I have not been a very active participant of this newsgroup, but I am
constantly monitoring conversations of interest.  This time, I feel the
necessity to put in my two cents and side with Erik Mansoor.

I am reminded of a course I took in Museum Management, Law, and Ethics -
Ethics being the operative word.  During this course, I was introduced to
Maire Malaro's book, _Museum Governance: Mission, Ethics, Policy_.  I
recommend that anyone interested in this topic on the NEA and NEH read Part
I: Lessons for Board Members, section: On Trusteeship, sub-section: The
Non-profit Sector.  This section of the book deals with some fundamental
issues of WHY non-profits were created in the first place and the
challenges of balancing the private and public sectors.

Allow me to quote directly from this section:
_The first argument in support of the nonprofit sector is that the sector
fosters diverstiy.  If, like most nations, we looked primarily to our
government for support of cultural endeavors, we would have to expect that
cultural activities would conform to prevailing majority views.  Democratic
government responds to the values of the majority, and it can promulgate
only one standard at a time.  Accordingly, those holding new or relatively
unpopular ideas are at a disadvantage when seeking avenues of expression.
When cultural endeavors are fostered by a nonprofit sector, the situation
is substantially different.  The nonprofit sector can accomodate many
voices and many alternatives. . . Thus, the nonprofit sector provides a
voice for minority groups, for new ideas, for criticism,of accepted
practices, and for matters that are forbidden to government_.

Malaro further discusses the issues that arise from private/public partnership:
_ Rare is the nonprofit board that does not seek more government grants or
other government subsidies.  But how does this affect the diversity that
comes form the sector's freedom from government fiscal control?  In the
recent and vitrioloc debate over government funding for the arts, spawned
by government grants supporting several highly controversial art
exhibitions, millions of dollars were spent arguing the pros and cons of
government support for the arts.  What should be more disturbing than the
debate itself is the fact that amid all the controversy the nonprofit
sector did not take the opportunity to underscore the importance of
strengthening incentives for nongovernmental forms of support so that the
sector could more effectively carry out its role as the means for diverse
expression_.

I hope that these words will strum a chord in the hearts of all that
participate in the nonprofit sector to promote diversity and aim for a
better quality of life.  I must admit that the abolishment of the NEA and
NEH will not be easy on the nonprofit sector by any means, but when we get
right down to the heart of our profession - fostering diversity,
encouraging personal participation in the betterment of society, and
promoting individual growth - I strongly believe that our professional
ethics would tell us that the NEA and NEH will carry on, in some way,
shape, or form, without government support.  We must really be asking
ourselves what is better for this country, for our local communities, for
our families, and for us as individuals in the long run.  This is no time
for a quick and easy fix.

Thanks for reading,
Deborah J. Bain
Museum Studies
San Francisco State University