Indiana Governor Slashes Funding for the Arts by 50%
via [ Indiana Arts Commission ]
“My Man Mitch” a Remnant of Bush era “Wrecking Crew” continues to reek havoc on the welfare of Indiana. Today, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, and George Bush’s Budget Director announced a 50% cut in the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) budget. When are we going to be free of the neo-con economy?
As you may know, Governor Mitch Daniels rejected the budget the Indiana Legislature presented to him at the end of April. In both the House and Senate versions of the budget, the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) was treated fairly, with an 8% cut like other state agencies. This was in response to Governor Daniels initial budget proposal which would have slashed the IAC’s budget by 50%!
Today, Governor Daniels released a new budget for the special session of the Legislature that will be called for later this month. His budget AGAIN calls for a 50% reduction of the IAC, from approximately $4M to $2M a year for the next biennium. This loss of support for our state’s arts infrastructure will put community and regional arts organizations of all sizes and types at risk of going out of business.
Your legislators need to hear from you NOW. Only they can create a budget which treats the arts fairly. Only they know the many constituents and organizations which will be irreparably hurt by this proposed, massive cut.
All of us who understand the value of the arts were shocked that the Governor would ignore the message sent by both Houses, by legislators on either side of the aisle. That message is the arts in our state need to be treated fairly when it comes to governmental support as they are a vital piece of the solution to our economic downturn and highly valued by our citizens.
- Indiana Arts Commission (IAC)
