Steve Largent: “As I listened to the debate, one thought kept crossing my mind, and that is how easy it is to be a philanthropist with…”

“As I listened to the debate, one thought kept crossing my mind, and that is how easy it is to be a philanthropist with other people's money. It is really easy to give away other people's money, $9.5 million. The impression some Members would give us, and the movie stars, is that the arts and arts programs in this country are hanging by a thread, and if we do not fund the NEA all of the arts are going to go away. Well, the truth is that is not true. The fact is there are several people that are contributing to the arts community in our country today. One is the Federal Government. Now, not just the $98.5 million that we are trying to stop being funded to the NEA. There are over 200 programs funded by taxpayers that go to the arts: Holocaust Museum, Commission of Fine Arts, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, JFK Center for the Performing Arts, National Endowment for Children's Educational TV, NEH, National Gallery of Arts, the Smithsonian. How much money is the Federal Government spending of our tax dollars on the arts? Well, in 1997, it was $696 million, in 1998 it was $710 million, and in 1999 it will be $815 million that is going to go to fund the arts. So we are great philanthropists with other people's money. Mr. Chairman, I will just finish by urging my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Johnson amendment.”