Comments for Short-sighted solons gut arts funding at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 14 out of 14 comments http://www.theind.com Sat, 25 May 2013 23:52:36 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26840 Walter, I like it when you stand up to the followers of the Pied Piper!! - Michael A. Moss Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:38:54 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26836 So, Craig, you don't want your tax dollars funding arts/culture. That's your prerogative and I respect it. I would rather a greater percentage of my taxes go to arts/culture and less/none to the rural roads and bridges in Lafayette. I never use them and my taxes are basically subsidizing the lifestyle choice (living in "the country") of people who must by necessity drive a lot more on a daily basis and thereby make a greater-than-average contribution to air pollution. Fortunately we make choices about how our taxes are distributed in a democratic fashion, not as individuals, and underwriting the arts is a choice this community, state and nation have long made. I wish the funding levels were higher, but they are what they are and they'll rise and fall according to the will of people and their elected representatives. Slashing arts funding locally or by the state won't affect me much here in the city, but it will mean diminished access for those -- children especially -- in poor, rural parishes where there is no private-sector support for the arts. Don't hate the poor children, Craig and Nicholas. - Walter Pierce Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:48:24 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26835 Bingo, Craig. You would have made a fine councilman. - Nicholas Bouterie Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:32:53 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26834 Walter: Your problem is, (at least one of them) is that you have no faith in people. You think that for anything to thrive and succeed, it needs governmental assistance. Arts and culture is extremely important in this area and can succeed quite well with private donations, corporate sponsorships and the occasional tax break or incentive. Beucause of the very subjective nature of what constitutes art in the first place, the private sector, not my tax dollars, should be the avenue for its success. - craig spikes Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:15:19 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26829 Nicholas, I've heard the "pick winners and losers" line ad nauseum. Clearly it's a favorite on the right, because I only hear conservatives use it. I pay city, parish, state and federal taxes for services I will never use, roads I will never drive, bridges I will never traverse. I pay taxes for wars I oppose and policies with which I disagree. Government contracts are awarded and paid for with my tax dollars to companies whose business practices I might find morally objectionable. But I pay the taxes. Money I earned is given through government to others. It's the very nature of taxes. Two million dollars, which state a/c funding has been whittled down to, will buy about two miles of four-lane highway. To me, investing in a/c is a wise use of my money because of the revenue it generates via the cultural economy (tourism especially) for the state to cover the very obligations about which you are so worried. - Walter Pierce Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:18:47 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26828 Over the past few years, I have come to a personal opinion that the way one views tax breaks vs. subsidies makes up much of what determines if that person is to the left or right fiscally. Fiscal leftists view subsidies and tax breaks all in the same light. Fiscal rightists view them as two completely different things. Subsidies involve government handing out money it has taken from the income another individual or entity has earned in order to pick winners and losers in the market and/or to prop up a favored business/service. Tax breaks are when government takes away less from what an individual or entity has earned from the fruits of their labor and/or personal devosion. If government is going to take away less of an artist's earned income, I think that is wonderful. If government is going to take the taxes it forced said artist to pay from his/her income and hand it over to prop up the work of another artist, that is wrong. - Nicholas Bouterie Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:01:31 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26827 You're consistent, Nick, and I respect that. We'll have to agree to disagree on a/c funding. I just wish 51 percent of the Legislature agreed with ME. ;) - Walter Pierce Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:05:58 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26826 Walter: I don't agree with subsidies to businesses. I do agree with tax breaks. I'm fine with arts groups receiving tax breaks. Many already do, whether due to non-profit status or if they fall under one of the "culture" qualifications in the state tax code. I do not agree with subsidies. One is government actively taking public tax dollars and handing it out to prop up a business or service. One is government simply taking less of what an individual or entity has earned. So chicken plants being handed millions in cash by our state government, I am against, just like I am against an arts council receiving millions to build a building. Artists being exempt from paying income taxes on certain kinds of culture art they sell, I am fine with. Businesses receiving tax breaks on certain investments in Louisiana, I am fine with. - Nicholas Bouterie Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:33:29 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26823 You nailed it Walter....and until the naysayers get that arts programming is also an economic engine for this community the battle will go on. It takes a combined stream of private and public dollars to support arts efforts in our community not to mention free festivals like Festival International and Festivals Acadiens et Creoles. These events not only contribute significantly to the economy they are also quality of life events in the sense that they bring our community together if even for a weekend to celebrate our way of life. For a town the size of Lafayette we have as much to offer in the way of arts as a town 10 times our size and that in my opinion is worth any amount of funding that can be scraped together. It's not as much a "want" as it is a "necessity"! - Patrick Mould Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:20:09 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26822 Nicholas, Your response is exactly what I expected: characterizing arts/culture as a "want" rather than an economic driver. If it's true that for every dollar the state spends on arts culture it realizes a $7 return on investment through tourism, etc., how is a/c a want? Do corporate tax subsidies offer an ROI even close to that? - Walter Pierce Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:15:47 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26820 They have to fund the orginizations that have big pension benefits and salaries for their friends. What don't ya'll understand about that? The only art they (politicians) know is the ART OF PISSING AWAY MONEY!! - Michael A. Moss Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:09:13 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26819 Sure, to heck with the actual State Government OBLIGATIONS (Higher Ed, health care, State Highways), let's keep full funding for a bunch of WANTS instead. - Nicholas Bouterie Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:08:29 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26818 my guess is that they think tourists come here to dodge drunks on our highways. Or they think tourists come here to join the drunks at the local bars. - Barbara Guidry Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:27:31 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/indreporter/10647-short-sighted-solons-gut-arts-funding#comment-26817 Jindal's motto seems to be, Give me a chicken plucker over an artist any old time..." - Marsha Miller Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:18:57 +0100