Political Quotes

“No agency is perfect. There have been questionable grants given by the Housing Administration, by the Defense Department, and by the Commerce Department. In fact, I would match up the total amount of grants given by the NEA, those that are controversial or distasteful, and compare that with almost any other agency of the Federal Government and compare their track record in terms of cases where there has been fraud, abuse, or waste of millions of dollars. So nobody is standing here suggesting perfection at all. What we are arguing about is whether or not there is a legitimate purpose in having a National Endowment for the Arts, a federally chartered agency that tries to express the importance of the cultural contribution of the arts. I have often said to students in my State, or elsewhere, when this issue comes up--I think almost every grade school student can tell you the name of the artist who painted the roof of the Sistine Chapel. But I defy anybody to tell you who the Pope was at that time, or to name the Emperor of Rome. We don't remember the political figures throughout history, but artists have given us a definition, a signature, in many cases, of a generation or a time. Certainly, we have seen that in our country. We define our own heritage by literature, art, and music.”