Caught wind of a GREAT post over on a site called The Artful Manager about the new economic stimulus package – in regards to arts jobs and National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) funding. The blogger (Andrew Taylor) quotes another blogger who quotes Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA). Besides being a Republican Congressman from Georgia, Rep. Kingston appears to have extensive experience at being a major tool. From the post:

• [quoting] Rep. Jack Kingston's (R-GA) remarks when complaining about the NEA funding (now removed) from the bill:
• "We have real people out of work right now and putting $50 million in the NEA and pretending that's going to save jobs as opposed to putting $50 million in a road project is disingenuous."
• Which suggests, of course, that artists, cultural managers, stagehands, gallery staff, technicians, costume designers, and anybody else involved in artistic pursuits aren't actually working, or earning a paycheck, or supporting their families, or any of the other productive things road workers might do. Or, to put it more bluntly, arts workers are not ''real people.''
• It's perfectly fair to challenge the ''stimulus potential'' of any line item in the massive bill. And there are legitimate arguments to be made that one form of spending or incentive works more quickly, more effectively, more efficiently than another. But this particular line of attack, suggesting that the arts don't involve people doing jobs, is staggering in its ignorance. Read more.

Speaking as someone who supports his family with a job closely tied to the arts industry … um, wow. Not a big fan of Georgian politicians right now. But! The post goes on to point out that much of this attitude comes from our very own people – people working in the arts. And it reminds me: I used to work with a guy who spent years at school (and lots of money) to become a cartoonist, yet he refused to believe that cartooning is a legitimate art form, let alone a real job.

If these feelings persist within arts communities nationwide, we’re in trouble.