Thursday, March 16, 2017

Mary Poppins Deplores Trump's Budget Cutting of Funding for the Arts


Julie Andrews, known mostly for her roles as Maria in the 'Sound of Music' and as the beloved 'Merry Poppins', along with her daughter wrote an Op-ed column for the network posing as news, CNN, pleading for elected officials to reject Trump's budget cuts for funding the Arts. 
"Decades worth of research attests to the fact that the arts are among the most profoundly important and valuable ways to improve learning and promote success, from early childhood through adulthood . Now, with the shifting priorities of our new presidential administration, artists and arts organizations are at serious risk of losing the support they need to do their invaluable work."
"The arts are fundamental to our common humanity. Every time we attend the theater, a museum or a concert, we are literally feeding our souls, and investing in and preserving our collective future."
Ms. Andrews may be correct about the education. But what she fails to see are what the alternatives to Government funding are. And I think there are a few other things she overlooks.

One, for most of the History of Western Civilization, the arts were funded by the 'Patrons of the Arts'. Leo da Vinci, Mozart, Will Shakespeare, Picasso etc. were not funded by any Government. They were commissioned by Religious Orders and Wealthy Patrons. Yes, Kings and Queens did commission art, but it was not for the benefit of everyone. It was specific to them and a symbol of their status, and unseen by the commoners. Not until the 1960's did the US Federal Government set their hooks into the Arts, creating public broadcasting and issuing grant moneys which they gave over controls to a little watched over and now politicized NEA, run in the past by leftist actor Jane Alexander.

"The Arts" as it is used today is a broad term. The taxpayers help fund everything from Symphony and Opera companies, to goofy and senseless performance art.  From NPR to massive state tax credits for the movie industry. From Ballet to pouring chocolate on ones self and asking for it to be licked off  by those in attendance,  or sitting on a stage and wiping menstrual blood on cloth and handing it to the audience.  

The Arts have become highly politicized and just another propaganda arm of th left. NPR has become over the years just an unlistenable sewer of leftist claptrap. 

Another thing Ms. Andrews (who made only $125,000 for her Academy Award winning Performance in The Sound of Music) fails to see is, hack talent challenged actors now make 10-20 million for crappy Super Hero movies now-a days. Movies that are given large tax credits by taxpayers, and sometime subsidized by foreigner governments like China. If there is that much money floating around Hollywood, let the Hollywood moguls finance there own crap. 

The point is, teach the Arts in schools as part of the curriculum as it has for decades and let the cream rise to the top. And let the vocal wealthy leftist who believe the government nanny has to enrich their world foot the bill for their own propaganda. Then maybe they will be a little more careful where they spread their money around.  Then just maybe we will get more Audrey Hepburns and less AndrĂ©s Serranos.


Thank You MJA for the Linkage!