Lancaster County’s representative in the U.S. House, Republican Rep. Joe Pitts, continues his sparring match with city Mayor Rick Gray, a Democrat who took issue with the lawmaker’s reasons for opposing the federal stimulus proposal.
This is getting interesting. And fun. Here is Pitts’ letter to the Intell:
NEA funding won’t aid economy
TO THE EDITOR:
There was not a word I disagreed with in Mayor Rick Gray’s eloquent defense of the arts in the Feb. 6 Intell. The City of Lancaster is in the middle of an economic and cultural renaissance, and the arts have been one of its primary contributors. Aside from playing an important part in the commerce of the city, the arts make Lancaster an attractive place to live, work and play. Gray knows me well enough to know that we agree on this. So I was surprised to see him suggest otherwise.
More Americans lost their jobs in January than in any month in the last 34 years. Unemployment is at 7.6 percent, the highest rate since 1982. America is facing a genuine economic crisis that must be addressed as quickly and effectively as possible. I simply do not believe that another $50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts is the most effective way to do that. There is no reason to believe the NEA will direct any of that money to Lancaster, or that it will be spent in ways that will offer stable jobs for our unemployed neighbors.
It will also not be spent quickly — 90 percent of it wouldn’t be spent before 2010 and 2011. There is no question that $50 million is a small part of this dangerously expensive and poorly written bill. Nevertheless, it is larger than the amount dedicated to job-generating tax reductions for small businesses. Over 90 percent of new jobs are created by small businesses (which includes a great number of art-focused enterprises). That is where our focus should be.
This economic stimulus package may ultimately cost more than $1 trillion. That is more than we spent on the New Deal and the Vietnam War combined. It’s also $1 trillion in debt that each of us will have to pay down with our tax money. Trading long-term economic harm for questionable short-term economic stimulus is not good government. Republicans are now fighting to make this bill more effective and less expensive. That means setting priorities. We may lose this fight. Either way, I have little doubt that the NEA will be generously funded when Congress gets to work on its regular spending legislation next month.
It is also worth remembering that the NEA has a history of funding outrageous things like a house built out of beer cans and a crucifix sealed in a jar of urine. It remains to be seen whether recently elevated standards of taste will continue under the Obama administration.
Gray is a good mayor for the city, and I enjoy working with him. The city benefits from its Democratic and Republican elected officials remembering to disagree without being disagreeable. I look forward to continuing to work with him in that spirit of respect and cooperation.
Rep. Joe Pitts
16th Congressional District
