I have been reading these news stories come out of Iowa the past few days and it breaks my heart. The flooding is horrific. People are trying to get their lives put back together. After all of that, finally the library will get rebuilt.
From the Des Moines Register
"The library is not that important right now, I must admit. The most important thing is to get people into houses and back at their jobs and get the essential services that government provides," said Kay Halloran, Cedar Rapids' mayor.
"As far as I'm concerned, personally, I want to have the water treatment plant back to its normal operation. All the other stuff can wait. They've got people working on whatever can be salvaged from the library, and that takes care of things for now."
And so the libraries wait. They shovel through the soaked books. Salvage what they can. Decide what is worth restoring, what needs to be replaced. Finding the money to replace it.
If you can find a few bucks to send their way:
Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation, 500 First Street SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. The CRPL Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Contributions are tax deductible. Donors will receive a letter of receipt.
Bottom of the totem pole when it comes to aid.
IRS letter
So I get this letter in the mail. It is from the IRS. Joy.
According to the bright red writing on it there is IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE IRS enclosed and I should not throw it away. Okay... like ever?
Apparently this is my pre-stimulus notice. I should be prepare to be stimulated by the IRS. My expected stimulation date is June 13th. If I am not stimulated in 6 weeks I need to contact the IRS.
I find all of this a bit creepy. Most people are going to use this money to pay for gas to get to their jobs and and groceries to feed their families. The cost of fuel and food keeps rising, the unemployment rate is up again... and a couple hundred bucks is supposed to fix it? Just how gullible does Bush think we are--- oh wait... this is the country that let him steal not one, but TWO elections, and did NOTHING about it.