I don't want to sound too comfortable swilling moonshine from my
clay jug, but a press release announcing stimulus funds going
toward the arts makes me feel a touch queasy:
Underscoring this sentiment, the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act allocates $50 million to the National
Endowment for the Arts. As arts organizations are threatened by
declines in donations, the stimulus money will provide grants
to fund projects that keep jobs in the nonprofit arts sector.
Some 40 percent of the money will be distributed to state arts
agencies and regional arts organizations, and 60 percent will
be in competitive grants.
I DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR AMAZING PRODUCTION OF SWAN LAKE
ENOUGH TO FORCE POOR PEOPLE TO FUND IT.
The argument goes that we all ought to recognize "the value arts
and culture bring to a number of policy goals from economic
development and rural and urban revitalization, to education
reform and youth development."
And yet all of those are in peril because the status quo is about
to change: "...States invest $343 million in state arts agencies,
according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Now as
states tighten budgets and cut back spending, arts organizations
can suffer."
Want to know why? Because that money gets taken from people and
put into the arts agencies. If you want to spur an economy, you
let the people use their money to build businesses. You don't
hand it to a group of thespians working on interactive
social justice theater.
And I'd link the press release, but it's still not up on their
website despite the clear and present danger of losing really
good opera.
