Today I received a survey from Americans for the Arts.I probably should have been more encouraging. I do like the arts. I play now and then with a local bluegrass band, and some of my favorite experiences (back in California) were getting student discounts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I like the "Dutch Masters." I helped draft incorporation papers for a museum of architecture (pro bono).
But I have to admit, a lot of today's "art" annoys me. Much of it seems like an attempt to slap God in the face. And the fact that it may have been tax-funded heaps insult on injury.
Here are their questions with my answers:
1. Question: What arts activities have you attended, participated in, or supported in the last year?X-Music Theater X-Visual Arts Dance X-Literary Arts Other None
Additional Comments (optional):
I am an amateur musician, but I think it would be wrong for the government to confiscate your property and give it to me. http://KevinCraig.us/arts.htm
[Additional comment. This question is designed to see if the candidate has a personal interest in the arts. Truth be told, I don't get much art in the Ozarks. Certainly not as much or as many opportunities as I had in Los Angeles. Fewer museums, fewer concerts, etc. But we all make choices, and it's wrong to expect the government to equalize everything. It's also pretty much impossible: I gave up the Hollywood Bowl and the Mark Taper Forum, but now I get to watch the leaves change color.]
2. Background: The budget of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was cut in half during the 1990s. With its current funding of $144.7 million, the NEA spends just 48 cents per American—about the cost of a pack of gum.
Question: Do you support a significant funding increase for the National Endowment for the Arts, so that arts organizations in your district can present more high quality arts programs for all of its citizens?
Strongly Agree Agree X-Disagree Undecided
Additional Comments (optional):
Nothing in the Constitution gives the federal government authority to take money from Farmer Jones and give it to Artist Smith. http://KevinCraig.us/enumerated.htm
[I would now add an additional comment about the insidiousness of these figures. Artists have a tremendous incentive to lobby the government to get millions of dollars. A small investment in time and travel can bring huge rewards. But no individual citizen can afford to go to Washington D.C. and lobby against appropriations for the arts, because each individual is only paying 48 cents for the lobbyists' largesse. And every other industry is busy lobbying for their millions, or billions, and their billions are only going to be a few bucks out of my pay check and yours. But at the end of the day, the lobbyist is walking away with a billion dollars in theft. The entire system is immoral.]
[An additional note: The NEA was cut during the 1990's? Weren't those the Clinton years? Wouldn't this support the idea that if a Democrat is elected President, Republicans in Congress work harder to cut wasteful programs, whereas when a Republican is elected, Congress expands big government? Go Obama!]
3. Background: Prior to the budget cuts of the 1990s, the NEA partnered with local arts agencies to re-grant funds in their communities, ensuring strong local input and control over artistic programming, especially in rural and underserved areas. After the cuts, however, the re-granting partnership ended because of insufficient funds.Question: Do you support dedicated funding for an NEA re-granting program for local arts agencies?
Strongly Agree Agree X-Disagree Undecided
Additional Comments (optional):
Art must come from the heart, not a government edict. http://KevinCraig.us/violence.htm
4. Background: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) defines the arts as a core academic subject, allowing school districts to use federal funding for arts education instruction. However, implementation of NCLB has dramatically reduced the time spent teaching the arts around the country and increased the need for federal-level research measuring the status and condition of the arts.Question: Do you support strengthening arts education and research through the reauthorization of NCLB?
Strongly Agree Agree X-Disagree Undecided
Additional Comments (optional):
Government schools are a travesty. Competitive, private schools give twice the art at half the price.
5. Background: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has been level-funded at about $400 million for several years, is a major provider of arts programming on public television and radio.Question: Do you support increased funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
Strongly Agree Agree X-Disagree Undecided
Additional Comments (optional):
Some people see government media as the cultural equivalent of Tokyo Rose. They should not be forced to support it. I'm pro-choice on radio and TV.
6. Background: Currently, art collectors can claim a fair market value tax deduction for works that they donate to cultural organizations, but artists can claim only the cost of materials when they donate work that they have created.Question: Do you support bipartisan legislation to correct this inequity and to ensure that museums, libraries, and other cultural organizations receive donations?
X-Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Undecided
Additional Comments (optional):
I favor maximizing all deductions until the Income Tax is completely abolished. http://KevinCraig.us/taxation.htm I am, however, skeptical that such a deduction as you describe is rationally and legally possible. One man's "art" is another man's trash. A collector can formulate a more objective and rational estimate of the "fair market value" of a work of art than an artist can. Every artist will subjectively value her own work higher than the market might. I would be interested in reviewing such proposed legislation.
[I have since discovered the details here. It isn't just a matter of the artist claiming a "fair market value" off the top of his head. It has to be accepted by a tax-exempt organization (e.g., a museum). The museum declares the value, the artist writes it off.]
For more detailed information on these arts policy issues, please visit: www.ArtsActionFund.org/sc/LegislativePriorities
Completed By: Kevin Craig
Date: 08/08/08
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