea. Here me out:
I’m not against literacy programs. Quite the opposite, in fact. But having the government send every kid a book each month is problematic. First, the government doesn’t know which books each child already has. So you have some kids getting books they already own (or maybe just aren’t interested in) which literally go from mailbox to trash. Let’s not forget that too many parents would rather just put a screen in front of a kid rather than read with them. So instead of a book going from mailbox to trash, it goes from mailbox to destroyed-at-the-bottom-of-a-closet-and-never-read. Most parents would tell you, the books would literally be a waste.
We also need a (well-paid) committee to determine which books are selected for the program, which is an absolute nightmare in itself. Conservatives screaming bloody murder about their kids receiving Islamic material. Liberals screaming about receiving my new children’s book, “My First Budget”, available next March (oddly enough, Trump supporters would share in the screaming about the exact same book). And literally everybody screaming about their kid getting the book “Why AI is Necessary and Good for All Humanity”…
Now let’s look at the supply side. Government contractors are not exactly known for supplying things at rock-bottom prices. That great children’s book you saw on Amazon for $4.95 with free delivery? We end up paying $32 plus delivery, for each and every child, each and every month, with money we agreed to borrow via public bonds, yet another layer of debt on the $40 trillion we already owe and can’t service. Who really profits from this? The banks and other entities who buy the bonds that those children will have to pay when they grow up. Plus interest. Which really puts the cost of that $32 book at about $100, for each and every book, which they’ll have to pay later on in life.
And let’s not forget the trees. You don’t get a book without cutting down a tree (which we kinda need for oxygen). I like trees. They’re pretty. Birds like them, too. There are actually entire ecosystems that function around trees. Let’s keep those.
We have schools, which supply books. We have libraries, which let you check out any book you like and read for free. Libraries even have free e-book checkout, so you don’t even have to leave your home. The problem here isn’t that children don’t have access to books. Let’s save our kids billions and send a cheap map to their parents with directions to the local library. Or in some cases, directions to the local schoolhouse.
You put into words what I was thinking.