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Richard S. Beam

​92       Breaking my Rule – Trump’s Budget

5/24/2017

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Yesterday I received an email from the “Americans for Arts ACTION Fund.  It said,
  May 23, 2017
Dear Richard,
Today, the White House released the official details of its proposed FY2018 "skinny budget" that President Trump proposed back in March.  In this latest version, the president doubles down on his recommendation to eliminate the nation’s key federal cultural agencies for the arts, humanities, museums, libraries, and public broadcasting by allocating the minimal amount “for expenses necessary to carry out their closure.”  The budget proposal also eliminates important arts education and afterschool grant programs.

The email included the following chart detailing current and proposed appropriations for arts and cultural agencies:
​
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Now, I have tried (often with some difficulty) to refrain from posting personal, political positions on this blog.  For one thing, I find that any political opinion seems as likely to engender anger and suspicion, as it is to gain support.  And, perhaps more importantly, I find the current state of US politics so upsetting that I find it hard to even think about it rationally, and I at least try to be rational most of the time.

This “budget,” however, has pushed me too far.  I’m not going to talk about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, tax cuts for the rich, or the reliance on the “trickle-down” economy which was first strongly proposed (I believe) under Ronald Reagan and has yet to show signs of working.  That’s already all over the news and will be so (along with a bunch of other stuff), I suspect, for quite some time.  No, I’m not an economist and I really don’t understand all of that all that well, although I have to admit that, having been required to pay Social Security taxes for all of my working life, the idea that the payments I was promised can be cut in order to buy guns and give breaks to “job creators(?)” bothers me a good deal.  I have a contract with the government called Social Security, and now they can just change it because they were stupid about how they invested the money they required me to pay in based on their promises?  I wouldn’t have thought so, as contracts are supposed to be binding, but, that’s not really my point.

No, I want to talk about those things which I believe I actually know something about based on a lifetime of working in the arts and culturally related areas.  It seems quite evident to me that if, as I have heard it said, a budget is defined by values, Trump’s budget suggests that he doesn’t (and by extension he doesn’t believe the nation should) value the arts and culture enough to wish them to be a part of our nation’s priorities.  Okay, he has a right to that opinion. (I've read the First Amendment).

However,

                   Culture is generally defined as the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group
                of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music
                and arts.  Some go a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and
                interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization.  
                Thus, culture can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique
                to the group. 
                   (slightly rewritten by RSB) (source: www.livescience.com)


If this is a correct definition of “culture,” and it’s as good as I’ve seen, we are talking about something which is pretty basic to the group identity of Americans as U.S. citizens.  Our culture is richer than many because of our long tradition of immigration of peoples (hence, their culture, as well) from throughout the world into our country.  Our culture is rich in “… languages, religions, cuisines, social habits, music and arts.”  Unfortunately, too many people wish to tear our country apart by refusing to acknowledge that we are one people coming from many sources (“E Pluribus Unum.)”  This, I believe, is one of our greatest strengths, as long as we don’t let it become a point for division.  We are Americans, first!  Then, we are Americans from a variety of other cultures.  If we forget that, we are doomed as a people.  If we don’t choose to value the arts, the humanities, museums, libraries, cultural exchanges with other nations, etc., then we are choosing an existence of barrenness, cultural poverty and divisiveness.  By accepting that our strength lies in our diversity, we can only be stronger.  And our arts institutions, museums, libraries, etc. help us discover and celebrate that.
 
There is also the fact that our cultural institutions, from WCU’s Mountain Heritage Day to countless public and private celebrations of the Fourth of July, and many others, provide major reasons for travel and tourism.  That means that these institutions contribute to the creation of economic growth and jobs in hotels, restaurants, travel, etc. in addition to the employment of people to operate, or be employed by, the cultural institutions, themselves.  The figures I have seen suggest that this is not an insignificant amount (and also suggest a major contribution to the tax income of many jurisdictions, as well).  And, many states and localities promote their cultural institutions as reasons for businesses to locate there.  Evidently, a lot of people think that cultural institutions are of some importance to our overall sense of self.
 
And, perhaps most importantly, for at least some people, the proposed budget is, I believe, a bit over 4 trillion dollars.  A look at the chart above (and some quick math) suggests that enacted appropriations for FY 2017 for ALL of the agencies in the chart above total just a bit over 4 billion.  If, as I believe is correct, one trillion equals one thousand million, then cutting all of these agencies to 0 would only save about one tenth of one percent of the proposed budget.  Is it really worth the destruction of America’s sense of itself to save that little?  One F-16 fighter costs about four times that much!  But, Trump wishes to fund these institutions (many of them, at least) only "for expenses necessary to carry out their closure."  I find this lack of support for American culture a bit depressing.
 
If others find this depressing, too, I would encourage them to contact their Representatives and Senators to protest this idiocy.  There is so much to be destroyed for so little gain.  I don’t see how this can be considered rational fiscal policy, but don’t take my word for it.  Check the facts for yourself.  Then, if you think this doesn’t make sense, do something about it.  It’s OUR government, the Constitution says so.  It also says that that government was created to “… promote the general welfare….”  Let’s see that it does so.
 
Next time I’ll try harder to return to more usual sort of matter.
 
LLAP
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91       Something Rotten! and Some Other Stuff

5/22/2017

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Bonnie, Maggi and I went to see the musical Something Rotten! when it was in Omaha a week, or so, ago.  I LOVED it!  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, so I won’t say too much about it other than to say that if you get the chance, I would urge you to go.  It may not be my favorite musical of all time (more on that at some later date), but it would certainly rank very high on my (rather short) list of “greatest.”
 
Okay, I confess that I am a bit of a Shakespeare nut, and Will does appear as a character and the “Shakespeare as a ‘rock star’ idea is spoofed very effectively and entertainingly.  It’s also true that I am very fond of musicals, generally, and this is not only a great example of just about everything a musical can (and should) be, so it ends up as something of an homage to the great tradition of musicals, as very as a wonderful satire on the whole “over the top” sense that great musicals always seem to have.  Good solos and duets, big, splashy chorus numbers, exciting sets and costumes, just about everything which a musical should be.  All in all, great entertainment!
 
That’s not to say that musicals can only be flashy entertainment of the cheapest sort.  No, many musicals (in my opinion) deal with subjects which can only be called “serious.”  You don’t have to be some sort of expert to recognize that.  Part of what I think makes Something Rotten! great, however, is that it makes it clear that musicals can also be great entertainment without smashing you over the head with “messages” and can be enjoyed on several levels, including flashy, campy, over-the-top entertainment.  There are probably several ideas of a somewhat serious nature hiding within it.  One of which (and not the least) is the rather stupid notion that Shakespeare is some sort of idol and always has been.
 
Yes, Shakespeare was a great playwright and poet.  Yes, he was recognized as such during his lifetime, although so were a number of others, some of whom were considered his equal, if not his superior.  I’ve touched on this notion before, so I won’t belabor the point.  I am VERY fond of many (not all) of Shakespeare’s plays and I find the Elizabethan-Jacobean period (especially the theatre) fascinating, but I also recognize that “Bardolatry” is largely an invention of the 18th and 19th Centuries and that it shouldn’t be a crime to suggest that at least some of his plays are less than great. 
 
After all, not ALL of them were highly praised even during his lifetime.  Actually, only about half of the plays in the First Folio were previously published in Quarto form.  A Quarto edition, which was probably stolen or sold off by the company because it was no longer active in its repertory, can, I believe, be taken as evidence that a play was popular, as no one would have been stupid enough to publish and try to sell an unpopular play. 
 
Shakespeare certainly didn’t publish his plays (in ANY form) as he didn’t own them.  He had sold them to his producing company (and Copyright didn’t exist).  That’s why we should be thankful for the First Folio, published after his death, and after contemporary fashion had moved on to a different sort of thing.  That’s to say nothing of the fact that the vast majority of his plots were not original, they came from all sorts of sources, fictional and historical, and many were heavily modified by “The Bard” to turn them into popular drama.  Anyway, enough about that.  Go see the show.  I think you’ll enjoy it!
 
I found a copy of Ivor Brown’s  Shakespeare In His Time a couple of weeks ago.  While the book dates from 1960, I still found it an interesting look at the social, political, religious, etc. circumstances of Shakespeare’s time.  I don’t know that I learned a great deal which was new from this book, but I would recommend it to anyone who isn’t already familiar with the period as readable and not excessively long nor difficult to understand.  I got my copy in a used bookstore, but there are used copies on Amazon, etc., so one doesn’t have to pay a great deal for it.  And, of course, there are other books which deal with similar material related to this much-talked-about author.
 
I’m a bachelor for a couple of weeks as Bonnie and Maggi are on a trip to England.  I decided not to go with them, in part because I’ve had my chance to see many of the things I was especially interested in seeing when I went with Maggi in 2009, partly because they had a lot of “shopping” and “museuming” which they were particularly interested in doing (and which didn’t excite me too much) and partly because I’m simply slowing down a bit. 
 
I’m afraid that too many years of standing and working on concrete shop and classroom floors, etc. have been hard on my knees (my left one especially) and I simply don’t move as fast as I once did, climbing stairs is a bit harder than it used to be and the slow standing/walking of visiting a museum or shopping is a good deal harder than it used to be.  I can still get there, but it’s harder (and slower) than it was, and I know better than to try to slow those two ladies down.  There’s also the fact that my not going has made it a good deal easier to deal with the problems of mail, cat-sitting, general house-watching and the like than would have been possible had we all been gone.  There ARE things I will be sorry not to get to again (Stonehenge, Coventry, Stratford-Upon-Avon, the Shakespeare’s Globe, among others), but I’m not sorry that I made the decision I did. 
 
I’m looking forward to the pictures and stories they will have when they get home, but I’m keeping busy with the house(s), the mail, the cats, reading, etc.  Who knows, I might even get around to watching some of the movies I have bought and never seen.  There are more of those than I care to admit.
 
There is ONE thing I will be really sorry to miss during their trip.  Maggi bought a copy of a Something Rotten! tee shirt to wear when they go to Stratford (see below).  I think it may lead to a lot of interesting people watching.
 
LLAP


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90       Finding the Balance – Walking in Beauty

5/15/2017

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Recently I’ve been rereading the Tony Hillerman mystery novels because I have enjoyed them a lot over the years and thought I would enjoy reading them again.  I was right.  I have re-enjoyed them.  Actually, I should note that, since Tony Hillerman passed away in 2008, the series featuring the adventures of Joe Leaphorn (the Legendary Lieutenant), Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito has been taken over by Hillerman’s daughter, Anne, who has now added three works to the series, and I’ve read them all (twice).
 
As one who has enjoyed mysteries, as a genre, for a long time, I recommend these as pretty well written stories which take place among the culture of the native peoples of the Southwestern United States.  Specifically, the main characters are Navaho, but they frequently interact with characters who are members of other tribal groups in the Four Corners area.  I enjoy the characters, themselves, but I have also come to appreciate the insight which these books have given me into the culture of these peoples, and which I hope (and believe) represent their cultures fairly. 
 
I confess that I have also come to some greater awareness of the truly shabby way which the European-based dominant society has (and continues to) treat those people who were present on this continent prior to European colonization.  I should also note that forty-three years of living near the Qualla Boundary in Eastern North Carolina (to say nothing of having a fair number of students work at Unto These Hills, the dramatized story of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears, over the years) has contributed to my understanding of the shameful way we of the dominant culture have treated, and continue to treat, these peoples.  Before we have the right to condemn other countries for their treatment of minority groups, we should probably look to our own history, but that’s not really my point here.
 
As I have said, part of what has intrigued me about these stories is not just the fact that they are pretty interesting mysteries, but what they have taught me about the culture, religion and philosophy of, especially, the Diné (Navaho).  Now I don’t pretend to understand the details of their beliefs, but I believe that it is correct to say that the cornerstone of their spiritual notions is the idea of “walking in beauty.”  I believe that this refers to the idea of accepting that all aspects of life are, naturally, beautiful if we will only take the moment to appreciate them.  The rising of the sun, or its setting, a flower, or a landscape, the quiet breathing of a sleeping child, the sound of laughter, or of honest tears.
 
I think “The Beauty Way” is the path of accepting the value and beauty of life itself, in all of its complexity.  Even discomfort and death can be beautiful when we understand that they are a part of the natural way and may be necessary in the course of existence.  My understanding is that the Diné believe that sickness and unhappiness are the result of the loss of awareness and acceptance of these facts, and that much (perhaps all) of Navajo spiritual practice is about restoring a sense of balance and harmony to a person's life in order to produce health.  It struck me that this really isn’t so far from the sense of the appreciation of the beauty of the world as a key factor in health and happiness which seems to be a part of many, perhaps all, spiritual traditions that I have any awareness of. 
 
Yes, it sounds a good deal like what is called Christian Science which, at least as I understand it, suggests that illness is caused by an improper relationship with divinity, but the idea is, or at least seems to be, paralleled in other branches of Christianity, at least. 
 
For example, we have the “Serenity” prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference” which seems to me to express much the same sort of notion.  And, the Zen concept of using meditation and contemplation to restore one’s sense of peace and wholeness also seems to be related, at least to me, as do the seasonal (sun-based) ceremonies of many neo-pagan traditions.  I also know of many Christian worship services which I have attended over the years which speak of going forth from this place with the “peace of God (or Christ).”
 
While there are many variations, and I have no desire to espouse any particular one as better than another (after all, what may work for you may not be suitable for someone else), my sense is that the basic idea of “finding your place,” “finding your balance with Creation,” of “walking in beauty” with the world seems to be a fairly universal idea.  Those who at least try to do this (whatever path they choose to follow to get there) seem to be among the happier, healthier, and nicer people I know (and have known).
 
So, as I close this posting, I wish to leave you with a picture which I took on the trip I took with my daughter, Maggi, to England in 2009.  I believe (I’m pretty sure) I took it in the garden at the Shakespeare Birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon, although we visited a lot of gardens on that trip and many of them were filled with beauty.  I think back on that trip with some frequency and it led me to a much greater appreciation of the beauty which surrounds us, from a flower, to a sunrise (or set), to a mountainside, or an open prairie.  If this picture can bring a bit of beauty to your life, even for just a moment, it will make me happy.  If it doesn’t, I wish it could.
 
May you always walk in beauty…
 
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LLAP
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