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Yow forgets that the public has a right to sound off on any issue they want during the public comment phase. Until the budget is actually voted on it is not a done deal. He doesn't have the right to say, "shut up, I'm tired of hearing you," unless he intends to resign his seat.

That being said, Yow does make good points about arts vs other types of job creation. While I do believe that the arts are valuable for their own sake, and do contribute to the economy as Whittington suggests, the basic facts are city and county government can't even pay for basic services right now. We can't afford to invest what he wants in the arts right now. It's going to have to wait a year or two for the economy to rebound.

I completely understand that tough decisions have to be made in this difficult economic climate, but we need to avoid being penny wise and pound foolish. The cuts to arts funding that the County is contemplating amount to less than two hundreths of 1 percent of the overall county's budget and yet is a 67% cut to the county's arts councils funding. With a difficult economy we need to be making smart choices to grow the economy. For every $1 the county invests in the arts, $8 of economic activity is created. We need to shift the thinking away from the idea that the arts are getting a "handout" and realize that arts funding represents a smart investment in growing the economy. The arts are a big part of the solution to our current economic situation.

I typically lean towards conservative decisions when it comes to spending public money. That being said, of all the public money spent, the $175,000 for the arts is miniscule in the scheme of things and money well spent. While I see the argument Yow makes, the flip side is that public support of the arts fuels plenty of employment in the private sector, so they benefit from the money spent as well. Ask any of the other businesses downtown if they'd be in exsistence if it wasn't for the strength of the arts scene. Personally, I'd rather that downtown Greensboro not return to its previous state where the sidewalks rolled up at 5 o'clock. The arts also plays an important role in its contribution to the quality of life that attracts business to the area. How long ago were we lamenting the fact that we couldn't keep young people here to work because it was so boring? "Greensboring" became the nickname for our city. It's come a long way since then. Spend a little to make a lot....not a bad philosophy in these trying times. The arts is a good use of this money.

Once again Mr. Yow is being short-sighted and shooting off his mouth with very little forethought. Yes Mr. Yow can create jobs. Plumbers create jobs. However, no one is going to pay to watch Mr.Yow dig a well or a plumber snake out a drain! Also, when folks head out to see a show they very often have dinner first. That money in turn goes to wait staff and cooks and farmers who return money back to the tax base. Plumbers and well diggers don't generally hire a support crew when they do their work. When theater and dance groups perform they hire designers, costumers, stage hands and musicians. Money for the Arts is not being wasted. It is helping to create jobs and generate money from tourism. Most importantly, the impact of the Arts on children in the community is immeasurable. I support my tax dollars being used for such a rich investment. It's so important to me that I would gladly pay additional taxes to ensure that Arts funding is maintained. I know the budget only stretches so far, but I implore the commissioners to fully consider the effect that drastic cuts will have on the community as a whole.

I understand the economic investment. But I also feel uncomfortable sometimes with the idea that government is part of choosing/promoting any particular kinds of aesthetic statements, or even potentially political ones, artists are making. In a public classroom, this is put into a context of direct instruction, where students are allowed, we hope, to argue the merits and meanings. Not so with most public-sponsored art.

There is no doubt in the development community that the catalyst for the revitalization of downtown Greensboro was the entry of arts establishments. Previous attempts at revitalization focused on luring mercantile establishments back to the area. Triad Stage, and others, illustrated that the key to revitalization was not in reestablishing downtown as a shopping district. Rather, we learned that the way to rebuild downtown was as a cultural arts and entertainment scene. The reemergence of downtown Greensboro now serves as a template for scores of other cities seeking to rebuild their city centers.

Our local governments have spent millions trying to entice various large corporations to locate facilities here only to see that industry fail or relocate their facilities. The cultural arts community is largely immune to these dangers. With the meagerest of investments from our cities and county we can foster the entry and growth of arts-centered businesses in Guilford County. These businesses aren't subject to being outsourced to another country and yet they bring far more to our county in terms of jobs and revenue (including tax revenue) than, say, Dell.

The creative industry means over $41 Billion to our state. Five and a half percent of the state workforce is employed in the creative industry. We know what the arts have done for Greensboro. Don't we need it more now, in this economy, than ever? In times of economic crises we must avoid the temptation to be penny wise and pound foolish.