Local Corner: Flat Rate Library Fines?

Evidently, the board of the Columbus Metropolitan Library is considering a flat-rate fine for overdue items, instead of the current system of daily fines.  Story from the Dispatch.

Highlights of the proposed changes:

• Fine levied only after a 14 day grace period
• Renewals doubled--10 renewals instead of 5 (if no one has the item reserved)*
• New system being considered to automatically renew items
• Card access blocked after an item is 2 weeks late, instead of $10 in fines

The goal of the change would be to reduce the number of people who hit the $10 in fines currently necessary to block card use.  Between the grace period, the threat of heavier fines, and the increase in renewal opportunities the plan is to make it so fewer users have late items.  Objections seem to be based on the fact that $5 for a 1-day-late item would be excessively punitive.

To that I say it's NOT 1 day late--it's 15 days late by the time they issue a fine.  Your due date, plus 14 days of grace.  That's TWO EXTRA WEEKS for you to remember to put the video, or book, or CD in your car and drop it on the way to work.

This is the problem with grace periods in this society--we take them for granted.  We assume it's just extra time we can take, making a mockery of the original due date (which is, by the way, is the date the library does business based on).

And I know you kids have been waiting on a reserved item, going, "Why the hell isn't this in yet??"

It's because someone's going, "Eh, I'll just pay the fine and return this whenever."

*** Update 12:34 AM 9/6/12 ***

Something I failed to point out from the Dispatch's article: These are proposals the board hasn't yet voted on as of now.  The changes already voted on and approved simply lowered the daily fines and increased the number of times one can renew an item, with NO flat rate.

Last week, the library board voted on so-called "Phase One" of the plan, which lowers fines on adult accounts to 20 cents a day, and juvenile accounts to 10 cents a day.  Phase one also includes the total fine per item reduction (from $15 to $5 for adults or $1 for kids), and the increase in renewal instances (from 5 to 10).  According to the Dispatch, these changes roll out October 1st.

*Initially, I listed this as one of the proposed changes--this is actually a change voted on in "Phase One" set to roll out at the beginning of next month.

Local Corner: High School Student Incites Panic?

This is a cute one, and speaks directly to the balance between prevention and paranoia.

In a nutshell, a Gahanna high school student is arrested because he made a few tweets and posted two videos.  I watched the video--it's still up, as there's no particular reason for it not to be--and I can definitely see how it might concern people.

Especially suburban parents.  Especially in an era where we're no longer shocked when someone DOES decide to commit an act of violence at a school.  So I do not blame parents or students from getting creeped out, and contacting the cops.

What does trouble me is the fact that the sum of all these parts is supposed to make a felony.  This troubles me on several levels:

• This video is more mild than the average Baptist sermon.  "I just wanted to let you all know how you live your lives is dangerous and wrong and you have grown weak-minded and pathetic." Really?  This is inciting panic?  
• I've said the same thing to employees, though in less-blunt terms.  
• There are entire think-tanks full of people paid comfortable salaries to publish papers to this same effect.  
• Is it a threat because the production value is low?  If it was polished it'd be edgy?
• "Next time we meet I will have something more interesting to show you all." I don't read this as dramatic foreshadowing--as in, "next time I'll have pictures of a blown-up school."  I read this as, "Hey keep watching for my next video cuz I know this one kinda sucks but I'll get better!"
• Do you remember being 16?  Do you remember having it all figured out, knowing it all, and helplessly watching people fuck up their lives every day?  It was frustrating, wasn't it?  You just wanted to scream from the rooftops how stupid they all were, didn't you?  Well, at least I did.
• Since when is "I'm not going to hurt anyone" taken as a threat?  Have we completely lost the ability as a society to even consider something at face value?

Like I said, I get why the cops were called.  Especially because of tweets that were sent to specific people.  It's unnerving, and it was quite correctly checked out by authorities.

My problem is with authorities finding nothing more serious than some self-righteous kid with a Youtube account trying to play at being a big bad political activist, and charging him with a felony.  Just what we need, more suburban kids who will never find meaningful employment.

But maybe there's more to this.  No word on what was found when the home was searched, and the school isn't talking about the kid himself.  But from what I'm seeing, this is just a poorly thought out statement by a kid who simply didn't think out the possible repercussions.