Artless Radio

NPR radio's "All Things Considered" last night included a segment by Linda Blair featuring Republican criticisms of the measly $50 million for art included in the Obama administration's fiscal stimulus package. It was relatively long, too, running to four and half minutes.

Naturally, since writers, actors, and painters don't work on Wall Street the usual right-wing suspects had nothing but ridicule for the proposal:

"There is absolutely no way this will stimulate the economy," argues Brian Riedl, a senior federal budget analyst for the Heritage Foundation. He believes funding for the NEA — like several other items in the stimulus package — will not grow the economy.

Somehow, NPR managed to avoid even mentioning the Roosevelt administration's similar support for the arts in the Federal Writer's, the Federal Theater, and the PWAP and WPA projects. They were never even mentioned.

Can someone explain how NPR could do a relatively long report about federal funding for the arts and not mention a word about the greatest, most successful cultural and historical and artists' employment preservation initiative in history?