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PrintArts and culture cuts affect every Pennsylvanian
As legislators attempt to hammer out a budget, Pennsylvania's arts and cultural organizations are in trouble, facing drastic cuts and even total elimination.
This is a time for making tough decisions. We know that. And we also know that any decision to ravage these assets is a decision to strip the commonwealth of its most fundamental sources of creativity and innovation -- with dire economic consequences.
Current budget proposals will cut funding for agencies that support organizations across the state like libraries, museums and historical sites -- organizations that directly and indirectly serve all of us.
Pennsylvania's 12.4 million residents enjoy 30.6 million visits to arts and cultural organizations every year. In economic terms, that translates into nearly $2 billion in total expenditures that support nearly 50,000 direct jobs and almost another 12,000 indirect jobs. Can the commonwealth afford to have another sector of its population out of work?
Under Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts would lose funding, the library subsidy would be cut and funding for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission would be completely eliminated.
Legislators may ask themselves, in the face of difficult negotiations, why they should bother with arts and culture. When every sector of the state economy is suffering, do we need museums and libraries? In tough times, do the arts and culture really matter?
Yes. Pennsylvania's budget should reflect sound investments in programs and services that support its residents. In tough times, what nourishes our spirit is vital. Life without arts and culture isn't a choice; it's a sentence.
PEGGY AMSTERDAM
President
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Philadelphia
MITCH SWAIN
CEO
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Downtown
He's not the villain
I'm tired of hearing people, especially my fellow state employees, blame Gov. Ed Rendell for this budget impasse. The governor is trying to avoid layoffs and program cuts. It's the Republicans in the state Senate who are the villains in the budget fiasco. They don't seem to care if thousands of state workers are laid off, or if disabled citizens of this commonwealth have to do without services.
It seems obvious that Gov. Rendell's position is the more noble one. So let's give him a break and start pressuring the state Republicans to defend their selfish position.
LARRY GROCHALSKI
West View
What's their plan?
Politicians are such phonies and hypocrites. But then, what else is new? Pennsylvania has serious money problems. It needs more revenue. Too bad we can't put all these politicians on a lie detector. Instead, we get treated to their political bent or their fear of not getting re-elected.
You can look at any number of states, but California in particular, and see that states are suffering from the recession. It is a question of providing necessary and important services, or not providing them. Then, let the chips fall.
But what is going to happen is that the next governor will have to call for a tax increase, and it will be interesting to see where the sides are then. This governor and some people are trying to see that what needs to be done is done now. Shame on those who are either hiding or posturing.
Why are they hypocrites? They have jumped on this bandwagon of tears saying that we can't possibly afford this somewhat small increase in income tax. They should look at other states and see what a relatively small tax this is. I wonder how so many others in different states have been affording it.
Instead we hear this never-ending Republican mantra of "no new taxes." If the next governor is Republican, things will be very interesting. The situation is deteriorating and will only get worse.
California threw the last governor out because The Terminator, a Republican, was going to "fix things." Hasn't he done a wonderful job?
NORMAN AUGUSTINE
Arlington
Keep these credits
As a single mother working to raise a healthy, contributing son, I ask you to use your voice to ensure that the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, allowing tax credit for scholarships, be funded at existing or increased levels.
Private education helps improve all education and keeps students like my son off taxpayer rolls. I figure I save Upper St. Clair $8,000 a year by choosing Catholic education.
The EITC program ensures that I can continue to keep him in these schools.
JEANNIE WALLACE FRENCH
Upper St. Clair
Jeopardizing us
I attended the July meeting of the Allegheny County Board of Health, a meeting that should have resulted in a vote to accept or reject updates to the county's air toxics guidelines ("Residents Angered by County Health Board's Inaction," July 2); instead the board tabled this indefinitely. These guidelines are a set of procedures or measures that our Health Department uses to issue permits to polluting industries. Roughly it translates that the number of deaths per year to an averaged number of pollutants is acceptable at a certain level.
According to our Board of Health, this increased rate of mortality is especially acceptable for those of us living in affected areas such as Clairton, Glassport and the Neville Island area. Apparently the board feels we are a disposable population. This same board that was created to protect our health has decided to ignore our pleas and the numerous studies that prove our fears: We are at a higher risk for cancer and respiratory diseases living in our neighborhoods than those who live in Wexford, McCandless, Fox Chapel and other neighborhoods of Allegheny County.
When will our health concerns and those of our families, friends and neighbors be a concern to the Allegheny County Board of Health? Tell me, County Executive Dan Onorato, whose health is the board protecting? It's not ours.
JANET STRAHOSKY
Avalon
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