Where’s Elon Musk, the DOGE watchdog, when we really need some “Government Efficiency”?
There’s nothing efficient about the proposed creation of a “National Garden of American Heroes: Statues.” We already have at least two of those—one in my native Bronx…
…the other at Arlington National Cemetary. President Trump’s January 29, 2025 Presidential Executive Order 13978—“Celebrating America’s Birthday”—calls for the creation of “a public space where Americans can gather to learn about and honor American heroes.” Scores of luminaries have been proposed for inclusion—from political stars (George Washington) to movie stars (Charlton Heston) to sports stars (Cy Young). No Mickey Mantle? The funding limit per statue would be $200,000.
But why do we need to shell out megabucks to reinvent the wheel? If Donnie (whom I interviewed for the NY Times when we were neophytes—back in 1974) desperately craves to be included among such luminaries, it would be more cost-effective to let him have him his own brass bust, modeled on this new coin, now available from the US Mint in two sizes: 1 5/16″ ($20); 3″ ($160):
The reverse bears a motto that echoes words from Trump’s victory speech after the 2016 Presidential Election:
But back to the current moment, when Mary Anne Carter is Senior Advisor to the National Endowment for the Arts. Although she may not remember me, we go back a long way, including to her tenure as NEA Chairman (from June 2018 to Jan. 2021). As listed on Carter’s LinkedIn page, she was NEA’s Senior Deputy Chairman and Acting Chairman for more than two years before she became chairman. On her watch, NEA “saw budget increases for 4 straight years.”
If only she could stay on that upbeat trajectory:
I have interviewed Carter for my prior analyses of government support of the arts, and I’ve repeatedly argued for the importance of such support, notably here: The “Leveraging Effect”: Why Small Grants from the Endangered NEA & NEH Matter. It’s dispiriting that some important players have never gotten that message.
At the May 1 public meeting of NEA’s advisory body, the National Council on the Arts, Carter said this:
Clearly there’s a lot going on in Washington. I’m sure people have several questions about that. Obviously there’s going to be change. Change is scary. But change also lets you reimagine. Going down the road, the agency may be smaller. We may be leaner. But I believe we’re going to be okay. This is going to be a time for the agency, for the Council, for staff, and for the outside organizations and those who care to rethink and reimagine how we can best serve the America public.
We can only hope. For now, here’s the full video of the brief National Council meeting: