Regarding Noah Haglund’s March 8 story in The Herald: “Snohomish council votes to restore historic Carnegie library.”
In a meeting stacked with members of the Snohomish Carnegie Foundation and Snohomish Senior Center, the so-called progressive wing of the Snohomish City Council voted for a plan that when completed will have cost over $5.1 million of public taxpayer money.
Here’s the breakdown: $1 million for the 1910 building’s roof in 2013; $1.7 million in city funds for phase 1 in 2018; $500,000 state grant for phase 1 in 2018; and $1.9 million state grant for phase 2 in 2019.
The 1910 building was constructed with a cash grant from Andrew Carnegie’s foundation. Andrew Carnegie was one of the infamous “robber barons” in early 20th century. President Theodore Roosevelt was elected to break up these monopolists with his trust-busting agenda. Andrew Carnegie’s equivalent today would be the Koch brothers who disdain taxes and the principle of the Common Good.
So now we have the spectacle in Snohomish of the council fleecing the commoners (taxpayers) to install a $5.1 million monument to honor the memory of Andrew Carnegie, the notorious robber baron and anti-tax oligarch.
Adding to this spectacle is mayor John Kartak’s Carnegie project manager who has the brass to recommend resurrecting the Metropolitan Parks District property tax scheme and expand the scope into Snohomish’s urban growth areas in unincorporated Snohomish county.
Morgan Davis
Snohomish
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