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Museums
Sept 2, 2009 12:44:52 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 2, 2009 12:44:52 GMT -5
Should they be publicly funded? Why or why not? What are the criteria for determining funding? Are they economically beneficial, harmful, or neutral, if they're publicly funded?
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Museums
Sept 2, 2009 13:22:55 GMT -5
Post by daworm on Sept 2, 2009 13:22:55 GMT -5
Publicly funded, because no one else could or would fund them, at least on the local scale. Economically beneficial when used properly, as a source of learning, in that an educated workforce is a more productive one.
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Museums
Sept 2, 2009 13:39:37 GMT -5
Post by gridbug on Sept 2, 2009 13:39:37 GMT -5
Bah! What a waste of tax dollars. Put the Smithsonian on eBay.
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Museums
Sept 2, 2009 21:44:26 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 2, 2009 21:44:26 GMT -5
So what would determine whether it is educational enough or not?
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 6:01:41 GMT -5
Post by Warkitty on Sept 3, 2009 6:01:41 GMT -5
Private is Pure Capitalism. I'm surprised you (Gus) would even consider anything else.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 7:34:15 GMT -5
Post by sargonkiadi on Sept 3, 2009 7:34:15 GMT -5
Publicly funded, because no one else could or would fund them, at least on the local scale. Economically beneficial when used properly, as a source of learning, in that an educated workforce is a more productive one. I think private ownership would be possible. They would still charge an entrance fee, but I don't think Museums would drop off the face of the earth. However back to the original question. Do I think they should be publicly funded? Yes. I would much rather see my tax dollars spent helping current and future children with safe roads, a stronger police force, public schools, etc.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 8:15:28 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 3, 2009 8:15:28 GMT -5
Kitty, I haven't expressed an opinion on it yet.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 8:57:14 GMT -5
Post by LimitedRecourse on Sept 3, 2009 8:57:14 GMT -5
Those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 10:03:14 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 3, 2009 10:03:14 GMT -5
Should they be publicly funded? Why or why not? What are the criteria for determining funding? Are they economically beneficial, harmful, or neutral, if they're publicly funded? Regarding the Federal authority to publicly fund museums and libraries, Article I Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States of America states: The Congress shall have power .... To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries; As long as Congress has this power they also have the responsibility to catalog those writings and discoveries. What better way to do so than through museums and libraries. Regarding the various state's authority to publicly fund museums and libraries, check your local constitution but I believe that every state of the union claims responsibility for educating its citizens. Libraries and Museums are critical parts of carrying out that claimed responsibility.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 12:57:01 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 3, 2009 12:57:01 GMT -5
Then how do we determine what is worthwhile to teach? Obviously we can't fund every idea that comes down the pike.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 13:00:13 GMT -5
Post by gridbug on Sept 3, 2009 13:00:13 GMT -5
By letting the State run schools and museums, we give the State the right to determine what is worth teaching and in the end the right to define history.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 13:30:29 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 3, 2009 13:30:29 GMT -5
By letting the State run schools and museums, we give the State the right to determine what is worth teaching and in the end the right to define history. To whom then does that right belong?
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 13:31:44 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 3, 2009 13:31:44 GMT -5
And I'm talking about actual funding, not tax exemption.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 13:36:14 GMT -5
Post by LimitedRecourse on Sept 3, 2009 13:36:14 GMT -5
"To whom then does that right belong?"
Before they became bastions of liberal whackery, my answer would have been universities.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 13:36:33 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 3, 2009 13:36:33 GMT -5
Okay, I'm getting confused. Museums and Libraries don't fund ideas, they catalog them after the fact. If the government is going to grant an idea exclusively to the use of its originator through patent and copyright laws does it not also have the responsibility to catalog those ideas and to fund the cataloging of those ideas?
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 14:27:52 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 3, 2009 14:27:52 GMT -5
I would say they have the responsibility to catalog those ideas, but you can catalog the registration of a vehicle without having the car itself stored in a warehouse.
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Museums
Sept 3, 2009 14:37:43 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 3, 2009 14:37:43 GMT -5
The constitution leaves the extent of recording patents and copyrights to the judgment of congress along with the decision as to how much to fund that cataloging. Your question was should they. To me the answer is not only that they should but that they are mandated to do so. How well they are doing that job or how well they should do that job is an idea that is going to depend on how fond one might be of museums and libraries. Don't you think?
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Museums
Sept 4, 2009 0:59:50 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 4, 2009 0:59:50 GMT -5
How about state or local governments?
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Museums
Sept 4, 2009 1:05:10 GMT -5
Post by Tsavodiner on Sept 4, 2009 1:05:10 GMT -5
The building that started as the Bessie Smith Performance Hall was funded by our City; they may have had some minor State grant in there, but more likely the Tonya Foundation helped. During my time downtown, we recovered FOUR, count 'em, FOUR, sets of guttering that was stripped from this building and sold for scrap at Baxwin.
Not too unusual, until you consider the guttering was SOLID COPPER, and SCRAPPED at $4000. per load. "City economics 101, anyone?"
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Museums
Sept 4, 2009 5:40:16 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 4, 2009 5:40:16 GMT -5
How about state or local governments? States also have constitutions and cities have charters. All are different. Arkansas might have clauses authorizing the state to fund museums while Idaho may not. City charters are usually ambiguous enough to allow them to fund just about any project the citizenry will not pick up pitch forks and torches to stop.
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Museums
Sept 4, 2009 8:15:54 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 4, 2009 8:15:54 GMT -5
That still doesn't tell me your opinions.
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Scarlet&Gray
Senior Forumite
Mr. Ohio
In our honor defend we will fight to the end
Posts: 2,902
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Museums
Sept 4, 2009 11:11:02 GMT -5
Post by Scarlet&Gray on Sept 4, 2009 11:11:02 GMT -5
SOCIALISM
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Museums
Sept 4, 2009 11:37:59 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 4, 2009 11:37:59 GMT -5
That still doesn't tell me your opinions. Okay, my opinion is that the Federal Government is authorized to fund the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. I have no problem with them funding those two entities nor would I have a problem with them funding branches of those entities to make it easier for the public to make use of them. I believe the states of Tennessee and Georgia, the two states that I have an interest in, are well within their authority to fund libraries and certain museums as resources to public education. I have no problem with the those two states funding those entities and, in fact, support the reasonable funding of those entities by the state. My current residence is in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Gwinnett County has been authorized and instructed by the state of Georgia to be responsible for K-12 education in the county. I believe the Gwinnett Public Library System, which is primarily supported by the tax payers of Gwinnett County but also receives some public funding from the state of Georgia and has received some project grant dollars from the US government, is providing a needed resource for all K-12 students, public and private. I also believe that the Gwinnett Public Library System and various historical museums in the county add to the quality of life in Gwinnett County and I fully support the reasonable funding of these entities by Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia. I'm not familiar enough with the grants received from the US government to give you my opinion on that.
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Museums
Sept 5, 2009 0:42:49 GMT -5
Post by el Gusano on Sept 5, 2009 0:42:49 GMT -5
How about limits?
Suppose someone wants to open a widget museum, should it be funded? What are the criteria for deciding what to fund and what not to fund?
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Museums
Sept 5, 2009 7:13:51 GMT -5
Post by Justin Thyme on Sept 5, 2009 7:13:51 GMT -5
Gus, that's what elections are for. If the elected officials step over the bounds of reason in their actions the voters are duty bound to vote them out. I voted for only one incumbent in the last election just for that reason, I felt it was my duty to vote out the politicians who were voting to fund unreasonable legislation. I would have voted against the one incumbent I did vote for if his opponents hadn't been less reasonable than he.
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