A US Culture Ministry?

Why am I prone to associate the term Ministry of Culture with more or less unsavory regimes? After all, an outlet as esteemed as The Huffington Post is suggesting that very thing. In the person of a Vivian Norris de Montaigu no less. It must be a good idea. She has a very long name.

So many demands, so little time, so little Federal monies for our new Dear Leader, what on Earth will he do? Perhaps it depends on how big a check Vivian cut to Obama's campaign. Or how many times she hit his scam-ridden donation website, ya think?

I know in a world where the economy is the primary focus (or perhaps those missiles Russia just sidled up to the Polish border), some people might think this idea is foolish...but our number one export is Entertainment... so why can't we make Culture a priority and not focus on selling the lowest common denominator, but actually being proud of and helping to define ourselves by supporting art and artists, unbiased public broadcasting, education in the arts like they had when I was a child. Why does everything have to be run 100% by non-profits and private foundations? Why can't we make Culture about more than selling old TV series to the Russians, or placing superheroes in Happy Meal boxes in fast food restaurants around the world? We have writers and painters and singers who should not have to starve to death to study, and we have future generations of citizens who need to know that creativity matters, not just because you win a competition on television and get a zillion dollar recording contract, but because creativity is inherently part of being a complete human being.

Comments

[Jake]

'Leave it to Beaver' shows for the Russians and those tall black starving people in Africa? That will make them complete human beings.

[FreakyBoy]

Bravo! More bodily fluid art!

[Ed]

waaaaahhhh waaaaaaaahhhh presidency lost 55 senate seats and 11 more house seats...seems you're in the SurRiehl world view now

[North Dallas Thirty]

Another wealthy leftist trying to raise taxes on working people to pay for what she wants.

I have a better idea. Why doesn't she just contribute every cent she makes over $120k to these things that she wants, and create one herself? Why does she need other people to pay for it?

[chris]

Real America has culture, thankyouverymuch. Look at the Grand Ole "Opry".

[IslamoLlama]

Don't worry. Obama's Ministry of Culture will be tax neutral once he abolishes the Ministry of Beer Cans and Bean Farts set up by the previous administration.

[LOL]

get ready for all Reparations Camps you will have to live in wingnuts

PRESIDENT Barack Hussein Obama

[syn]

"Another wealthy leftist trying to raise taxes on working people to pay for what she wants"

I agree this is so silly yet so very sad, the wealthy Left is confiscating poor people's earnings to pay for wealthy people's entertainment.

Oprah Winfrey has $2.7 billion to spread around, perhaps she should help Presdient Obama spread her wealth with the artistic community rather than confiscating poor people's earnings.

Oprah has $2.7 BILLION, why won't she leave us poor people alone ready! How much more does she need to confiscate???????

[mark l.]

ministry of culture,

anything like the 'ministry of truth'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Truth

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"Ministry of Beer Cans and Bean Farts."

LOLOLOLOL damn I love you!!!!!

[Bandit]

She's about as smart as the rest of the Obamabots - I wonder what flvor KoolAid she prefers?

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"Oprah Winfrey has $2.7 billion to spread around, perhaps she should help Presdient Obama spread her wealth....."

NAKED AVENGER ALERT!!!!!! OK, Opie Winkie does a butt load o' good with her money, quite unlike the great majority of her contemporaries. Tis a stretch too far to imply that she does not give back. That said, I think added to the ever lengthening list of "Da evilllll rich" should be those who produce NOTHING and create little (read: basically useless) should be atheletes and entertainers who should be taxed at about 75%.......including the free shit they are giving to wear to the oscars.

[chris]

I reckon that Real America has mu-seums too. There's always the NASCAR Hall of Fame, an institution dedicated to the pursuit of driving fast in circles.

[IslamoLlama]

Don't hate on NASCAR. It takes some real athletic prowess to sit in a chair for six hours and gently tilt a wheel to the left. If horse racing is the sport of kings, NASCAR is truly the Budweiser of sports.

(it's a joke because Budweiser is the king of beers and... oh forget it.)

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"If horse racing is the sport of kings, NASCAR is truly the Budweiser of sports."

Eh, everyone knows that yankees and big business.....not to mention NAACP thugs ruined NASCAR and now the Belgians have ruined Bud.....though the one with lime is awfully tasty. It was sorta fun in those heady days when rednecks drove ACTUAL stock cars on dirt tracks......gone, all gone.

[Fred Beloit]

Good to see you back, Wahoo, it hasn't been the same without you. I think it is very clear that Moe knows a few things about a few things. It is also very clear that Moe doesn't have any idea of what it takes to drive a really fast car really fast. "It takes some real athletic prowess to sit in a chair for six hours and gently tilt a wheel to the left. If horse racing is the sport of kings, NASCAR is truly the Budweiser of sports."
Perhaps Moe's game is polo.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

Fred, thanks......I think LLama is a redneck girl at heart, probably works nights at the "Coyote Ugly" bar in Austin. She's knows a bunch about nascar and has a crush on Gretchen Wilson.

[LOL]

"She's knows a bunch about nascar"

who's the real redneck here

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"who's the real redneck here (?)"

LOL That'd be me....Not a bit ashamed to have ever been a farmer. How about you? You are you ashamed of who you are?

[IslamoLlama]

"-- It is also very clear that Moe doesn't have any idea of what it takes to drive a really fast car really fast. --"

Given that NASCAR cars have been so heavily regulated by the industry (what with all the fatal accidents) we're not really talking about "really fast car[s]" going "really fast" so much as we are talking about "moderately fast cars" going "the maximum track speed".

And yeah, I learned just enough about NASCAR to determine exactly how silly the sport really is. For folks who hate regulation, love individualism, and have a deathly fear of science and technology, NASCAR is a very strange sport to fall in love with.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

I always want to grab a radio and scream TURN RIGHT!! but I guess after hours and hours and hours of going left, they'd all panic and go straight.......

[Susan]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Susan

http://www.car-insurance-choices.com