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I intended to take a break from the “Politics” part of my column this week to focus on the “Personalities” for a change, but since we’re in the middle of this seemingly never-ending presidential campaign—with all of its ridiculousness, epic fundraising/spending, and misinformation—I just can’t seem to break away.
So, I’ll sideline my feelings on the whole “paparazzi unethically uncovers the private relationships of celebrities phenomenon” (i.e. Kristen Stewart and her director, Anderson Cooper’s ex-boyfriend kissing in the park) for another Friday. (Hint: I think it’s despicable, but we as a nation eat it up, so we only have ourselves to blame.)
I want to talk about Romney because I’m disgusted with his most recent pledges to cut government spending. Not that I’m against cutting spending—we MUST make cuts and reduce our criminally large national deficit and stop borrowing money from foreign countries—but to single out the entities that he is promising to slash, is just ridiculous.
In an interview with Fortune magazine released Wednesday, the presumptive Republican nominee states that he would repeal ObamaCare (no surprise there) as well as cut funding to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the subsidies to National Public Radio.
(He also wants to cut the subsidies to Amtrak, feeling it should stand on its own. While I agree with that one, they first have to make epic changes to the governance and laws affecting the struggling train system before simply pulling the financial plug. It’s a mess that can’t be turned by simply pulling the money and hoping it survives.)
But this is not about healthcare or trains today. It’s about the arts. And while many might believe that the government has no business funding such non-essential activities, organizations like NPR, NEH and NEA, are providing valuable, life-enriching services and products.
Studies show that music and arts programs in schools greatly affect students’ overall performance academically. And otherwise talented artists from myriad mediums might never be given the chance to create without assistance of some kind. And whether we know it or not, many of our greatest thinkers and artists have come up through these programs.
And with an entity like NPR—which only gets 15% of its dollars from the government, mind you—we are able to enjoy enlightening and educational programming that the typical for-profit studios and networks could and probably never would bring us.
For example, the NEA’s 2011 budget was a measly $155 million to make 88,000 concerts, readings and performances; 4,000 exhibits; and, 9,000 artists residences possible. Life enriching and innovation that reached 107 million Americans.
The Department of Defenses’ 2011 budget?
$708 billion!
Sure, we need a strong national defense in this uneasy world. But do we need to be the police for the planet with 761 military bases around the world? The numbers are staggering. In 2010, we spent a full 19% of the entire U.S. government budget on defense…28% of our tax revenues. We spend more than any other country on earth by far and our spending makes up 40% of the entire world’s spending on the military.
So, I’d say that cuts are in order from that little ol’ line item, Mr. Romeny. And, yes, I’m talking to you, too, President Obama. Let’s concentrate on our crumbling infrastructure here at home—and build a few new public sculptures (not to mention keeping cuddly Elmo on our TVs) while we’re at it instead of buying yet another $102 million fighter jet.
- Scott
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