----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Larry writes: "The fact is $285 million in tax dollars are being spent. Is this subsidy truly necessary?" This really gets to the crux of the matter. ie:Should the fed. govn't support the arts......AT ALL? ...and more importantly, can it AFFORD to? look, if the bowheads who now populate the Congress were REALLY serious about balancing the budget, they would start with serious spending, not the nickel & dime stuff. For what we get from it, the NEA & the CPB are probably the best federally-supported organizations out there. Think about it, if YOU were in debt up to your ass, where would you cut back first? Instead of renting a $1000/month apt, maybe get one that's $750? or just cut out the ONE movie a year that you see? Now that's the perportion that weere talking about, $3000/$7, which is the REAL saving... Cutting the miniscule amount that is spent on the CPB & NEA is a TOKEN thrown to the masses so that Newt can say "look, I'm saving money!"...meanwhile, he and his cronies will vote themselves another pay raise and continue to ignore the cuts that Gore has ALREADY implemented... my 2 cents [log in to unmask]