Perspective on Arts Funding

The following was written by an incensed John Murphy on July 16^th, 1997:

Let me ask you something. If you were told that, to support the arts in this country your fair share is one dollar a year, would you agree? If you were told a few minutes later that not everybody agreed on one dollar, so now your fair share is fifty cents, would you agree?
Now, if you were then told that this fifty cents provides you with, if you live in the countryside, public television and the occasional travelling art exhibit within 100 miles, or all that plus theatrical performances, dance, art, public sculpture, etc, if you live in or near the city, would you begrudge that fifty cents?
If, still, you're shaky on it, but were then told that you are paying at least 200 dollars to fund the military (every year, mind you), would you still consider that fifty cents to be a huge burden?
And yet, Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, that the fifty cents is _way_ too much, all the while being silent on the $200. Anybody have the statistics on how many people in Congress have a math or economics degree? A calculator? Fingers?
Nevermind me.
John.