Okay, so, we make this big decision to move. In retrospect
it was inevitable, but at the time it was a very difficult and big choice to
make. After all, our families live in Tucson and Da Wife and I grew up there.
Hell, I was born there! Still, we had to make the big leap.
Once the decision was made, I, like I’m sure a lot of people
transitioning to a new area, conducted a little research about the area. I’d
already had a fair amount of it under my belt, thanks to
some freelance work I’d done in
the past, but I wanted to focus on my specific area, to get as much
information as I could in case I missed anything in the past.
One of the first things I found made me think I hit pay
dirt. It turns out that Queen Creek, the town just north of
San Tan Valley where we
moved,
has
a very nice public library that any town of its size can be proud to have.
As a writer I’m sure you can understand how this got me hot and bothered, but
as a parent I also knew this would be a great place for Da Boys. In the manic
whirlwind of the move we hadn’t even gotten around to building a summer reading
list for the boys, and all the kids activities would have done a great job in
rounding out the couple months of summer vacation until school started.
Would have. That’s right. I said, “Would have.”
As we approached the building I noted how nice it looked.
Granted, I prefer classical motifs in architecture, but the library, while
contemporary, didn’t seem to me to have that sterile slapped-on look like so
many other new buildings. It actually gave me a vibrant, energetic feeling I
found exciting. I just couldn’t wait to get inside!
Don’t get me wrong, this was no
Main Branch of the
New York Public Library System. I’m pretty sure the whole building could
fit inside one of that library’s reading rooms. Still, especially for a town of
this size it definitely was something of which to be proud. So, feeling frisky
I lead Da Boys, who were feeling decidedly less so, into our first big
adventure, the first stop being, of course, getting us all library cards.
That, in usual fashion, is where the bottom dropped out.
It’s time for a little local history lesson.
At some point in the recent past, San Tan Valley was
actually part of Queen Creek. According to what I could find out so far, a bone
of contention arose between San Tan and the rest of the town. I’m not sure if
it was a series of issues or one big one, but in the end San Tan broke away
from their cruel QC overlords, and to this day remains an unincorporated area
in the northwestern region of Pinal County, while still technically remaining a
part of the
Phoenix
Metro Area, at its extreme southeastern tip. It is important to note that
most of the Metro Area sits in Maricopa County, for reasons that will soon
become very clear.
So, the boys and I walked up to the main help desk and asked
to get said cards. The librarian was all-too eager to help us, even when she
found out that we lived in San Tan Valley, when she told us of the $60 annual
registration fee.
That’s right. $60. Annual. As in I’d have to pay every year
to go there.
Imagine this: I’m standing in a public building, financed by
public funds, that should allow public access free-of-charge, in the United
States of America, and I was being told I needed to fork over 60 bucks in order
to enjoy any of its resources and services.
The reason, I was told, was because the Queen Creek Library
was part of the
Maricopa
County Library District and funded by MCLP resources (ie, PUBLIC
RESOURCES), and because San Tan Valley (where we live) sits inside Pinal County
I had to pay the aforementioned 60 smackroos. It was free of course, but only
to Maricopa County residents.
Nevermind that the Maricopa/Pinal County border is maybe
five minutes south of the library, or that San Tan Valley, a bedroom community,
is largely a residential area made up of thousands of people, many of whom
might want access to a well-equipped library like this one.
As an incentive, the librarian told me the nearest library
of its size in Pinal County was in Apache Junction, another half hour drive to
the northwest. At least there I could get access free, right?
Granted, the $60 fee at Queen Creek is an annual one, so
even broken down my month it only comes to about five bucks (you have to pay
the entire amount up front). Still, the point I’m trying to make is, because it
is a public resource, I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO PAY TO BEGIN WITH!
And I didn’t, partly because of my outrage, but also
because, for the sake of full disclosure, we had just moved and had started
experiencing acute post-move financial malaise, which for some reason is
ongoing. In short, I didn’t have the cash. Still, even if I do it’s the
principle of the thing that matters.
In case you’re wondering, I didn’t blow up at her or
anything. I’ve been in situations like that before and I’ve found there’s
nothing more futile than trying to argue with a beaurocracy. She was even very helpful in the end.
She informed us that San Tan Valley actually has its own library that, it
turned out, is just a stone’s throw, almost literally, from our new house. It turned
out to be very small, like two portable buildings small, but it was close to
home and we wouldn’t be swindled out of any money by being there.
At the San Tan Library, I struck up a conversation with one
of the other visitors while filling out the library card applications. I told
her what happened and she said something very revealing. “Yeah,” she advised,
“they don’t want our riffraff up there.” Huh!
Well, it may not be big, but at least I feel more honest
being there than at Queen Creek. I’ll keep my money and integrity, thank you.
You know though, while I’d probably be hard pressed to find
a direct causal relation, I think this brings to light a much bigger and older
problem with Arizona. Time for another history lesson.
Okay, not really a lesson. More of an analogy, really. In
ancient times, Rome couldn’t care less about its vassal states and provinces as
long as the tax money kept rolling in. Drought? Too bad. Give us our money.
Faltering economy? Too bad. Give us our money. Revolt? Too bad. Give us our
money. Need help? Too bad. Help yourself and give us our money.
Well, for years Phoenix Metro has acted like Ancient Rome
and the rest of the state is its empire. You see it every day. Even on the TV
on, say, ABC in the mornings, it’s not Good Morning Phoenix or Tempe or
Scottsdale. No, it’s Good Morning Arizona, as if the entire state is
encapsulated within the confines of Maricopa County and the Valley of the Sun.
That’s why you’ve seen me call the state legislature the
Maricopa County State Legislature. Because historically the only people they
are going to look out for are those in the immediate area. Granted, a majority
of Arizona’s population lives in the Valley of the Sun, but that’s because
living almost anywhere in the rest of the state sucks. Limited job markets,
struggling economies, incompetent and delusional local governments, and the
like. But most of our elected state officials are too busy taking care of their
own, while those few representing the rest of the state are either rendered
politically impotent or apathetic to the situation.
How do they get away with rendering this state a Maricopa
County-only club? I don’t know, but as we saw with the Roman Empire, Arizona
has already begun to crumble in the other counties, and it’s only a matter of
time before the rot infects Phoenix Metro, too. Attila the Hun, anyone?
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