Here's a blurb from the L.A. Sunday Times' Calendar section regarding the demise of a supporting division at the Smithsonian.  For the full story, follow this link http://www.latimes.com/print/calendar/20010629/t000053687.html:   

'The elimination of Smithsonian Productions was strictly a budgetary decision, said David J. Umansky, director of communications for the Smithsonian Institution. In the Smithsonian's fiscal year 2002 budget, which is still awaiting final approval in Congress, it received a 2.4% increase for salaries and expenses, but that was not enough to cover a federally mandated 3.7% raise for its employees. To make up the shortfall, the Smithsonian eliminated 180 positions, including the nine-member staff at Smithsonian Productions, Umansky said. 
     "There were cuts in every area of the Smithsonian. Whole other offices were cut, all of which were essential in some way. None of it was done as a comment on the quality of the work," he said.'

    Idealism aside, this is the hard reality. Yet the Smithsonian Productions did reach out to "un-traditional audiences," yet it got slashed because, get this, there was a need elsewhere for salary increases!!!  It gave me the chills to think that if I wanted an increase, we'd have to slash someone else out of a department.  Something has to give.  We'll continue the good fight, but budget rules.  How to explain this, if our goal is to make a living wage, then I think we can cut back on other things we don't need so that we can live lean; if however, our definition of a living wage is one where we can keep the SUVs, the speed boats, and other things cluttering the garage, then we're in the wrong field.  What's going to happen to all of those people out of work?  Will they gravitate to smaller museums so that they can continue adding to the value of the community?  There's too many of us looking for the perfect museum job that will pay the bills, but the grass will not always be greener there.  Stick to what you know, and the battles you can fight, it takes one museum professional at a time. 

O