Allison: I'm kind of confused by your posting about the AAM request for letters to support the endowments. I can't imagine being "disgusted" because AAM didn't compose the letters and simply ask for signatories. This would have the same effect and impact as a petition of museum professionals and boards. "I work at a museum, and I don't want you to cut funding." I don't think that form letters, particularly from people in the Museum field, will cut much ice with the anti-endowment gang. Beyond this, if this funding is so important, isn't it worth the effort to compose letters? If that's too much to expect from the constituency most closely identified with the endowments, then maybe the Republicans are correct: the money may just not be so important. I am also wondering about the pros and cons of doing "arts block grants" to the states, along the same lines that the Republicans are proposing with regard to various "welfare" programs. I haven't heard anyone mention this about arts funding. Normally, I would think that that might be a duplication of efforts, with many state offices doing what one Federal office did. However, since the early seventies, every state (I think) has had its own arts agency. This has the obvious -- to me -- benefit of letting the states decide what their arts funding priorities are, folk arts, or symphonies, or museums.... Maybe this would ameliorate these troublesome ideologues among the Republicans. Eric Siegel [log in to unmask] New York Botanical Garden