the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Oct 13, 2025
Every town needs a public library. But Baltimore County’s town of Middle River doesn’t have one.
Earlier this year, a developer offered to construct a building and lease it to the county to use as a library for one million dollars a year, plus 2.25% more rent each year for 35 years. County politicians are arguing over how best to turn down this boondoggle while still bowing and scraping. But they don’t propose to build a branch with public money!
More than a century ago, some capitalists would donate funds to build libraries. Those days are long gone. The company that became Martin Marietta built a huge aircraft factory in Middle River at the start of World War II. To house the thousands of workers moving there, private developers built neighborhoods with names like Aero Acres. A federal agency also built housing. The town has tripled in size since then. But nobody built a library!
In this capitalist society, the working class, which constitutes the foundations of the economy and society, isn’t entitled to books or librarians. But the education libraries provide is essential.