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Don't be a public library cheater
Once again we are approaching the annual Friends of the Library Garage Sale Saturday. This event benefits our local library and all citizens in our area. The cost to participate is very minimal and it goes to a community cause. The small fee is a fund raiser and covers the advertising and staffing costs.
Sadly and embarrassingly, every year almost 1/3 of the garage sale participants cheat the system (and the library) by peddling their wares and not paying their minimal fee. They are jumping on the train and not buying a ticket and, in effect, stealing services.
The Friends of the Library issues signs to be displayed at each garage sale that has paid their fee and agreed to the terms and conditions of the event. These are the sellers that should be appreciated and patronized.
For those sellers who cheat the system (and essentially steal their participation in the event) they should be ashamed and I don't see any problem if, when visiting their garage sale, people point out that they are in fact "cheaters and scammers". And for these fee-paying sellers, why not mention to your customers to avoid the cheaters. Many out-of-town buyers don't know good sellers from the bad sellers.
Let's all patronize the official, fee-paying, legitimate sellers who display their Friend's official participant signage and follow the rules.
Comments
baldwinfan 1 year ago
If its someone's private property, I don't see a problem setting up a garage sale that weekend without paying a fee to do so. I want the library to profit, but not at the expense of personal property rights. If someone doesn't pay, they don't get put in the book. Find other incentives to make people pay, but don't call them "cheaters and scammers" when they pay taxes just like everyone else.
1776attorney 1 year ago
That's exactly what they are- "cheaters and scammers". If you don't see that you're in a very small minority and frankly, you need to brush up on your ethics.
This is an event paid for, promoted by and for the sole benefit of the Friends of the Library. People that fail to pay the participation fee are stealing the advertising, promotion and benefit costs for their own benefit.
The fact that you would write what you have just shows what the whole problem is about-- a general lack of ethics and moral guidance on the part of the "cheaters and scammers".
And those who steal services should be called out.
If you can't understand that, then it's a problem in your moral compass.
TheOnlyGreyghost 12 months ago
Who died and elected you Keeper of the Flame of Ethics?
For the record, I strongly support the library. I have volunteered to help at many of their fundraisers. I have had garage sales and paid to get put on their list.
But you are way over the line to malign people as "cheaters and scammers" if they happen to plan a sale on the same day and don't hook up with the library to do so.
What you're proposing is akin to calling someone a "cheater and scammer" for running his own 26.2 mile route the same day as a local marathon is being held, without paying to enter that marathon.
The runner is fully within his rights to run whenever he wishes. If he doesn't pay the marathon organizers, he doesn't get a number, a free T-shirt, bottled water, orange slices, or any of the other perks those in the organized run get. But he is not "cheating" or "scamming" the pink ribbon folks or whatever the marathon is raising money for.
In the same way, the independent garage saler is legally and ethically within his rights to hold a sale on his own property whenever he wishes. If it's on the same day as the library sale, and he doesn't care to pay to be put on their list or get a sign from them, that's his business.
Some residents do not take the local (if you can call it that any more) paper and are out of the loop. Far from trying to "scam" anyone, they may be completely unaware that they have picked the same weekend for their sale as the organized one.
Also, did it ever occur to you that some of those "nonpaying" people may already be donating at much higher than $5 levels to the library throughout the year? Perhaps they have already become a "Friend of the Library" at one of the several available levels. Perhaps they feel that, with their $500 donation in January, they don't need to shell out another $5 in June.
How presumptuous of you to castigate people without any knowledge of what is actually going on with them.
baldwinfan 1 year ago
Wow, what passion.
I think I do need help with my moral compass. Can you provide me answers to the following situation.
1) My neighbor has a garage sale and advertised in the paper the same weekend I decided to sell some stuff on my property. Am I stealing his or her advertising?
2) Someone advertises for an event called "Maple Leaf". I use my parking lot to charge $5 per parking spot. Are these "cheaters and scammers"?
3) Is it unethical if someone doesn't know about the Library's advertising and posts an ad in the paper and has a garage sale that just happens to fall on the same weekend?
When is the event? I've been a friend of the library in the past and usually send in my donation earlier, but haven't had the time to send in my donation yet this year. Then again, if the group asking for money is calling other people "cheaters and scammers" and questioning their "moral compass", maybe I'll stop donating to what I think is a worthwhile organization.
TheOnlyGreyghost 12 months ago
Great points. I seriously doubt that this braying jackass represents the Friends. I've known a lot of Friends board members over the years but never anyone with this sort of arrogant attitude. And you're right--he's probably harming their cause rather than helping it.
He needs to take up another hobby, like knitting or coin collecting. Public persuasion is obviously not the strong suit of someone so hostile and combative.
1776attorney 12 months ago
See above- especially the "ethics and morals" section. If that doesn't make sense, then it's too late to teach those character traits.
NanCrisp 12 months ago
This looks like a lack of knowledge rather than a lack of morals or ethics. All this is very interesting. Almost every small community in this area has a citywide garage sale sometime in the spring or early summer. I wonder if all of these events are planned, coordinated, "paid for" (which I assume means someone is buying some kind of media advertising) and staged by the local library? Or maybe some other nonprofit agency?
Although I've known the Baldwin event is connected to the library, I've never thought about whether all these citywide garage sales all over the place have been originated by nonprofit groups.
So I guess none of these communities just got their heads together and decided to promote a single day for mass garage sales. Nevermind that in larger cities, such as Olathe and Lawrence, blocks or subdivisions do the same thing to try to get a better customer turn-out. It's well-known that mass garage sales bring more customers than single-family events. But I just never knew that the Friends of the Baldwin Library invented this concept.
Hey, everybody. Just give the Friends a $5 bill. It doesn't have to be about the garage sale. And if you don't feel welcome at the citywide because you're a scammer or cheater, then get your neighbors together and have a big community-wide garage sale some other time. Market analysis shows that earlier in the spring will probably get you better traffic anyway. June is actually at the tail end of the peak garage-sale season.
baldwinfan 12 months ago
I never understand why some people would rather call people names than argue their side of an issue. I guess if your on the losing side of the issue, what other options do you have.
I think the point I was trying to get at is that rather than just point and call people names, maybe it would be better to calmly and politely inform those individuals that this is a library led event and a donation would be appreciated. If that doesn't work, feel free to use the childish tactics of shouting "cheaters and scammers". Maybe you could even go the extra mile and make a funny face at them:o
BaldwinDad 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I guess 1776attorney only consider this the land of the free as long as you agree with him, outside of that your a "cheater and a scammer"
I used to find most of your arguments well thought out and filled with some level of integrity, but this one is completely with out any. The idea that I must surrender my private property rights simply because you demand it for you personal project is disgusting.
I guess everyone should cover their ears every day unless they donate money to the church less they use the bells when they chime every hour to inform the townsfolk of the hours passing??
What about all the business that benefit from the Maple Leaf Festival, are they also "cheater and scammers", since they make no donation or give part of the extra income they earn that weekend to the Festival or all he residents on High who set up booths in their front yard, do they all HAVE to pay the Festival for that right??
Seriously, you need to step back and examine who is lacking in ethics and morals here my friend, because at this time it appears to be you.
1776attorney 11 months, 2 weeks ago
For the benefit of those that are unfamiliar with the term "header", it refers to a phrase intended to provoke or incite interest in a comment or opinion. Thus, "cheaters and scammers" has succeeded as such. Kindly look it up.
But sadly, it misses the whole point, and even more shocking is the fact that commenters don't seem to see the ethics or morals involved.
More to the point, Sir. Let's say the Girl Scouts decide to have a bake sale next month to raise money for their organization. So they allocate and spend $500 on baking goods and advertising citywide. Then they spend 2 days baking. On the day of their announced bake sale they set up their tables downtown and commence their fundraiser.
Out of the blue, 3 people with no association to the Girl Scouts appear on the scene and set up tables and start to sell cookies, pies and cakes for their own profit. These interlopers are stealing the advertising dollars spent by the Girl Scouts and competing in a way to harm the Girl Scouts fundraising event. Thus they are "cheaters and scammers'.
You may disagree, however, I can assure you that you are a minority. The general public would be appalled and while the interlopers may get away with their "jumping on the train", the general public would clearly see their actions as unethical.
There is no differnce between the Girl Scouts, Friends of the Library or the BHS Cheerleaders.
And yes, to answer your question, the Maple Leaf Festival requires all vendors to pay the exhibition fee, no matter if you are a Baldwin City resident or out of town seller. And the Festival does enforce that rule for everyone equally.
With all due rspect, the fact that a few commenters and readers can't see the ethical line here, is the most disturbing.
BaldwinDad 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Their is a flaw in your analogy there 1776, the fact is what you are telling people is that in the finite # of good summer weekends that they are verboten from selling their personal belongings on their own property with out paying a fee to your cherished organization is wrong, in fact in some ways you are holding the homeowner who pays property taxes which support the library hostage for an entire weekend.
In regards to the Girl scouts they would be occupying a public space I assume? While the other people are taking advantage of the time, effort, and expenditures of the Girl Scouts, the buyer is just as evil in you analogy for having chosen to purchase from them rather then having the only option of purchasing from the singular vendor the Girl Scouts.
However, what if one of those other vendors is simply trying to do whatever he can to raise money to pay for a much needed surgery for his dying child, are they still a cheater and scammer lacking of any moral fiber?? What if they are simply trying to make money to buy a new car which will be purchased from salesman at a dealership who if had not made that sale would have been fired and with out a job his family would have lost their home.
Also when the Girl Scouts sell their cookies every year do you write letters of protest to Kraft Foods and Kellogg demanding they halt cookie production, less they be viewed as scammers and cheaters? Or is the the Girl Scouts with their over priced novelty cookies the ones that stealing business from a productive business member who employees thousands of workers around the country year round??
As for the Maple Leaf, no not all vendors pay a fee, some who set up on people's private property do not, as all the Private Business who profit from the festival have the right to use the area in front of their storefront to increase their own sales.
L&M cafe is a prime example, here is a business that is shuttered for what seems like 362 days out of the year and opens for just two days during the Maple Leaf Festival to sell it's breakfast and lunch fare, they by your standards are cheaters and scammers, since they are stealing business from the other Non-Profits who sell food at the Festival, but perhaps for that owner and their family this is the one chance every year they have to make money to support themselves.
Your simple and somewhat selfish view lacks any depth of real world actions or consequences. The ethics of both sides are flawed when you demand through moral beratement that they cede to your wishes, you can't hold a town hostage for weekend demanding tribute or be labeled a parasite, with out being just as morally bankrupt as those that would use the volunteer efforts of a select group of people who are trying to do nothing more then support their favored organization.
1776attorney 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Sadly, it's obvous that "ethnics and morality" concepts go right over your head, my friend. And honestly, I never mean to sound insulting or condescending.
You thrive on looking for any justification, no matter how silly or unrealistic, to give a pass to people that lack the ethics, morality or coherence (the systematic or logical connection or consistency) to judge right and wrong.
Instead of ethics, morality and coherence being the guidance of decisionmaking, under your theory, the poor ethics, morality and coherence must be justified by the flimiest of justifications and reasoning. "The ends justify the means".
Societies for thousands of years have discouraged this poor ethics, morality and coherence by community "shaming" and criticism of the offenders. And rightly so.
Otherwise, the whole community would be a complete mess without a minimum of cohesion through good ethics, morality and coherence.
Thanks for the discusion, but its' really enough said, my friend. Looking forward to other future topics with you.
1776attorney 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Addendum- Your concept of the Maple Leaf Festival fees is wrong. The sidewalks and streets in front of downtown businesses are city property and are allocated and assigned by, and a booth fee collected by, the Maple Leaf Festival Committee.
Additionally, the Kansas State Department of Revenue makes regular visits and inspectuions of booths and sellers during the festival for proper sales tax certification and collection.
baldwinfan 11 months, 2 weeks ago
1776, I think you have silly & unrealistic morals. I was immoral last week. A store had an advertisement in the paper, but I went across the street and bought something instead. Basically, the competitor didn't advertise and got my business. How can they live with themselves.
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