5 ms·

Exact same argument could be made for books. Why don't we rent books?

yummyfajitas 15y ago
Good question. Here in India this is exactly how it is done. (I'm told a few public libraries do exist, but I've never seen one.) Given that the private sector does seem fully capable of providing libraries to those who want them, why do we subsidize them?
- softbuilder 15y ago
  If I'm too poor to rent a book, how do I get it?
  - galadriel 15y ago
    If it is India, you are probably too poor to be literate, or if literate, you have very little time to engage in privilege of reading books. So the answer is I guess, you don't. Pretty much like you don't get (decent) healthcare for poor in US.
- corin_ 15y ago
  The private sector is equally capable of providing hospitals, policemen, firefighters, governments, roads... The question is rarely as simple as "could the private sector do it?"
  - yummyfajitas 15y ago
    Um, the theory behind the government provisioning of police, firefighters and roads is that they are a public good. I.e., people will refuse to pay for police while enjoying not being murdered.
    - corin_ 15y ago
      In the most simplistic explanation possible, "public good" is the reason for everything the government does, including libraries.
      - yummyfajitas 15y ago
        No, libraries are rivalrous and excludible, hence a private good.
        corin_ 15y ago
        That's just completely irrelevant though. Healthcare provision is rivalrous and excludible, ask any poor American, doesn't mean it shouldn't be universally provided by the government. Education is rivalrous and excludible, look at private schools - doesn't mean it's wrong for there to be state schools and laws making children attend them. The only thing that matters is whether the public benefit outweighs the burden on taxpayers.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
rdl 15y ago
There's a reasonable argument that even trashy books have value as reading practice. Most humans have no problem finding enough spoken interaction to practice listening (although I definitely watched mediocre television in foreign language to practice...) (I'd be fine with no government funding for libraries in general; it seems like something which should be privately or charity funded to keep them safe from censorship and political control.)

Good question. Here in India this is exactly how it is done. (I'm told a few public libraries do exist, but I've never seen one.) Given that the private sector does seem fully capable of providing libraries to those who want them, why do we subsidize them?

softbuilder 15y ago
If I'm too poor to rent a book, how do I get it?
- galadriel 15y ago
  If it is India, you are probably too poor to be literate, or if literate, you have very little time to engage in privilege of reading books. So the answer is I guess, you don't. Pretty much like you don't get (decent) healthcare for poor in US.
corin_ 15y ago
The private sector is equally capable of providing hospitals, policemen, firefighters, governments, roads... The question is rarely as simple as "could the private sector do it?"
- yummyfajitas 15y ago
  Um, the theory behind the government provisioning of police, firefighters and roads is that they are a public good. I.e., people will refuse to pay for police while enjoying not being murdered.
  - corin_ 15y ago
    In the most simplistic explanation possible, "public good" is the reason for everything the government does, including libraries.
    - yummyfajitas 15y ago
      No, libraries are rivalrous and excludible, hence a private good.
      - corin_ 15y ago
        That's just completely irrelevant though. Healthcare provision is rivalrous and excludible, ask any poor American, doesn't mean it shouldn't be universally provided by the government. Education is rivalrous and excludible, look at private schools - doesn't mean it's wrong for there to be state schools and laws making children attend them. The only thing that matters is whether the public benefit outweighs the burden on taxpayers.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]

rdl 15y ago

There's a reasonable argument that even trashy books have value as reading practice. Most humans have no problem finding enough spoken interaction to practice listening (although I definitely watched mediocre television in foreign language to practice...) (I'd be fine with no government funding for libraries in general; it seems like something which should be privately or charity funded to keep them safe from censorship and political control.)