So what would you consider spoiling a child?

Hang on -- we've got a library district, plus the one in the nearest city will allow us to sign on even though we're not in district, and our property taxes are under a thousand a year. Now, granting that our house is pretty slummy, what on earth are you getting for your tax money! Does it go to schools and EMT service? Is your teacher/child ratio 1:3?! Do the ambulance drivers all have PHDs?!

 

Remember, I live in Illinois where when governors "retire", it's to the state pen. I'm sure my tax dollars are paying for some politician's gold-plated bathtub in Springfield.

But since you asked, here's the exact breakdown of last year's tax bill:

County $876.89
County Conservation $97.04
College 511 (the community college) $571.74
School Dist. 100 (the local K-12 schools) $5,062.31
Fire Department $232.76
Historical Museum $22.13
Park District $499.14
City of [nearest city] $222.11
Township Roads $302.74
City of [next nearest city - don't ask how we can be taxed by two cities. I don't understand it either] $263.00

For a grand total of $8,149.86. I try not to think about it.

ETA: Granted, Illinois income tax is low. It was a 3% flat rate until this year, when it went up to 5%.

 

We just moved into this area a couple of months ago and just did a little research. It looks like we're in the same boat as Hawkeygirl. The U.S. is a bit screwy that way I guess.

Estimated property taxes will be around $4200 for 12 hectare, however, we're not within the city limits, so a library card for the city library will run $350 (u.s.). Of course, if we lived across the street, then we would be within city limits, and $5 would hook us up for a year with a $25 family cap. Learn something every day I guess..... What a cluster %#&$! And you people put up with laws like this?? We're paying more for mandatory alternative energy in "rural" america than we are for education and basic civil services.

 

Golly, golly, golly.
My sister and bil live near Chicago, they make a lot of jokes about Chicago politics (noting, for example, Mayor Daley (?) taking credit on inspection plaques for the functioning of the elevators!) but golly.


It is kind of funny what people will put up with, but I guess it's a frog in the water being turned up to boiling sort of thing. Plus, I'm hoping Hawk is very, very rich and poor people aren't paying $5,000 a year for schools.

Derail done! Sorry!

 

The sad thing is Karla and I pay a ton of taxes and you can see a majority goes to the schools, but they are slashing teachers jobs left and right.

 

As a librarian myself, I don't think you can ever spoil a kid with too many books.

 

That's a good thing. You should see my bookshelves. I have huge shelves of my childhood books...and I got rid of some of them!

 

We need another bookshelf! Not only do I have some of my childhood books,the kid's childhood books, I have books that were my mother's, books from class book orders,and I am another one who will buy used books when I can. Our library from time to time will sell used books to raise money for charity. I was especially thrilled to have found Memoirs of A Geisha for $1, and Portrait In Sepia for $1! All of my Stephen King books are from Goodwill.

 

Sorry if I repeat anything already said...I did not read all of the replies.

However, OF COURSE it is spoiling your child to take them to the library every 2 weeks. EVERYONE knows that! Just like it spoils your child to give them good, healthy food to eat. I hate that! And don't get me started about encouraging them to exercise, helping them with homework, and supporting their activities!
Finally, you have to REALLY watch out for too many hugs and kisses--and saying, "I Love You??" Don't go there!

Seriously, I think there is no better gift you can give your child than a love of reading. So good for you! My daughter has been an avid reader since she started to read before kindergarten--and she loved books even before that. She is a straight A student and all-around sweet kid. I am a HUGE "spoiler" too. We go to the library EVERY week. She even volunteers there now--and is in fact doing it today!!!

What an odd comment--and how sad for the kids of that mom. But, keep up the good work!!

 

This made me smile.

 

Maybe she is thinking because the library now has a lot of DVDs and even Wii games now.

I don't really know how I feel about that, I was really surprised the first time I heard they had Wii games at the public library (I am not familiar with other systems and I imagine they have lots of other stuff that would surprise me.)

Also a lot of the DVDs don't seem particularly educational or cultural

(I know of two municipalities that have libraries that lend Wii games)

 

To answer your original questions I knew kids growing up that a trip to the library twice a week would have been a big deal to for.

First of all they would have no way of getting to the library, no bus pass or bus money. Their parents would not sign for them to get a library card because they could not be trusted to return the books. (And this was in a city with not such a good bus system.)

The family I am thinking of had issues with always arriving late for school so some kind of social worker agreed to take them out for a donut on Friday if they came on time every day.

Personally, there is no way you could get me to do much of anything for a donut when I was in grade 3.

We have school libraries in Canada though (I assume it's the same there )and they have pretty extensive collections of books.

I live in a more urban area now and they have some sort of book mobile so I guess that shows that for some people getting to the library isn't so easy.

I am sure this is not what this lady was getting at but I stumbled upon this awhile ago

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...
you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ...
you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere ... you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.


If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

 

No I know that isn't what she meant, she had other criticizm too that were accompanied by "what are you trying to prove?". We don't have a Wii and she knows that. We actually just discovered that they have movies. And honestly I am glad for that since my daughter needed to watch "Diary of Anne Frank" for her online schooling. I'm not sure you can find things like that at Blockbuster. Especially since the library copy was on VHS! And last week we did borrow movies for fun. If sitting down with them to enjoy some family time with a video is wrong, guess I'm just a horrid mother!

 

oh dear my marmie must have spoiled me terribly she took me to the library every week. but no i dont think taking your kids to the library every two weeks is spoiling them. it is strange for her to say so but i suppose that everybody has their own opinions on spoiling. i think reading is great stuff and that more kids should read so long as they are appropriate books but i read constantly and it has helped me in soo many ways. but any way i think its a good recreation your installing in your kids and you should keep it up.

 

Maybe it's because our library also has a park outside? We don't always go to that because it's reallly meant for smaller kids. but maybe that's why. I dunno.

 

I really don't understand why you are wasting your time worrying about a comment from someone who is clearly wrong..

 

Well it was someone who was once a good friend, so it was pretty hurtful.