Nations Mayors Blast Bobby Jindal for his attack on The National Endowment for the Arts

[Better Believe It]

U.S. Conference of Mayors President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz Blasts Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for Recent Statement on the Arts
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-

USNewswire/ -- The nation's mayors today sent the following letter to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in reaction to his remarks made at the White House questioning the economic impact of the arts on the national economy:

----------------------------------------------

America's Mayors are extremely disappointed by your recent statements questioning the economic impact of the arts to our national, state and local economies. We are also highly concerned by your repeated attacks of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the "Act') by highlighting the $50 million dedicated to the National Endowment for the Arts.

While we certainly respect your right to oppose the Act, this funding, which represents .00635% of the total funding provided in the Act, has, we believe, become a convenient political scapegoat.

Please consider the following information on the impact of arts and tourism to your own State of Louisiana:


The most recent figures from Dun & Bradstreet indicate Louisiana is home to 7,013 arts-related businesses that employ 27,117 people.

In Northwest Louisiana (10-parish region around Shreveport), nonprofit arts groups and their audiences generate $89.77 million in economic activity, support 2,367 jobs, and provide nearly $13 million in state and local tax revenue.

In addition to the arts contributing tremendously to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, the state launched the World Cultural
Economic Forum this past fall to showcase the link between the arts, economy, and tourism. It will be expanded in 2009.

Louisiana's Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism launched the Louisiana Cultural Economy Initiative in 2004;
in addition to promoting the arts, the program aims to attract businesses related to the arts to the state. Its 2004 report
showed that for every state tax dollar spent, $5.86 is returned to the state treasury and citizens of Louisiana.

The National Endowment for the Arts will distribute $50 million of the stimulus funds to arts projects in all 50 states which
specifically preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector that have been most hurt by the economic downturn.

In 2008, Louisiana received 27 grants totaling $1,343,700 from the National Endowment for the Arts.


A recent study released by the National Governors Association titled Arts & the Economy: Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development states, "Arts and culture are important to state economies. Arts and culture-related industries, also known as 'creative industries,' provide direct economic benefits to states and communities: They create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies through tourism and consumer purchases."

The nation's 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion annually in U.S. economic activity. They support 5.7 million jobs and provide nearly $30 billion in government revenue. This economic stimulus will minimize the concern that ten percent of arts groups could close this year and helps save thousands of arts workers from losing their jobs.

Mayors clearly understand the important contribution of the arts to our local communities, financially and in terms of the quality of life for our residents. We remain hopeful that the foregoing information will assist you in more clearly understanding this issue, and that, as a result, arts funding will no longer serve as your basis for opposing the Act.

The letter was signed by Conference President Mayor Diaz, Mufi Hannemann Mayor of Honolulu and Chair of the Conference's Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports Committee and Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

- The above statement was a public letter released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and I believe it is therefore in the public domain and not copyrighted material -

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=PR&date=20090226&id=9648318

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. and the mayors want to make sure as many people read it as possible

one reason it isn't copyrighted. Brilliant move--and a good swipe at Jindal, who is so short sighted I'm surprised he can see his nose on his face.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

14. JINDAL IS A NUMBSKULL

[fortyfeetunder]

2. Heck of a job, Bobby!

Keep opening your trap and a presidency for you will be one huge pipe dream!

His remarks of recent indicate a lack of political maturity.

[MrModerate]

3. Jindal is a tool and a fool in so many ways . . .

Let's keep counting them for the world to see.

Between Limbaugh, Jindal, and Steele at the multiple, uncoordinated helms of the party, there's some question whether the 'Licans can even survive as a going concern. Maybe they need a complete atomization so they can come back together as a political entity that shares the same universe as the rest of us.

[dkf]

4. Then shouldn't we also be supportive of Las Vegas junkets?

I really don't see a difference if our point is simply to save jobs.

[PBS Poll-435]

5. A false choice, IMO

The whole "Las Vegas" thing was fratboy retaliation pure and simple. Pandit (mostly) and Dimon (somewhat) were mad that Kovacevich got his way in the Wachovia debacle.

Just as Northern Trust was forced to take gov't $$$ in the TCPP (Treasury's Capital Purchase Program,) so were some very strong companies.

[dkf]

6. I'm saying one person's "junket" is another person's "art"

Of course Mufi Hannemann would defend coming to Hawaii for conventions as a stimulus also, seeing as how he is the Mayor of Honolulu.

What is this about retaliation? Did Pandit spill the Wells Fargo Las Vegas thing to the press?

[PBS Poll-435]

7. The whole "junket" thing is deceptive at best.

And yeah. Citi's 60 BILLION dollar lawsuit was a friggin' joke and they knew when they filed it that it would go nowhere. The whole "Wells Fargo Las Vegas Junket" was a cheap PR stunt.

[dkf]

11. How scary is it that Citi could have been stuck with Wachovia?

I can't believe the FDIC was going to approve that and that they took more than a second to think about Wells Fargo's offer.

Crazy.

[PBS Poll-435]

12. That is the very reason that I am terrified that Sheila Bair is still the Chair at FDIC

Citi's deal was a pathetic grab at deposits while leaving the rest of Wachovia on the auction block. (With taxpayer money needed to even get that deal done!)

Wells took a look at the books of Wachovia, fashioned a plan to absorb the whole company, while preserving some value in Wachovia's stock, and Chairwoman Bair initially said she was going to go with Citi's proposal (which, again, needed taxpayer $$$ to even get the deal approved) and ignore Wells' deal.

If Citi had taken Wachovia, or even a piece of it, then we would be looking at a 3rd bailout for Citi (just to keep operating.)

[MasonJar]

8. Thank God for the mayors' attention to this important issue. The arts

in Louisville have brought numerous corporations to the city. Jindal is obviously a fool for all his intelligence. He also got called to account for his swipe at the money for volcano monitoring. Both of these funds are so minor when compared to the US bailout of the very industries (banks and stock market) which caused this debacle that Jindal has made his ideas a perversion and a mockery of sense. I hope this ends his political ambitions. He is too limited to govern a Bush pig farm.

[saltpoint]

9. I'd like to see how significant a contribution the Endowment has made

to a place like New Orleans, for example, or Baton Rouge.

It's my faraway hunch that almost all arts activity lifts many financial boats as well as boosting the cultural identity of a city or region.

If James Taylor sings that he can see sunshine and feel the moonshine when he evokes his native Carolina, and you hear it one evening doing the dishes in St. Paul or Carson City, your opinion of the Carolinas shoots way up.

A very tiny percentage of federal money going to an absolutely crucial and beautiful thing and this moron governor opposes it.

[PBS Poll-435]

10. When I was a little boy...

Actually a high school junior (In the Clinton (!!) years), my group received an NEA grant to go to DC and perform at Mt. Vernon and in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

DAMN YOU NEA!!!

[dkf]

13. A-ha! A junket! Kidding...

[BrightKnight]

15. The Governor of Louisiana of all places doesn't understand

the economic value of the arts!?? He is even dumber than he looks.

[Hissyspit]

16. Well, he made fun of volcano monitoring. So no surprise he is an ignorant ass

and a liar, to boot.

He's a Republican.

[saltpoint]

17. Next time the moron governor of Louisiana flies into the airport in New Orleans

he might take a moment to ask himself why it is named for one of the most wildly talented artists in the history of the country, and why it might be essential to honor such a talent, and why it resonates across generations.

[PBS Poll-435]

22. I totally forgot about Britney Spears International Airport

:P

J/k

I know it is named after Louis Armstrong.

[saltpoint]

23. What a fool I was when I was a school kid to think I could ever play

trumpet like Mr. Armstrong.

I learned soon enough that not very many people on this earth could play trumpet like Mr. Armstrong.

As musicians go, he's real damn hard to argue with. I'd love to see more airports and bridges named for musicians and painters and poets, etc.

[burning rain]

18. It's a good substantive criticism of Jindal...

and politically good for our side, but I'd be suprised if it made a difference with Jindal. He's a goober conservative and no doubt glories in hostility to art and big city mayors.

[juajen]

19. I so miss Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. Jindal is a disaster. NT

[OneBlueSky]

20. investing in the arts is investing in better communities and . . .

a better country . . . every dollar spent on the arts generates many, many more dollars when people who, for example, attend performances go into town to shop and have dinner at a local restaurant . . . mayors understand this compounding effect because they've seen it in action in their own cities and towns . . .

[Danger Mouse]

21. Booby Jindal

[tooeyeten]

24. Lt. Gov. Landrieu gets it

when it comes to jobs and the connection to the arts. Not Bobby Jindal, he's busy being a Republican't.

[Cha]

25. Volcanoes and The Arts!

Is it any wonder I love the Academy Awards where they show so much love for humanity~? As opposed to people like jindal carping on helping anyone but himself and now rush limpbaughs?