The following letter to the editor of the New York Times, 1/17/95, seems of
sufficient interest to post it here.  I'm sure the NYT and the author will
excuse the republication.
 
Everybody Loses In Cuts to the Arts
 
To the Editor:
 
Representative John A. Boehner argues that it is irresponsible for our
Government to finance the arts when the country suffers from crime and
poverty (front page, Jan. 9).  The National Endowment for the Arts budget
is $167.4 million; appropriating it wouldn't make a dent in the $30 billion
crime bill.
 
Although the arts agency is a small part of the budget, it is the main
source of support for thousands of young artists -- not just the one or two
Mapplethorpes who make the news.  Groups too small or new to attract
private support depend on seed money from the endowment.
 
Yes, the endowment takes tax money from those who do not directly benefit;
so do state universities and public transit.  Cutting the endowment would
only increase the proportion of those who do not benefit: inadequate
financing forces a rise in ticket prices, contributing to a perception of
elitism; the agency's budget is then cut on the ground that it doesn't
benefit the average American, and ticket prices go higher.
 
The arts are as elite as we treat them.  If we finance them and make them
accessible, they will become a part of our social fabric.  If we dismiss
them, they will go away, and we will all suffer.
 
LIZA GOITEIN, Cambridge, Mass., Jan. 10, 1995
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______________________________________
Robert A. Baron
Museum Computer Consultant
P.O. Box 93, Larchmont, NY 10538
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