Taxpatrons Of The Arts
I love cultchuh, and I pay for the cultchuh I go to see -- which is how it should be. If you're a NASCAR girl, why should you be forced to pay for the ballet?
Well, because Obama says you should, and never mind that the payment will have to go on the national credit card, which is already so over its limit, we're all eventually going to be working as houseservants for the Chinese. Mike Boehm writes in the LAT:
President Obama's proposed 2013 budget, released Monday, calls for a 5% increase in spending for three cultural grantmaking agencies and three Washington, D.C., arts institutions.Obama aims to boost outlays from $1.501 billion to $1.576 billion, encompassing the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities (NEA and NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Gallery of Art.
The arts and humanities endowments each would get a 5.5% boost, to $154.255 million -- nearly restoring cuts announced in December. But if Congress approves the president's proposal for the fiscal year that begins in October 2012, the NEA and NEH will still be well short of the $167.5 million each was set to receive before two separate rounds of cuts instigated by Congressional Republicans during 2011.
Well, "we" are the only ones who know precisely how other people should be using their resources, right?
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at February 14, 2012 7:15 AM
"He's so unhip, that when you say Dylan, he thinks you're talkin' 'bout Dylan Thomas, whoever he was. The man ain't got no cultchah!"
I bet you'd enjoy this Simon & Garfunkel classic circa 1966, Amy. (Me personally thinks it should be updated... and re-recorded.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOvs3rCFI2A
qdpsteve at February 14, 2012 7:15 AM
Well, Jeremy Bentham said, "Push-pin is as good as poetry" meaning that there are no objective aesthetical standards. Bentham was a utilitarian, but was unable to even convince his greatest student, John Stuart Mill, that this was the case. It's a hard point to take that some "enculturements" are no better than any other and do not actually enrich their culture. If in fact they do, then a non-libertarian argument could be made that those who benefit from the cultural enrichment they provide should pay for them, whether or not they personally appreciate them. I take no stance on this.
Jim S. at February 14, 2012 9:29 AM
One person's art is another person's garbage. I hate arts subsidies. There is plenty of art out there - subsidies are utterly unnecessary.
How many people play musical instruments? How many people are in a band, or have friends who are in a band - not professionals, but people who maybe play for beer money? Same for drawing, or painting, or dance, or indeed any other form of art.
Subsidies are only necessary for a certain group of artsy elite who think they are entitles to make a living at what - in its best form - is really a wonderful hobby.
a_random_guy at February 14, 2012 9:34 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/14/taxpatrons_of_t.html#comment-2978655">comment from a_random_guyJohn Cage makes me suicidal.
Amy Alkon at February 14, 2012 9:51 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/14/taxpatrons_of_t.html#comment-2978665">comment from Jim S.Well, Jeremy Bentham said, "Push-pin is as good as poetry" meaning that there are no objective aesthetical standards.
Actually, this is not true. The sweet late Denis Dutton wrote a smart and interesting book about aesthetic standards that are common to humans around the globe, The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution.
Amy Alkon at February 14, 2012 9:54 AM
I agree that arts spending is not something that the Federal Government needs to be involved in. (I do like the Smithsonian, though...).
But let's not think we can solve the deficit problems we have by cutting it either. The $1.5 billion we're talking about is 1/20 of one percent of the federal budget. (1/2000).
When talking about cutting the Federal budget, it really needs to start with Social Security, Medicaid, and Defense.
clinky at February 14, 2012 11:09 AM
"John Cage makes me suicidal."
Philip Glass kinda does me like that, like there's a joke in there somewhere that I'm missing.
And second on what Clinky said. The big money will come from the big programs. DoD will probably be the easiest one to cut, at least at first, but I'll bet you a nickel the wrong things will get the axe.
Old RPM Daddy at February 14, 2012 11:39 AM
> it really needs to start with Social Security,
> Medicaid, and Defense.
Dude.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at February 14, 2012 12:08 PM
Stop spending on the arts, fine.
Stop subsidizing professional sports as well.
DrCos at February 14, 2012 3:06 PM
It is simple, if you have a product or service that does not sell you go out of business not to the president.
As for it being 1/2000th of the debt, we have 10's of thousands of these stupid programs, this crap adds up and can go away with very little fight.
NakkiNyan at February 14, 2012 3:43 PM
Arts funding increased. NASA planetary exploration funding decreased.
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/13/planetary-exploration-hit-in-nasa-budget/?hpt=us_c2
Obama's just determined to swing the votes to Ron Paul.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at February 14, 2012 4:13 PM
"Subsidies are only necessary for a certain group of artsy elite who think they are entitles to make a living at what - in its best form - is really a wonderful hobby."
That reminded me of this 99%-er I read the other day:
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/post/16990777173/i-am-a-19-years-old-male-i-can-paint-draw
Miguelitosd at February 14, 2012 5:49 PM
Cut your way out of the cage with glass. Either way you no longer care cause you're dead.
This is the same thing as studying the methane in cow farts.
A $1,000,000,000 here, a $1,000,000,000 there adds up to real money.
Figure over your lifetime your of working at $35,000 * 50 years = $1,750,000 just for grins let's double that to $3,500,000.
So where does
That income is $5,425,000,000,000 over 50 years.
$5,425,000,000,000
NEA 1,500,000,000 year 1
NEA 1,500,000,000 year 2
NEA 1,500,000,000 year 3
Debt 16,000,000,000 year 1
Debt 16,000,000,000 year 2
Debt 16,000,000,000 year 3
2011 GDP $15,087,000,000
1.5% interest on $16.trill
240,000,000
Money lost on Solyndra
$535,000,000
Just want everyone think of the numbers in the same sizes.
Jim P. at February 14, 2012 6:09 PM
How did you do that tiny little micro-font?
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 14, 2012 6:15 PM
<pre>
</pre> gets the mini-font pre is preformatted -- use courier.My end got messed up.
Jim P. at February 14, 2012 7:11 PM
Four Minutes and 33 Seconds????
I thought of myself as something of an urbane sophisto, and I had never heard of this before. It's so fucking ludicrous it would not even work on Monty Python, yet here are all the swells lapping it up. If it ever comes within 100 miles of me I will buy a joke fart machine, place it under a seat nearby, and have at it.
Goes to show, The Great Art Swindle rolls merrily along.
Last week I heard\saw Molly Cyrus singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and wanted to do my best Kurt Colbain impression.
Oh, and the Arts will be fine without government support, including really bad public arts projects in our local towns... which is sorta funny if you have ever been to Rome, Venice, or about a hundred other cities in Europe. The masterpieces there are grafittied like our freeway underpasses.
Eric at February 14, 2012 10:26 PM
This might be an
in blog comment sophistimication.Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 14, 2012 11:29 PM
"That reminded me of this 99%-er I read the other day:
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/post/16990777173/i-am-a-19-years-old-male-i-can-paint-draw"
Perfect example! He writes: "I can paint, draw, write, play guitar, sing, so many valuable talents yet I have no opportunities."
Painting, drawing, playing instruments, singing - everyone in my family does one or another of these, generally quite well. None of us expect to make a living doing them - they are valuable in a life-enriching sort of way, but they are not financially valuable talents.
a_random_guy at February 15, 2012 6:26 AM
As a musician and artist, I think subsidies and grants are for losers.
lsomber at February 15, 2012 11:06 AM
"Four Minutes and 33 Seconds????"
Cage did that to make a point, that music is about more than just how many notes can one cram into a given period of time. He never intended it as a serious work. For its premiere, he had sheet music printed up for the pianist, consisting of page after page of rests.
As for Glass, well, I can kind of understand how people would be put off by some of his work. But you ain't heard nothing until you've heard his Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists.
Cousin Dave at February 15, 2012 3:58 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/14/taxpatrons_of_t.html#comment-2981160">comment from Cousin DaveBut you ain't heard nothing until you've heard his Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists.
On one of those days when I feel compelled to claw my eyeballs out but don't quite have the will to do it, I'll be sure to put it on.
Amy Alkon at February 15, 2012 3:59 PM
Well, I'm the kind of person who enjoys Robert Fripp's Soundscapes so much that I bought a delay line so I could make my own. What can I say.
Cousin Dave at February 16, 2012 6:48 PM
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