DANCE, PAINT BOY:

Scalia Defends Government's Right to Deny Art Funds (DANIEL J. WAKIN, 9/23/05, NY Times)

Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court made an unusual appearance at the Juilliard School yesterday and defended the government's right to deny funds for art it disapproves of, elaborating in person on what he has written on the bench.

He told reporters that choosing what art to subsidize is no different than the stances the government takes all the time in other areas.

"The First Amendment has not repealed the basic rule of life, that he who pays the piper calls the tune," Justice Scalia said. "When you place the government in charge of funding art, just as when you place the government in charge of providing education, somebody has to pick the content of what art is going to be funded, what subjects are going to be taught.

"The only way to eliminate any government choice on what art is worthwhile, what art isn't worthwhile, is to get the government totally out of the business of funding," he said.

The point being that we fund education and the arts to serve our ends as a society, not those of teachers unions and artists.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 22, 2005 11:59 PM