Friday, November 21, 2008

Art is a luxury we can't afford right now

The Percent for Art legislation, passed in 1975, guides the acquisition of Oregon's State Art Collection which includes more than 2,500 original art works.

Oregon Revised Statutes sets aside "not less than 1% of the direct construction funds of new or remodeled state buildings with construction budgets of $100,000 or greater for the acquisition of art work which may be an integral part of the building, attached thereto, or capable of display in other State Buildings".

This art, titled "Keystone" sits outside the public safety training academy. It's time for the legislature to focus on public safety with our scarce tax dollars, not worthless bronze sculptures.

You are going to hear a lot about the need for new taxes in the next session, just remember, they will use your money to buy stuff like this.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree and would suspect that "special artists" get the work.how do you give away money based on value, or do they draw names out of a hat?

Anonymous said...

well we also cant afford schools for all the mexicans who breed children at our expense, or the Chinese who have come here illegally to breed children get rid of the illegals and we can have a lot of money for art. artists used to be able to afford Portland before about a gazillion immigrants moved here and jacked up housing costs.
get rid of the slumlords in Gresham and we wont have mexican gangs who keep police and judges employed at our expense.
but i will say you think like the dumb mayor of Gresham who thinks public art is the reason there are 75,000 mexican gang members living there.

Anonymous said...

Miglavian 738 :

The average Mexican has no more children per family than the average Anglo. And the average American CITIZEN of latino descent has no more children than the average American citizen of Anglo-European descent.

What is driving the birth rate of Latinos living in America (citizen or not) is the fact that A) their population has grown rapidly and B) they don't delay childbearing to the extent that Anglo women do.

As far as the country of Mexico goes, the birthrate is dropping dramatically. This has been recently documented and the information is readily available on-line.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:48

http://www.indexmundi.com/mexico/birth_rate.html
The birthrate of mexico is dropping because all the young mexicans are coming to America. They are still breeding like rabbits. They just do it in America.

You really should read this:
http://www.house.gov/mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border-Report.pdf

We have over 35 million criminal aliens in our country. Mexico has a population of about 100 million. Over half of the criminal aliens are hispanics and over half of those are mexicans. A good guess would put the number of criminal alien mexicans at about 8-10 million criminal alien mexicans. That means 8-10% of their freaking population is in our country. Fifth grade math and logic and reasoning says that is why they have a negative birth rate. The mexican bimbos are coming here to breed and steal.

Anonymous said...

More whining about nickel and dime stuff, while the real tax hogs skate free and clear of Daniel's "musings."

OregonGuy said...

Is it, perhaps, the productive--also known as the private--sector that is being referred to as "real tax hogs"?

Escaping the imposition of higher taxes is a bad thing, right? After all, what would a business do with extra cash? (Don't tell me grow. Everyone knows that without state spending, nothing grows.)
.

Brian Libby said...

You're not seeing the wood for the trees. Singling out any one particular piece of public art misses the point about why any rational, healthy society invests in art, in good times and bad. I'm an art critic for The Oregonian, and I confess that I dislike most public art. But it's short-sighted folly to say we can't afford it.

Anonymous said...

Brian Libby,

Art Critic for the Oregonian?? Are you kidding me?? THAT's what you paid good money in college to become...an art critic?

Your line "it's short-sighted folly to say we can't afford it." is not based on common sense or rational thought at all. When the State cries every year about our "Failing Education and Public Safety Shortfalls" and try and guilt us into voting in higher taxes of one sort or another, I would recommend that you take a look at all of the money spent on "Public Art" projects and ask whether that money would be put to better use elsewhere.

Now, I don't know much about your political beliefs, but since yoou are working as an art critic for a notoriously left leaning newspaper, I'll wager to guess that you lean a bit left yourself. Aren't the left always whining that too much is spent on Defense, and not enough for schools? remember the bumper sticker about the Air Force and Bake Sales? Well, why doesn't the left apply that same thinking to public art?

Anonymous said...

Brian, if you came here for intelligent conversation, leave. If you came to impart thoughtful opinion and insight, or even factual information, run for the hills. If you came even to smoke out the views of everyday Republicans, forget about it. You will not be welcomed here. This is Miglavia, and these are Miglavians. If you want to find out what that means, stay. You will find it 1) amusing, 2) depressing, and 3) horrifying.

Anonymous said...

You will find it 1) amusing, 2) depressing, and 3) horrifying.

4:54 PM

Dear anon 4:54:

If your so smart.You must need the feeling of empowerment over those who you feel higher then.

(A) That comes from a short penis. (B)Your Mom refused you her nipple more then once.(C)Most likely it is all of the above.

So, it is suspect why you are here, do post your true inner feelings, perhaps we can help, you know....."SHARE THE WEALTH"+-

Anonymous said...

Wild guess here: Daniel's idea of "art" is a painting of dogs playing poker and smoking cigars.

davidhamilton said...

Say, don't people make statues of naked women any more?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Wild guess here: Daniel's idea of "art" is a painting of dogs playing poker and smoking cigars.

11:27 PM

Dear anon 11:27:

Actually stupid that is a piece of art, it is why art is art!!!

Just because it is not in your eyes "art" ....well you know the rest.

The LIB point of view that the rest of us are stupid and beneath them will someday bite them in their ARSE!!!

Scottiebill said...

Hey, Brian: Anon 454 said that if you came to this site of intelligent conversation, you are in the wrong place. All you need do is read all the idiotic negativity against Daniel and his proponents by all the various and sundry Anonymouses to understand that. Very little that they post here is comprehensive and/or well thought out. Anything and everything that is posted here my most of the Anonymouses is nothing more than scurrilous attacks on Daniel and those of us who agree with him. Anons 738 and 1006 are the rare exceptions.

That you are working for the Big Zero is something for which we can forgive you. I guess.

Anonymous said...

OFF TOPIC??? MAYBE NOT

You had long lines into the Expo Center, you had trouble finding a place to park, you stood in line for tickets, and it was crammed like sardines in the aisles to see all the vendors had to offer.

Thank you President-elect OBAMA for the great experience your election had in bringing thousands of people together who "cling to their guns and their faith!"...it was truly a great day to share that "clinging feeling with Right thinking people.

God Bless the USA

Anonymous said...

Oregon state government can go fuck itself, as can the Oregon legislature and the Governor himself. Fuck everyone of these left-wing mother fuckers. They can take my tax dollars and shove them right up their fucking asses. Fuck 'em all! lol

Scottiebill said...

And here comes Anon 1109 with his usual well-thought out, cogent, and extremely intelligent offering of the day. In just this one short post, he has managed to show us once again the benefits of all his many unproductive years spent in the third grade.

Let's hear it for our ever-present "genius" of Daniel's blogspot, Anon 1109!!!

Way to go, 1109! You have lived down to our expectations.

Anonymous said...

What's the matter, scottieball, truth hurt? I am glad I could push you into bed with the Left-wing Oregon phaegs. Glad you are all happy now. Go sing kumbaya, dickhead. The fact is, you may not like how I say it, but you can't deny the truth of what I said. Oregon has no culture and no art. Actually, your state does, but it is obviously not proud of it. Your state should be proud of its western roots and magnificent beauty (although other states out here are nice as well). Everything else you phaegs create is literally an invention of falsehood. At the end of the day, a lot of you people are trying to be a Seattle or San Francisco without admitting to such and actually denying the fact. Portland is as vanilla as they come, except for the freakshow. I guess that is why you phaegs are so proud to keep the fucking place "weird." Go ahead, you have nothing else going for you, so fuck you, bra! lol Loser fucking city, loser fucking state, and loser fucking people to go along with it.

Bobkatt said...

While I'm not fond of the perpetual Arts "bailout", I think that statue is actually pretty cool.

Anonymous said...

Art is a luxury we can't afford right now ...

Right now, yes, but at at all other times, Daniel Miglavs is Art connesueir extraordinaire, so fear not! Arts advocate Miglavs will return to action right after the following recession.

Scottiebill said...

Anon 819: You really did miss the point of my last post, didn't you? I care absolutely nothing about Oregon's taste in art or the funding of it, even though Oregon desperately needs to use that money for something necessary for public safety, not some abstract art. (And, Bobkatt, I have to disagree with you on that statue of the keyhole.)

Anon, all I was trying to get across was that regardless of what the subject matter is, you always come up with some stupid, profanity-ridden comment that has absolutely nothing to do with anything, except to show us all that your vocabulary is really extremely limited and that your thinking skills are even more limited.

None of us here, if I may speak for them, appreciate your tirades against those of us who are sick and tired, as well as thoroughly disgusted, with all this garbage you keep one posting ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

Maybe one day you'll get the point, but somehow I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

"public art" is only purchased from politically connnected "artists." It has nothing to do with artistic merit, it's a welfare program for the n'er do well family members of the political class who are too stupid to even be political staffers.