Senate Amendment to Bar Entertainment Industry From Any Economic Recovery Funds

[isquint]

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has introduced an amendment to prohibit any funds in the economic stimulus bill from going to museums, casinos, aquariums, theaters, art centers. As such, it thus would bar from Federal Economic Recovery funding many potential projects that would create jobs for our members, invest in lasting products, and support the cultural vitality of many communities.

Read more about this on iSquint.net

[gafftaper]

That's what happens when the porn industry starts begging for a $5 billion bailout. We all get pulled down that road with them.

[Van]

Originally Posted by isquint

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has introduced an amendment to prohibit any funds in the economic stimulus bill from going to museums, casinos, aquariums, theaters, art centers. As such, it thus would bar from Federal Economic Recovery funding many potential projects that would create jobs for our members, invest in lasting products, and support the cultural vitality of many communities.

Read more about this on iSquint.net

Ok I haven't read the source yet, but dollars to doughnuts says, there's nothing in that amendment prohibiting the funds from going to "faith-based initiatives". No offense to anyone involved in Church related tech is meant by this. I just have issues with the non-separation of church and State that has grown under our last president.

[jmabray]

I don't have an issue with this. Not in the slightest. This is not a budget bill or a spending bill. It is a stimulus bill. Have it concentrate on things that will actually get people the ability to spend money again.

[SteveB]

Originally Posted by jmabray

I don't have an issue with this. Not in the slightest. This is not a budget bill or a spending bill. It is a stimulus bill. Have it concentrate on things that will actually get people the ability to spend money again.

At first glance I agree with you, then I give some thought to what the current downturn means. Locally (NYC metro area), business are doing awful, with a result that sales taxes have dived to the deep blue waters. This kills the budgets of all local governments with the result that funding for arts organizations is disappearing. Combined with folks not going to see the arts, due to lack of spare cash, and many groups go under.

So the stimulus bill then gets oriented to "business" and I'm OK with that (but isn't the entertainment industry a business ?) and in a few years sales taxes rebound (from the businesses that are still in business) and the government starts to fund arts groups again and a lot of them aren't around any more to receive the funds, as they're the last to receive spare cash, only getting funds when times are good. It's like an accordion effect with dire consequences.

So why not stimulate everybody ?. The economy doesn't solely consist of manufacturing and other tax generating sources. Arts and entertainment generate all kinds of revenue for the local economies, so it's short sighted to just fund the manufacturing side of the economy.

Steve B.

[ruinexplorer]

When contacting your congressmen, which I urge you to do, you could quote from this study or this discussion with some definite results on how arts and culture affect our economy. Both of these sites are only discussing the non-profit sector of the arts. This doesn't talk about the for-profit theaters on Broadway and how they impact that economy (or the touring shows and how they affect local economies).

A quick synopsis: Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences.
Museums employ more than a quarter-million Americans, spend an
estimated $14.5 billion annually, and rank among the top three family
vacation destinations. In fact, visitors to cultural and heritage
destinations stay 53% longer and spend 36% more money than other kinds
of tourists.

[ruinexplorer]

Here's a SnL skit that helps illustrate what the economic situation is coming to. Ok, maybe not, but it's fun and fits in with the conversation.

[museav]

Originally Posted by jmabray

I don't have an issue with this. Not in the slightest. This is not a budget bill or a spending bill. It is a stimulus bill. Have it concentrate on things that will actually get people the ability to spend money again.

I find this a bit ironic since several civic performing arts projects I've worked on were county or local governments allocating tax dollars for performing arts facilities primarily to draw people into those areas and stimulate local business.

[AdamC]

Originally Posted by jmabray

I don't have an issue with this. Not in the slightest. This is not a budget bill or a spending bill. It is a stimulus bill. Have it concentrate on things that will actually get people the ability to spend money again.

Uh, right. Well I'll have the ability to spend money again if the arts organization that employs me once again has funding to pay my salary. The recession has had a huge impact on my income and that of many of my coworkers.

I really don't understand why many Republicans think people working in the arts aren't -working-. A job in theater, or a music venue, or whatever, is a job just as much as a job in a bank or an auto factory. Although it doesn't pay as well.

A stimulus bill IS a spending bill. Here's a good explanation:

Steven Pearlstein - Wanted: Personal Economic Trainers. Apply at Capitol. - washingtonpost.com

[ruinexplorer]

Well, as it looks now, the bill passed the Senate with the ammendment intact. Now I guess that President Obama cannot keep his campaign promise of supporting the arts.