Something to think about

Received this artcile via the Texas Commission on the Arts:

NEA and CPB Funding UPDATE
Republicans Eye Killing NEA, CPB

By Roger Armbrust

An advisory panel composed of over 100 Republican members of the House of Representatives has recommended ending all funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The NEA is the federal government's chief source of funding for nonprofit theatre groups, dance companies, and arts presenters. The CPB is a major funder of noncommercial broadcast programming of the performing arts.

The Republican Study Committee recommended that the two agencies be eliminated as part of its "RSC Budget Options 2005" report. The 23-page analysis offers cuts in nearly every area of the federal budget, leading to savings of $102.1 billion in fiscal year 2006, five-year savings of $369.9 billion, and a decade's savings of $949.7 billion.

Presented by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the RSC's chairman, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), the committee's budget and spending task force chairman, the study indicates that the lost federal funds could be made up through private sources.

"In 2001, America spent $27 billion on nonprofit arts funding: $11.5 billion from the private sector; $14 billion in earned income (tickets sales, etc.); and $1.3 billion in combined federal, state, and local public support (of which $105 million was from the NEA -- 0.39% of total nonprofit arts funding)," the report states. "The funding could easily be funded by private donations. Savings: $1.8 billion over ten years ($678 million over five years)."

As for public television, the report notes, "CPB, which receives $400 million annually from Congress, funds the Public Broadcasting Service at 15% of its annual budget. The other 85% of PBS's budget comes from viewer donations, local government, and universities. CPB and PBS continue to use federal funding to pay for questionable programming, such as a documentary on sex education funded by the Playboy Foundation. Additionally, much of the programming on PBS, such as 'Sesame Street,' could bring in enough annual revenues to cover the loss of federal funding. Savings: $5.6 billion over ten years ($2.2 billion over five years)."

The report does not indicate specifically how programs such as "Sesame Street" could raise that revenue.

The RSC has also recommended eliminating the National Endowment for the Humanities, which supports research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. "As with the NEA, the general public benefits very little" from the NEH, the report declares, "and it could easily be funded by private donations. Savings: $2 billion over ten years ($769 million over five years)."

A revised version of the report is dated Sept. 22. On Wed., Sept. 28, Americans for the Arts, a national arts advocacy group, alerted its membership to the threatened funding cuts. The organization said in an emailed "arts action alert" that the RSC was using the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as a rationale for the recommended cuts: "Needless to say, cutting this funding would not even make a dent in the need for hurricane relief, and at the same time it would deprive the affected areas of much-needed help in rebuilding their vital cultural sectors."

Although the RSC makes no mention of Hurricane Katrina in its report, the document is headlined "Operation Offset," a reference to the group's "effort to find savings in the federal budget to pay for hurricane relief," according to its website.

Americans for the Arts did not respond to questions about whether a House bill that would end funding for the NEA and the CPB was actually in the works. A call to Rep. Pence's office in Washington was not returned by press time Tuesday.
Backstage 10/5/05
www.backstage.com

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Yes, as always when budgets need to get cut, it's usually the arts that get the ax. While I do think that arts entities need to continue to search for more private-sector sponsors, I also believe that support from the public sector needs to remain as a vital option to protect the arts from too much commercial infiltration. Will Elmo have to exclusively wear Nike shoes on TV so that PBS can keep operating? Will our children have to start learning about Jazz through interrupting commercials for MP3 players? Yes, just like our government protects our constitution and our national security, I also believe that our government should protect, preserve and promote the cultural arts of our nation. And while the arts can be a controversial field, there is much integrity in it to defend! The arts have power to inspire passion and action in individuals and communities alike! The arts will also become a key economic force in the revitalization of communities affected by Hurricane Katrina, especially in concern to New Orleans. The arts will continue to tell our story for times beyond our own. Public funding for the arts must remain so that when these stories get passed on, it's not with a corporate logo branded on. Don't get me woring, I think private-sector funding is great, but I strongly believe that public funding needs to remain in the picture to act as a balance, because once commercialism becomes the only option things can get out of hand! Don't believe me? Click here for an example of commercialism going to far.