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We\u2019ve already seen a taste of what\u2019s to come. Last year, Ohio Republicans changed how libraries across the state were funded. Once the crown jewel of library funding models in the country, the state-level funding model was abandoned by Republicans. Instead, they moved to a local-level funding model for public libraries. An immediate result of this change was a frantic race to get library levies on local ballots so that libraries wouldn\u2019t need to shutter their doors. Those levies ask voters whether they should pay for their library\u2019s services and at what rate; in nearly every levy initiative since the state\u2019s budgeting change, voters have said yes<\/a> to paying more to fund these local services. In essence, state-elected Republicans in Ohio have said that this is a local-level issue and not something they\u2019re involved in; meanwhile, those same Republicans wanted to include in their library overhaul bill a requirement that any and all LGBTQ+ books be completely out of sight of minors in those same public libraries. It\u2019s local control when it comes to funding a public good; it\u2019s Republican control when it comes to queer people existing in the world.<\/p>\n A levy is a property tax. In Ohio, while the Republicans have not yet shoved through a bill to cut property taxes\u2013something they\u2019ve been itching to do!<\/a>\u2013the reality is that these tax cuts are nothing at all. They\u2019re a literal passing of the buck, as local governments would need to impose those same taxes on their residents to provide municipal services. But state legislators get to boast about progress and point to greedy local governments trying to steal back that hard-earned tax cut. <\/p>\n Literary Activism<\/p>\n \nNews you can use plus tips and tools for the fight against censorship and other bookish activism!\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t