What does everyone think about Quincy Jones' idea...

[misanthrope]

...to establish a Secretary of the Arts?

[geardaddy]

1. I like...

n/t

[Nickster]

2. I'd think that I'd gone to a different country. It's a great idea.

[EFerrari]

22. Yes, it might be much too civilized for us.

:)

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

3. I like it, but isn't Quince a bit self promoting on this? ;)

I'd put Stevie or Prince in charge msyelf.

[SteelPenguin]

4. i don't understand the need honestly

What do the ministers of culture do in france and germany?

Why does it have to be a cabinet level post?

Would they have a Department of the Arts? What would that do? Would that just be the NEA elevated up? Why? What does it benefit?

I guess I just don't understand the need of it.

[ikojo]

7. Doesn't the National Endowment fo the Arts

serve this purpose?

[antigop]

5. I would be absolutely thrilled. The arts have kept me from going nuts the last 8 years.

I'd would absolutely love to work in the department.

[GregD]

6. I like it, and would like to nominate John Jacobson

Jacobson ran for the 2nd CD during the primaries and lost to the other Dem in the race. Tough job for an out gay guy in this rural and conservative part of northern California where Prop 8 passed handily. Go take a look at the videos on his campaign site, and his pesonal/business site (both linked from http://www.johnjacobson.com) and you may see why this fellow just might be a great candidate for that office.

[XemaSab]

14. Not to knock John

but Jeff was a terrific candidate.

[GregD]

50. How would you characterize his performance in the debate?

And this has nothing really to do with Jeff - but I think John would be a great addition to a short list of candidates for such a role.

[avaistheone1]

8. Is that the most important thing on his mind?

Gee, people are losing their employment and the roofs over their heads.

Maybe we can all sing songs to each other, and draw pictures all day.

:bounce:

[demodonkey]

20. The Arts are more important now than ever!

Arts education, such as training on a musical instrument, is proven to improve young people's scores in other subjects as well. It also gets young people off the street and involved in positive activities that they can participate in for a lifetime.

The Arts generate billions in employment - not only for people who work in the Arts, but also for those who provide support services (parking, transportation, hotels, restaurants, etc.)

Finally the Arts are very important to our soul as a nation and help to preserve our history and culture for future generations.

[EFerrari]

25. Precisely! Having a cabinet level position would be establishing a measure of excellence

for the nation below which we'd not be willing to dip. It would pull the quality of life up for everyone.

[Thothmes]

32. So we now have to have the arts controlled by a cabinet

level Secretary. Does he get to decide what is art and what is not. Think about what the Bush admininstration would have done for the arts with cabinet level control. No thanks, keep the feds out.

[EFerrari]

33. Not controlled by, supported and promoted like a lot of countries have.

[Thothmes]

45. thats not how our government works

with government money comes government rules and regulations. What is the point of having a Secretary of Arts with not federal budget. As so admirably pointed out on this forum, we do not do things like a lot of other countries do.

[EFerrari]

46. It's very simple. If you don't want Fed rules and regs, you opt out of Fed money.

And you're right, we don't do things as many developed democracies do. That's why our schools and our health care and our working conditions are in the toilet.

[Thothmes]

47. Schools are free to opt out of Fed money if the dont like NCLB

how many have done that. As with most institutions, the arts will prostitute themselves federal money if it is available.

[avaistheone1]

29. Sure we have no homes, no food, and no health care,

but we're going be happy and do well in school because we have the arts! DOH!

:argh:

[EFerrari]

35. Doh! Having a Minister or Secretary of Arts or Culture would raise the bar.

[avaistheone1]

48. The bar is so high it would not have helped this 93 year old man who froze to death because he

could not afford to pay his utility bill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090126/ap_on_re_us/frozen_indoors


We are going to have to make some difficult choices in this country. Obama is not going to be able to grant everything to everyone. I choose having a roof over my head, some health care and food. Jeez, let's start with the basics.

Some nice art or music is not going to help this man who froze to death because he could no longer afford to pay his utility bills.

[Radical Activist]

55. Unless he had been an out of work stage hand

at a local theater. There are jobs in the arts too.

[Radical Activist]

54. The WPA put out some great artwork.

It gave some talented people a way to make a living in performance and visual arts and made everyone's community better during a dark time.

[librechik]

9. Great idea--but won't it lead to the dread "europeanization"

that the Repubs are so fearful of? Why, next we will have to admit civilization is a good thing too!
and that other countries have decent people trying to do the right thing! We can't let that happen!
Law and order are only to be used against the liberal left, not to restrain the republican empirists!

Is Quincy Jones from France?

[BlooInBloo]

10. I think that now anyone who doesn't care for the idea will be tagged as an arts-hater.

[BlooInBloo]

Acutal information, for any who wonder wtf the OP is talking about...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303264.html

[misanthrope]

51. Was I mistaken in detecting hostility in your post?...

...Or were you merely trying to be helpful? If the latter, I thank you.

[AngryOldDem]

11. I think it's a great idea.

Appreciation for the arts is one sign of a civilized and progressive society. Too often, though, funding for the arts is the first to go because the arts are seen as not necessary.

Children need to know their arts history just as much as they should their U.S. history, cultural history, etc. I heard Jones speak about this last week, and how he mentioned the names of some influential, contemporary musicians to a bunch of schoolkids, and none of them knew who he was talking about. He said he felt like crying.

[hedgehog]

12. Just keep in mind that someday we may have a Republican president again......

[Auggie]

13. LOL

[hedgehog]

16. I have to apologize for my previous post:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

15. Where would a Sec'y of Arts fall in the official line of succession?

:yoiks:

[GoneOffShore]

17. Absolutely - a remarkably good idea.

And make sure that the post is safeguarded from politicization.

[scheming daemons]

18. I'm against it..... someday an Ashcroft type will be in charge of it

...and how would we like that?


If it is only a good idea when there is a Democratic president, then it is a bad idea.

[hvn_nbr_2]

23. I tend to agree.

During Republican administrations, they'd be supporting art reminiscent of Soviet era "people's art" in style and quality. The subject matter, of course, would be different--lots of Dante's inferno scenes with cross-bearing people flying off into the sky and lots of Horatio Alger heroes wallowing in troughs of money.

[AllentownJake]

19. Why do we need this?

Just asking?

[demodonkey]

21. See my post #20. nt

[AllentownJake]

24. Sounds like a subdepartment of education than.

Art is a luxuary btw in order for it to produce the economic stimulus you desire you need people with money to pay for it.

[EFerrari]

28. It's much more than education. Just look at just about any object around you

including your computer -- there were a bunch of people in the arts responsible for delivering it to you.

It's not a luxury unless you mean expensive paintings or shows or concert tickets. It's part of just about everything we do, we just don't think about it that way.

[AllentownJake]

34. I think we are doing fine in that case

without a cabinet level post.

[EFerrari]

36. We could do better.

:)

Full disclosure: of my bunch of cousins, half of us are in the arts somehow, mostly full time but also half time.

[AllentownJake]

38. I played trumpet for 12 years

I don't make a living at it. I'll endorse the arts education is school part through dept of education :-)

[EFerrari]

39. My brother is raising three girls with his sax.

:)

[demodonkey]

42. Wrong. The Arts are more than just education and NOT only for the rich.

"Art" is absolutely NOT a luxury. There are many examples of "art" that are part of our daily society and popular culture.

Ever been to a movie? I think few people in this country are so poor that they have never been inside a movie theatre or rented a video. Film is is one of the visual arts.

Ever bought a CD (or "record", if you are of a certain age?) Same thing. Music (even commercial music) is an art form.

There are commercial artists who produce visuals and audio for advertisements, TV, and the Internet.

The "arts" is not all about symphony orchestras and museums (although they are part of it and DO generate a lot of economic activity and work for people.)

[Gregorian]

26. HELL YEAH!

It's the right direction. What else is there to say. War is reverse, and art and food are forward.

And for asking, have this to enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd9wMHKMj6E

[Chulanowa]

27. I have to say I'm actually leery of the idea...

Lacking detail on what he has in mind, all that comes to my mind is the government deciding what is and isn't art, and that sounds fucking horrible to me.

[EFerrari]

30. Naw, that's something else -- while we still have the first amendment. n/t

[spanone]

31. you know, some nations actually subsidize their artists......go quincy

as long as it doesn't get politicized, cause if people can fuck it up, it will get fucked up.

[PufPuf23]

40. During the New Deal Era

art was created, State histories written, wildland vegetation manicured, and stylish infrastructure built to make jobs (and note that what was created was of long duration, generated transferable skills, and bridged cultural gaps within America. Think Federal Writers Project and CCC from the 1930s.

[frazzled]

37. The arts agenda is broader than that and already happening (with link)

Today's New York Times features a comprehensive article on plans already underway within the administration and/or lobbying efforts from arts groups gaining traction:

As the Obama administration tackles the challenge of shoring up the economy through infusions of capital and job creation, cultural leaders are urging the president not to forget arts institutions, which are also reeling from the market downturn.

“We wanted to make sure arts were not left out of the recovery,” said Robert L. Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, a national lobbying group. “The artist’s paycheck is every bit as important as the steelworker’s paycheck or the autoworker’s paycheck.”

In Congress the American Recovery and Reinvestment bill, approved last week by the House Appropriations Committee, includes a $50 million supplement for the N.E.A. to distribute directly to nonprofit arts organizations and also through state and local arts agencies.

The bill is expected to go to the full House for a vote on Wednesday before proceeding to the Senate. It could reach the president’s desk as early as mid-February, an N.E.A. spokeswoman said.

Arts groups, meanwhile, are urging federal departments like Transportation or Labor to factor culture into their financing. A transportation enhancement program, for example, could pay artists for related public artworks; through the Labor Department displaced arts professionals could receive new training to stay in the work force. “Every one of these places is a vehicle through which the money is going to flow, and we want to make sure the arts is part of it,” Mr. Lynch said.

Much of the clamor arises from anticipation stirred by Mr. Obama’s campaign remarks about the importance of the arts. One of the few candidates with an arts platform, he called for a young “artist corps” to work in low-income schools and neighborhoods; affordable health care and tax benefits for artists; and efforts at cultural diplomacy, like dispatching artist-ambassadors to other countries.

The president is considering the establishment of an arts-and-culture portfolio within the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, according to Bill Ivey, who served as the administration’s transition-team leader for the arts and humanities, including the future of the N.E.A., the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

On Jan. 15 Mr. Ivey convened a meeting of about 20 arts organizations at the transition team’s headquarters in Washington. Among those attending were the chief executives of groups like the Association of Art Museum Directors, Chorus America and the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/arts/26nea.html?_r=1&ref=arts

[TWiley]

41. why not ask this girl?

http://video.yahoo.com/network/100063489?v=4257022&l=100063517

[PufPuf23]

43. Tongue in cheek but why not fire the DEA and rename as

DOA using the DEA infrastructure; there would be a world-wide imprint of artistic diplomancy. lol

[Delphinus]

44. As long as we get a

Department of Peace, I'm cool with it. Arts are sorely needed.

[AwakeAtLast]

49. I'm a Music Teacher - I'm sure you can figure it out

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[bridgit]

52. Disagree with it, we already have the NEA and it needs infusion as it is...

[defendandprotect]

53. YES, YES, YES ----and let's start spending money on the arts again--!!!

Let's see Giants license for seats is $4,000 -- $10,000 -- plus annual fees --??

By the twosome's . . .

Is this going to make the public like the Giants/Jets?


Theater tickets are what now? More than $100?

All of our music is pretty much canned now -- where is the new music?

Violence in movies never ending!

And on TV ---

HELP--!!!

ART IS SMART -- !!

[Blue Dog Dominion]

56. Fuck the Arts. Artists are supposed to starve.

Furthermore, tax any piece of art 1000% everytime ownership changes hands.

[Lucian]

57. I like that idea.

Then maybe (hopefully) the Arts will finally take precedence in schools over fucking sports.

[Cetacea]

58. I think I posted this a week ago

and it got 2 responses. (thank you).

Well at least Rhandi likes my ideas.