Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, here again, like the swallows that return annually to Capistrano, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Stearns] has made his annual return to his attack on the NEA. This time, he wants to cut it by an additional 10 percent. The Committee has already cut it by 40 percent. The NEA has literally been crippled by the amount of money that the committee will be taking from it. We also know that this bill will kill the arts in 2 years, there will be no more NEA, according to our bill. The question is whether you will listen to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Stearns] in his attack on the NEA. The gentleman has pointed to one grant, one grant by NEA out of 4,000. Out of 4,000 grants that it makes annually, he has pointed to just one of them. He says nothing about the grant of the NEA to the symphonies. He says nothing about the grants of the NEA to chamber music. He says nothing about the grants of the NEA to the theaters. He says nothing about the grants of the NEA to educational institutions to bring the arts to the curricula of school children. Will you accept what the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Stearns] says about the NEA, or will you listen to what all of the Presidents of the United States since 1965 have said in favor of the NEA?”