It's Friday and i am feeling snarky. It has been a long week. I am grateful that i do not have TV or else i would be glued to it watching CSPAN or worse CNN and throwing things at it. It is annoying just to read the latest Google headlines or if tempted to visit the Huffington Post
I am in awe at the stupidity of our elected officials. Here we are ... on the brink of the government shutting down because it has spent way too much money in the past on an illegal and unnecessary war, then the bailing out of the greedy bastards on Wall Street (who then congratulated themselves with million dollar bonuses) and a Congress who can vote on a pay raise each year. Not to mention take several vacations, paid insurance and other benefits the common citizen is not privy to.
And what do these buffoons want to cut? Well besides things like women's health which is an entirely new blog topic for another day- they want to cut ART. Funding for things such as PBS, Sesame Street, Art museums, the Boston Symphony, Art education, Dance and more.
Art is one the planets oldest and dearest treasures. Every great civilization honored art and its artists. I believe the key word here is great. Those cultures who cared nothing about art, music or literature that were based on war and power collapsed. Not a pretty sight.
If we take away the arts what will this nation become? Can you imagine a monochromatic life filled with nothing but work, reality TV and war? Maybe NSCAR races and football. (And mandatory church meetings.) I bet House Speaker John Boehner's idea of art is a velvet painting of Elvis and dogs playing poker.
And those GOP folks must know that even Jesus loved art. Well he seemed to featured in so many famous paintings so it must be good. Right? Just look at the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. It's filled with art. Holy art.
The arts create jobs and boost the economy. Just think what happens when Jimmy Buffett comes to town. He sells out in less than 15 minutes. I know- i have tried several years in a row holding 2 cell phones while on 2 computers in hope of scoring 2 tickets.
So in a matter of minutes, Jimmy is boosting sales for Ticketmaster who hires a ton of people. Margarita and tequila sales are up. The Party Shop sells out of coconut bras and grass skirts. Extra security is brought on for the concert. People are hired to sell t-shirts, whirlygigs and drinks at the show. CDs are sold. Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses and flip flop sales go through the roof. Buffett wanna-bees buy guitars and take lessons. Corona beer becomes popular again. Those walking around with illegal smiles buy Doritos and munchies.
People are happy, dancing and spending money and some are earning money. And this is just a Buffett concert. I have no idea what kind of impact something like CATS on Broadway has on the economy of the city it is playing!
Watch Kevin Spacey defend the arts! click here
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How about cutting the salaries of everyone in the senate, congress, lobbyists and over paid government officials to start off with? Make them pay for their own insurance, planes, trains, stamps, limos, phones and benefits. Let's stop wasting money on things like the Bridge to Nowhere, the Big Dig, and whatever they do with all that corn they throw away. OK- so how money did we save so far? Anyone have a calculator?
OK... next up on the list to cut... WAR - hmmm! ugh..what is it good for... AbsoLUTEly nothing. So let's send the bad guys some crayolas, paint and paper. Maybe throw in some clay and beads. Way more fun than shot em up. Way cheaper and safer for our troops. All we are saying is Give Art a Chance. Too bad old GWB didn't think of that option first. And i am sad that Obama backed down on his promise to end the madness.
So let's stop giving away stuff to people who are mooches. Yes- it is politically incorrect to say it...but i will. If you are on welfare then you need to prove that you cannot work. And take a mandatory drug test. I realize not everyone on welfare is scamming the system- but we all know there is a lot of waste. If you have a shiny new car parked out in front of your house, then i want to know how i work the equivalent of 2 jobs and still drive an 11 year old VW bug? Even without a calculator there is something just not adding up here! So let's clean that big mess up. OK... what number are we up to now?
More things to cut from the budget. No more bail outs to Wall Street. Let them dig themselves out of the hole next time. Perhaps the money would have been better spent on things like education or just divide the money up and send every US citizen a check. Some of them may even buy things like.... food or pay rent or save their homes from being foreclosed.
OK... has anyone added up what we are saving yet? Let's see if we can make some money too for the government.
Let's make the corporations pay real taxes. Not fake ones. No more kick backs for the oil companies and the evil conglomerates. Pay up! Come on we all know you have it. That should make a big bundle of cash right away.
Let's make churches pay taxes. Yep- they make a profit. Let them pay. No need for Father O'Greedy to be driving a Mercedes. Just like there is no need for the Pope to wear red Prada shoes. Crazy Reverend Pat Robertson's church is rolling in money. And what about those insane Westboro Baptist Church freaks that protest at military funerals? Now that could pay for the arts right there!
Have i left anyone out? Do we have enough money yet? Well if you think of more ways feel free to add them in the comments!
And even though this is not related to art- i really want to know who will feed the animals at the National Zoo if the government does shut down. Are they going to just put vending machines in their cages during that time?
And do i have to mail in my tax check to the IRS if nobody is there?
Here is my STAT team Etsy homework for the week:
'Art Shines Through even if the government shuts down STAT Team Treasury' by PlanetCalamari
With the looming threat of the US government shutting down arts and the rights of women i was inspired to find work by STAT team members that let their light shine though as a beacon of hope. With or without government support we will always be creating art. All we are saying... is give ART a chance!Please spread the Etsy love by commenting and sharing.
 Limited edition, fr... $15.50 |  Spring Welcoming Cr... $25.00 |  El regalo postcard $4.00 |  Art Print - Mona Li... $188.00 |
 Mosaic Whale with F... $25.00 |  Accidental Poetry M... $8.00 |  Iced Pineapple and ... $3.00 |  Turquoise Necklace ... $29.00 |
 Chrystal Visions Ea... $15.95 |  Gold crowned Coral ... $98.00 |  Getty Villa Arches $10.00 |  Two Double Helix ... $102.00 |
 moonbeam fairy pill... $65.00 |  Atlas Charm Bracele... $33.50 |  good karma dog coll... $21.00 |  Waist Length Coral ... $72.00 |
1 comment:
OMG would you look at the Pope's shoes? He sure didn't get those at the GoodWill. I understand the National Parks could get shut down too. Luckily, art can't be completely stopped by the government. Tax the rich, that's what they are there for; I've always said since I was a wee tot, some people just have too much money.
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