Editor:

This letter is in response to Daniel Martin's column in the Daily Wildcat on Feb. 27. Martin's column makes a plea to save art funding through the Federal Government. Martin's plea is based on the actions and promises of current elected leaders and others who may or may not be elected. Martin also cites a general failure in America to appreciate art and to provide art education.

It has become common in America to insinuate a position you may feel as valuable is threatened, and the reason is a general ignorance on the part of people. The logic appears to be we are just too stupid to know what is good for us, and therefore need further education and enlightenment. The writer "assumes," rather than states, that they themselves are "enlightened" and that we need their advice. Perhaps we are quite bright and know how to make choices, including voting-in the Republicans. Did Mr. Martin believe the control of the House and Senate was given to the Republicans by accident? We have elections so the people can choose representatives, and I believe the people know the implications of voting. The Republicans should do what they promised since that is why they were elected.

As for funding the arts, we live in a time when most of us realize the Federal Government cannot continue to spend more money, and since we don't want to pay more in taxes, something has to be cut. Perhaps some have seen the state of the arts and feel it isn't worthy to be funded when such necessities as education, medicare and social security also need funding. Worse, perhaps education isn't the problem, but the quality of art. One does not need education to see the value of DaVinci's work, rather, one needs indoctrination in order to fathom how the UA could fund large steel clothespins. What one person calls art, another can call waste.

Perhaps then, the problem isn't funding art, but funding marginal, uncreative or stupid ideas that might be called art. Rather than a bunch of steel clothespins, the UA could have funded a student or two. In the meantime, maybe some of the "artists" should stop trying to make us feel we're going to miss the opera, or feel guilty for not paying them to "create," and try to make art of such quality and obvious appeal that people want to fund.

John F. Walker

management information systems senior

John F. Walker
Management Information Systems senior