Polling numbers shot sky high yesterday for Senator Ted Cruz, candidate for the Republican nomination for the presidency, after he announced a proposal to eliminate the library rate for shipping books through the US mail. This rate allows libraries, publishers, and others to ship materials much less expensively. Cruz said, “People are always pissing and moaning about the future of the Post Office—well, here’s a great way to increase revenues.” Detractors said that the proposal would hurt children, the elderly, basically all Americans. “Libraries will incur huge budget problems, or simply have to stop offering services such as interlibrary loan and book lending to homebound readers,” said American Library Association president Sari Feldman. Cruz would have none of that. “Why do you think we have the internet?” he asked. Pollsters of every stripe say that Cruz’ proposal struck a chord with the Republican base. Said Republican voter Pete Johns, a heating and air conditioning repairman and father of two from Jamaica Plain, Boston, “There’s already too much damned reading in this country. Making it harder to distribute books is a great idea.” Kyle Merker, a Republican and father of four from Modesto, California, said, “Reading is for liberal pussies. I’m not liberal, I sure as hell ain’t no pussy, and I sure as hell ain’t going to *raise* no liberal pussies.” Each one of the Senator’s opponents for the Republican nomination supports Cruz’ plan as well. Said Marco Rubio, “Ted and I disagree on many issues, but this, this idea of raising the postal rates for books, this is sheer brilliance.”