The National Endowment of the Arts

[Stone]

military funding? while i would like them to be more accountable for their purchasing, our superior military technology is something america cannot get lax on. Funding fingerpainting is a bit less important than ensuring national security.

Yeah, but we're not talking about fingerpainting, we're talking about maybe getting some young kids getting interested in Shakespeare's Collected Works, one of the greatest human achievements, ever - counteracting anti-white-male indoctrinatory bullshit - inspiring people to do good things, think harder, live better, be better people.

Think about it this way. Is the NEA worth $140 million in tax cuts? Is it worth $140 million in tax increases?

[Shakey]

yes, the greatest nations have always wasted good money, dont see why we cant learn from those mistakes. maybe the money alone is not enough to solve those problems, but wasting the funds is that much more that couldnt go to those, better causes, its like buying toys when you are barely afording rent, luxuries follow necessities.

I think art is a necessity to any society. I understand that it may not be a 140 million dollar necessity, but it's essential for people to have release, and art, in all it's forms, is the most fulfilling and universal form of expression and release.

[Stone]

A lot of other countries spend way more than us, by the way. France spends a ton of cash funding French movies - Les Triplets De Belleville was getting money from like two or three different government institutions.

[frostwolf ex]

Yeah, but we're not talking about fingerpainting, we're talking about maybe getting some young kids getting interested in Shakespeare's Collected Works, one of the greatest human achievements, ever - counteracting anti-white-male indoctrinatory bullshit - inspiring people to do good things, think harder, live better, be better people.

Think about it this way. Is the NEA worth $140 million in tax cuts? Is it worth $140 million in tax increases?

you assume that they are counteracting those steriotypes, or just reading collections of poems and stories that reinforce them, the arts have, in these days become quite "anti white male indoctrinating bullshit" friendly. and that is not really the point, spending on social engeneering is all well and good in theory, but i think there are things that need higher priority, i was being alliteratively facetious(yes, i had to look the spelling up) about fingerpainting, but i think arts are for the people to support, not the government, i give to pbs, because i recognze that it is my responsability as someone who appreciates its existence, but do i think the job of government is to pick up the tab, never. for your second question, i would gladly see taxes raised if they were going for important things liek i mentioned,not going to nonsense like the nea.

I think art is a necessity to any society. I understand that it may not be a 140 million dollar necessity, but it's essential for people to have release, and art, in all it's forms, is the most fulfilling and universal form of expression and release.

then let those who feel it is needed pay for it, not have it taken from the important functions that the government is supposed to be doing.

[Stone]

you assume that they are counteracting those steriotypes, or just reading collections of poems and stories that reinforce them, the arts have

Fair enough, although Gioia seems to be intent on counteracting the "anti white male indoctrinating bullshit" - with the Shakespeare program and other similar, stuff.

[Tracer]

Humm, I'm no expert but I am unsure as to how much funding the Arts needs or should have. My main areas of concern are Education, The Sciences and the Environment.

military funding? while i would like them to be more accountable for their purchasing, our superior military technology is something america cannot get lax on. Funding fingerpainting is a bit less important than ensuring national security.

400 Billion a year (w/o conflict) is still too much. I want them to at least be accountable (all together, as it is they are not at all accountable) for thier spending and to be more efficient. As it Defense is a mess. To address threats, more highly trained personel geared towards 4th generation warfare are needed. I don't see the need to increase spending for that though. $400,000,000,000 should buy every damn thing the millitary needs.

[Stone]

How about this - I went to school with a lot of kids who probably spent all of their time studying Frantz Fanon, the Mythopoetics of Color and the Memes of Anti-Colonial Freedom in the work of 'Fizza' (the transexual performance artist), so on, all of that shit. They got Pell Grants from the government, just like the rest of us. The government spent $2k so those girls could learn that Bush is a nazi and that shaving your armpits is tantamount to rape. If the government can spend $2k to teach one person that, then why not $140mil to show a bunch of underprivileged kids what the human race can really do (like Shakespeare?)

[Tracer]

Hah.

Sucks that schools are too afraid to teach more William Blake than Francophone poems or something equally shitty.

[frostwolf ex]

How about this - I went to school with a lot of kids who probably spent all of their time studying Frantz Fanon, the Mythopoetics of Color and the Memes of Anti-Colonial Freedom in the work of 'Fizza' (the transexual performance artist), so on, all of that shit. They got Pell Grants from the government, just like the rest of us. The government spent $2k so those girls could learn that Bush is a nazi and that shaving your armpits is tantamount to rape. If the government can spend $2k to teach one person that, then why not $140mil to show a bunch of underprivileged kids what the human race can really do (like Shakespeare?)

ok, you got me there, pell grants are a touchy subject because seperating the funds spent on college students that will actually provide something for the world, as opposed to the nonsnese you mention sometimes requires very difficult value judgements that would anger a lot of people who make it their purpose in life to be outraged loudly. but i dont think that the nea is as difficult a case, pirvate funds should pay for social engineering, not the government, otherwise you get into areas where the government seems to be supporting particular viewpoints that its really not in its best interests to have any public say in.

400 Billion a year (w/o conflict) is still too much. I want them to at least be accountable (all together, as it is they are not at all accountable) for thier spending and to be more efficient. As it Defense is a mess. To address threats, more highly trained personel geared towards 4th generation warfare are needed. I don't see the need to increase spending for that though. $400,000,000,000 should buy every damn thing the millitary needs.

Couldnt agree more, i really dont feel qualified to make a judgement on wether the amount is enough(but it should be) but there is tremendous waste that should be trimmed and put back into more effiecient and effective technologies and training.

[Shakey]

then let those who feel it is needed pay for it, not have it taken from the important functions that the government is supposed to be doing.

the benefits of art to a society are not as easy to notice, and people could easily write them off as unneeded, but I don't want to be in the country that realized it was needed after the fact.