Amnesty Watch

I know that this is not a "Crossing the Rubicon" sort of issue, but I don't like the idea of a fine amnesty that has been proposed for S.F. Public Library system.

City Librarian Luis Herrera's proposal, which will be presented to the Library Commission on Thursday, would forgive fines so long as borrowers return all past books and materials.

It wouldn't matter if a book was due decades ago. And though the city would lose revenue from the fines, it would save money by retrieving books that cost more to replace, said library spokeswoman Marcia Schneider.

Fines at the SF libraries are 10¢ per day. A measly dime!  I'm sorry but if you have a library book out for so long that you have to have your fine "forgiven," then there is only one word for you: loser. What kind of a jerk takes a free book from a library and doesn't return it?

There's a lot of b****ing and moaning on this site about expensive gov't programs. But you won't hear me complain about libraries. They provide a useful service. They are an oasis for kids and the elderly, especially. And SF's libraries - even the branches out here in The Avenues - have great collections. 

Everyone in SF likes to talk big about their compassion and "big heartedness." Well, if you're stealing from the library, you are none of those things. If you have taken a book and not returned it, you should man up (or woman up) and pay the fine. 

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