Fuck art let's demagogue

So perhaps you heard that on Friday, the Senate passed an amendment to the stimulus bill, sponsored by the loathsome Tom Coburn, that bars any stimulus money from going to "any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project." In other words, it might as well have been called the "'How To Make Sure None Of The Stimulus Money Will Go To Enriching Or Bettering People's Lives' Amendment." But the tax cuts -- which have a negligible stimulus effect -- those are staying.

The amendment passed overwhelmingly (73-24), and even NY Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has a reputation as an arts advocate and -- perhaps someone should remind him of this -- whose state includes New York Fuckin' City, where the arts are rumored to be somewhat important to the local economy, voted in favor of the amendment. (To her credit, the newly-minted, nominally right-leaning Sen. Kristen Gillibrand was one of the few to vote against it.)

I am furious, but fortunately Isaac says everything I wanted to say. Also, go to the Americans for the Arts Action Center and write your senators. It takes two minutes of your time and makes an enormous difference.

And hey, remember last week when people were all worried that America might indulge in too much arts funding (cue fear-mongering about "censorship"), or that Obama might appoint an Arts Czar and that would be... bad, somehow? Good times.