Every time the Rs try to kill the NEA, they point to all those awful, atheistic, faggy, non-white, college-educated elitists who don’t paint pretty pictures like that nice Thomas Kinkaide. Every time they try to kill CPB, they point to all those awful, atheistic, &c. &c., who don’t say things the Rs like.

These state moves are tacky attempts to shut down dissenting voices.

-alopecia

I’ve known the governor’s family for more than 30 years. His in-laws are big supporters of the arts. His children have reaped the benefits of the arts.

Gov. Brownback made no mention during his campaign of eliminating the Arts Commission and has not made this an issue during his Senate career. He first floated this when he released his budget proposal. The Republican-dominated legislature restored money to the Arts Commission budget in response to the overwhelming support it received from the public. The Capital-Journal has stated legislators received over 5000 calls, emails and letters supporting the Commission. By preemptively laying off all the Commission’s employees and indicating he’ll line-item veto its funding, the Governor is going against the express wishes of the people of Kansas and their elected representatives. This leaves one to guess what his motives really are.

So, Governor, what’s really going on here?

One headline declared, “State unveils tourism initiative,” and the story detailed a new program to encourage tourism to Kansas, noting how it dovetailed with Gov. Sam Brownback’s “interest in growing the state economy.” But right next to it, ironically, another headline noted, “Brownback not promising arts funding,” discussing Brownback’s ongoing personal war on state funding for the arts in Kansas.

So what, one is left wondering, does Brownback expect those tourists will be coming to see? As anyone who has looked at tourist economies knows, the arts play a key role in it, as they do in a wide range of development strategies from downtown revitalization projects in urban centers to new focuses for community growth in small towns.

There are too many inconsistencies in the governor’s public statements and actions on this. There has to be something else going on…