Political Quotes

Tom Harkin: “I will respond to my friend this way. That is true. We have had a lot of great poets and writers who received no NEA…”

On the recordSeptember 17, 1997
I will respond to my friend this way. That is true. We have had a lot of great poets and writers who received no NEA grants. How many more, though, were out there in the little towns of Missouri, in the fields of Iowa, around the coal mines of Kentucky and in the hills of Kentucky, who wanted to develop their writing skills and their talents but did not have the support to do so? How many were left lying fallow in the ground because we wouldn't even come up with the two pennies, the two pennies per taxpayer per year, to help them to develop their talent? I think that is the appropriate question to ask, is how many were out there who didn't get the nourishment who, if they had the nourishment, could have been great writers and poets in our society today?
Said by
Tom Harkin
Democratic · Iowa
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the importance of NEA grants for aspiring writers and poets.

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