PA State budget compromise is going to put a new strain on the arts

Here is Mr. Pf’s recent letter:

Do you take blog request? ‘rantz request? Today I’m worked up about
our balanced budget and thought I should write mpomy, the
Blogerantzer, to ask what he thinks about the PA strategy of
balancing the city budget with new taxes on the arts.

Personally, I think it’s nice the Arts are being recognized as a
source of revenue. And naturally I respect that we won’t be burdening
the common man who requires affordable entertainment from the Phillies
(am I spelling that right? spellcheck says no) and the Eagles and
Hollywood. But if we tax the performing arts, won’t we make it harder
for the arts to generate the tax revenue they’re supposed to generate?
Well, I suppose it’s only the cultural elite who actually pay full
price for the tickets anyhow — and if you’re a member of the elite you
might as well be asking to be slapped with a sin tax. But I just can’t
help thinking that the other group who ought to care about the attax
on the arts — the kids of the Philadelphia School District, since they
are a non-elite beneficiary of the educational programming by a lot of
local arts institutions. Hmm, maybe there’s logic that says they
deserve a sin tax, too, for being low-income city residents getting
mixed up with the activities of the elite?

Anyhow, I’m just trying to be a gadfly to get you to blog about this,
if you’ve got it in you.

Pf, as usual, has hit on something here.  There are two things happening around these parts lately.  The one I’ve been flipping out about has to do with how the City of Philadelphia is going to pay its bills.  That has been worked out, sorta.

The other thing, that I haven’t been sounding off so much about, is that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has failed (up until this weekend) to come up with a deal for the state budget.  That situation is also reaching some kind of resolution, but, as with the city, all is not well.  Mr. Pf notes that a large portion of the burden required to balance the state budget will be placed on the arts.  That’s not good.  the stifling affect will ripple trough our community and we will reap a bitter harvest in the not-too-distant future.  Follow this link to the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to see what you can do.  Harrisburg needs to hear from all of us.

For a better explanation, I recommend this blog post from Ben Waxman of ‘It’s Our Money’.  If you are not outraged yet, you will be after reading about what’s NOT being taxed.

But there may be some cause for optimism.  Pf points out that the local sports teams are enjoying an exemption under this recent state budget deal.  The Inky is reporting that the one group I love to single out for hate and vitriol (my apologies to Mrs. Pf) is actually ready to step up and help with the bail out – Good for you, Eagles fans!

Sin Tax

Ed_Rendell

Rendell, the illustrious governor of my Commonwealth, has proposed to bridge the $3.2 billion budget gap by raising income taxes for a three years.  As a second term lame duck in this world-wide recession, he can get away with that suggestion, but that still doesn’t mean it’s going to fly.

Personally, I don’t really have a problem paying higher taxes for a few years, especially considering the alternative of living in a major city without the appropriate civic services of education, police, fire, etc.  The argument against is that we will quickly fall down the ever-popular ‘slippery slope’ and taxes will never go down.  I simply don’t think that is a concern when politicians must stand for election and taxes are a total no-brainer for the elctorate.

But it made another idea jump into my head.  We should be paying higher taxes and we should have been paying higher taxes starting back in 2003, when our elected federal governemnt decided we sould go to war in Iraq.  Residents of this country have been getting their heads blown off and having their internal organs reduced to a pulpy mess of blood and sinew ever since that decision was made.  From the moment we went to war, we should have been compelled to make sacrifices and to pay higher taxes.  But instead, we all sat home and watched reality TV.

Reality TV is bad for you.  American Idol is bad for you.  Cigarettes are bad for you.  Are you starting to get the picture?  Tax viewers of American Idol and you’ll accomplish two important goals.  You’ll raise revenue and you’ll make the show go away.