Libraries are a master-stroke of egalitarianism. They're paid for mostly by the rich, benefit the poor most of all, and when used as intended can't help but bet

Libraries are a master-stroke of egalitarianism. They're paid for mostly by the rich, benefit the poor most of all, and when used as intended can't help but better the individuals who use them. They are about as free from corruption as any government program ever has been, are not strongly influenced by commercial interests, and seem to have almost supernaturally resisted the huge, ridiculous, parasitic bureaucracies that have latched on to other similar government programs. They're worth having around just to be able to step back once in a while and say "Son of a sheepdog! It is possible!"