To the editor:

Why should government support the arts is a good question. The number one reason why the government should cut the arts in Kansas is a simple one, because compared to states like New York, California, Illinois, Washington, Colorado, Texas and others, we have next to no arts. The Kansas Arts Commission’s budget has been cut so many times within the past several years that it is hard for them to fund anything, but yet they still do. Some local residents have actually benefited from these grants.

Art has directly been influenced by what is going on in the times, representing world governments, political and religious views. If one would like an example, one would only have to research the names of Pollock, Warhol, Monet, Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Traza, Hugo, Shakespeare and Bach. During the Depression, the arts were one of the things that the U.S. government chose to pump money into to revitalize the economy. Let us not take a step backwards over $700,000.

Before you support Gov. Brownback’s proposal to cut funding for the KAC, think about this for a second: Summer Youth Theatre, The Lawrence Children’s Choir, Art in the Park, Final Fridays, The Spencer, Murphy Hall, The Lied Center, The Lawrence Arts Center, Kansas Public Radio, Free State and Lawrence High fine arts. Now, imagine if it wasn’t here anymore.