This is more reason to not count on the government to help you out and fix your problems. This is not just a party issue either, you can’t blame one party or the other it’s a joint effort that is led by the current Administration. This is also why this so called “bail-out” bill should be so scrutinized because though it may seem to help at face value there are a lot of line items that could have huge implications on everyone and our future. So I ask all those that voted for the Obama Administration is this the change you really wanted or expected?

yvynyl:

“Folks, we have a lot of work ahead of us.

To wrap up the thread I started, the plot in US politics, in the space of a few short weeks, has gone something like this:

1. A new Administration could bring new vision to making the arts part of the economy.

2. Arts spending is wasteful.

3. Any spending on anything should be specifically prohibited from reaching the arts, as that would be wasteful and evil, and the arts are the best symbol of Waste itself.

I live on Wall Street (technically, on the corner of Pine). I guess we’ve now forgotten about them. As digital musicians and visualists, relevancy to the rest of the people around us is important. What we do can be meaningful to people, and it can pay for our health care and our loved ones and our kids. It’s often not a life or death thing - but then, neither are many jobs. It’s a gig. Heck, even if it’s a hobby, it supports someone else’s gig.

So that raises some really deep questions about what’s going on with our society when arts-related jobs are singled out above nearly every other sector as meaningless or “wasteful” or not “real jobs.” This stimulus bill will pass, but that fundamental misunderstanding isn’t going anywhere - and it’s time to recognize there’s a problem, and start to work to set it right.”