Letter: Free-thinking requires access to information

I’m writing to specific each my horror and embarrassment by the payments HB1205 and SB2360 being thought-about proper now within the North Dakota Legislature.

These proposed payments would pressure me to reside by the beliefs and values of one other group of individuals reasonably than my my very own requirements and morals. They are going to deny me entry to data and views that I’ll want in an effort to higher perceive and reside peacefully with my fellow North Dakotans.

I imagine it’s the duty and proper of oldsters or guardians to decide on what is suitable for their very own children. Additionally it is my proper as an grownup to decide on my very own Constitutionally protected studying and informational supplies. It’s inappropriate for one particular person or group to violate the rights of others. Free-thinking requires entry to data.

As well as, I see these payments as being a cynical first step in a protracted marketing campaign to shut all pubic libraries within the state. When such payments turn into regulation, the general public libraries will probably be pressured to spend valuable finances funds on rigorously sorting via and culling their collections – a really costly and time-consuming job. When their budgets have been hollowed out, they should compensate by asking for extra money and by chopping again on hours, companies, buying extra books, and many others. This will probably be criticized as exhibiting the general public libraries are usually not giving worth for cash when the critics themselves will probably be guilty. Then that criticism will probably be used to additional reduce finances allocations and the cycle will proceed till the general public libraries, one other of America’s Greatest Concepts, aren’t any extra.

I hope the Legislature realizes what a mistake it might be to cross these payments. I hope they in the end oppose them earlier than all of us should be taught what it is wish to reside with legal guidelines which might be towards all the pieces the Structure stands for, all the pieces the Founding Fathers needed for Individuals.

Barbara Dunn lives in Fargo.

This letter doesn’t essentially mirror the opinion of The Discussion board’s editorial board nor Discussion board possession.