November 21, 2005
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1. The government should subsidize struggling museums, theaters, and artists.
I agree but not strongly. If a
city wants to continue to exist, it has to generate tax revenue so it
can pay the bills. Expenses should stay under control, but the
focus should be on income for a city. Too often you see a municipality
constantly voting on whether or not to increase taxes, whether or not a
budget for a school should be raised, etc, etc. Putting all the energy
on controlling in/outflow of cash is costly and taxing!It's like distributive versus integrative bargaining. You can break up
a pie into slices (distributive) or think of ways to work together and
increase the size of the pie. The arts do that quite well. A city with
a healthy arts offering will attract businesses and residents and
visitors alike, bringing in tax revenue that pays the bills for roads
and other essentials. On top of that, the revenue is of a higher value
than say the sales tax money from a strip club, which sadly counts the
same in economics figures.From an economic perspective alone, it makes sense to support museums,
theaters, and artists. What kept me from saying "strongly agree" is my
feeling that you have to keep a strong check on expenses out of the
government's direct responsiblity. The arts can end up being a huge
drain on a budget without offering a return if the money is poorly
used. Perhaps this concern is coming from recent scandals in Milwaukee
over gross mis-management at our public museum and the soaring art museum
costs. All in all, though, I think this city has a lot of great places
for dates!When you took the test, what did you say?
Comments (4)
First comment bonus points?
I think I said the same thing, because supporting the arts is always a great idea. However, I did have the thought that I don't like the government determining what is considered "art" and what is not, and subsizing the accepted art forms and NOT the "unacceptable" art. I think that's the ELCA hippie in me
Sounds like you truly are!
And yes, very much a setup for something bad to happen. lol
ryc ~ I'm not saying the government DOESN'T fund art of all kinds at the moment, I'm just saying the thought occurred to me that controlling the money is a really effective way to control the expression. And I'm not a communist
but I DO believe people should help one another. Does that make me a Socialist? 
Where's my fellow Socialist on this one?? Esther! Back me up! 
So, ideally, the government would help where needed and wanted in the artistic community, and back off when it comes to decision making. I have a fear of Orwellian control over provacative ideas!
I said disagree, not strongly. I didn't have an elaborate reason - it was much more of a hunch than anything else.
Comments are closed.