Political Quotes

“I have the honor to rise in support of the distinguished chairman's remarks in regard to the proposed allocation of appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts. I will presume upon the Senate's time on a relatively quiet afternoon to give just a little background of the measure that is before the Senate today. Once again we seem to be doing a major disservice to ourselves with the politicization of matters that ought to be as far from politics as ever is possible: the support the Government provides, not expensive but nonetheless critical, for the arts of our Nation. It would seem that the National Endowment for the Arts is challenged on three fronts: first, whether our Nation even needs Federal funding for the arts, second, that the Endowment should do more to reduce objectionable art, and third, that the current grant apparatus disproportionately funds some regions more than others. If I might, I may be able to shed light on this triumverate.”