If the left-wing parties think the arts are underfunded, then they should be encouraging wealthy Canadians to create endowments and foundations to help foster both artists and young patrons.
Only established writers/singers/dancers/filmmakers/artists/musicians are eligible to receive arts grants of the type the whiners are griping about. It isn't galleries going without, or starving artists unable to keep a roof over their heads because they lack the cash for basics while they paint their masterpiece or write the great Canadian novel. Galleries are still being funded, and those poor first-timers are like the rest of us, slogging their guts out to make ends meet while trying to fit their creative passion into what little spare time they have. Instead, it's the Canadian Arts elite -- the kind of folk who don't live on my street --- they're getting Arts cash, much of which comes with very few strings and no accountability.
It's far easier to fill out an arts grant application than it is to go to the private sector looking for backing for your play or your movie idea -- or God forbid, a bank. Normal people who want to start a business have to go to the local TD or BMO. These celebrity sorts come to us. They write their books and create their music video with taxpayer money -- with what return for the taxpayer? The privilege of viewing their creations? Thanks anyway -- I've seen some government funded 'art'. I'll pass.
Who funded Lucy Maud Montgomery? Mary Pickford? Emily Carr? Peter Appleyard? Stompin' Tom? For generations, in every country, great artists/musicians/writers etc have managed to keep their hands on their crafts and out of taxpayers pockets. Talent and merit should determine success, not government subsidies.
Maybe the whiners should face facts -- if their art were more worthy, people would actually pay for it and they wouldn't need government handouts.
I don't think you'll see riots in the street over this one.
canadianna
5 comments:
Why are the Conservative Party’s curtails of profligate cultural spending so microscopic and trivial, and why wait until 2010? Most significantly, why do far-left wing artists believe that they are entitled to a guarantee annual income paid for by the tax payers? Most Canadians comprehend that artists should be paid pursuant to the quality of their work just like Joe Six Pack in the factory,rather than because they are a socialistic sector of the economy that suck up to left-wing politicians.
A authentic fiscal conservative Prime Minister would have instantaneously expedited genuinely very, very substantial cuts. A legitimate, small-c fiscal conservative Prime Minister would have immediately announced the abolishment of the $1 billion of wasted tax dollars squandered annually on the extremely far-left bias CBC. Most Canadians would prefer to see these squandered tax dollars materialize in their personal bank accounts.
In an age of numerous Canadian television and radio networks, satellite networks, and of course the internet, there is no longer any requisite for a government-owned, and tax payers paid for, TV and/or radio network; especially one ran by left-wing affirmative action bimbles and watched/ listened to mostly by the far-left, but paid for my people who actually work for a living and pay taxes.
Unfortunately Canada does not have a legitimate fiscal and/or social small-c conservative Prime Minister who would expedite a non-socialist agenda that would diminish our excessive tax bill, and would recognize that taxpayers, rather than bureaucrats, are more proficient at spending their own money.
Regrettably after this election, genuine small-c fiscal and/or social conservatives will still not be represented in the House of Commons.
Frankly, the Libs and Dippers are cutting their own throats over this one. Check out the comments section on this CTV article here
If there is one area of spending Mr. Average Taxpayer cannot relate to, it's gotta be this one.
And I suspect listening to this over cranked sniveling and whining about a cut to "arts" funding has a lot of voters making up their minds exactly who they're gonna vote for.
Anon, I hear what you're saying..but c'mon, no one other than someone who sees the genius of Stephen Harper would give this guy a chance if he bulldozed in and shut down all these programs immeditely. I'm afraid Canadians don't see the bias and the collusion so they don't feel threatened by it....yet. That my friend will take a much longer time to be illustrated to Canadians. We're so friekin complacent about everything!
I have the deepest appreciation for artists who make their own way. It can be a difficult life.
But as for those arrogant jerks that think that the people of Canada owe them a living, I say we shed these parasites now.
I suspect that many of them would be more productive members of society flipping hamburgers anyway.
Culture has existed and thrived without the need for government handouts for centuries.
With that said, I also don't like the concept of the federal government playing art critic and determining what is worthy and what is not. Its not their place nor should it ever be their place.
Couple that with the fact we have a slowing economy and nearly 35 billion a year we pay in interest on our federal debt, perhaps we shouldn't be running an art gallery on the tax payers nickel.
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