The Non-State Agency Dilemma

I scoured several news articles this morning and just about all of them were focused on the looming budget battle about to take place over transportation funding.

The one I found most interesting was from The Free Lance Star. Click here to read it. The article highlights the spending on non-state agencies, or, “arts and culture groups.” The Senate budget requests $95 million for such groups while the House budget requests $40 million.

Sen. John Chichester makes an excellent point when he said that both the Senate and House must, “maintain our laserlike focus on our commitment first to core services. The level of expenditure embodied in these requests continues to be more than can be appropriately accommodated."

Among the groups receiving state dollars:

$5,500 to the Colonial Beach Historical Society; $200,000 to the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center; $50,000 to George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation; $40,000 to the Museum of Culpeper History; $10,000 to the Northern Neck Farm Museum; $100,000 to the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society; $100,000 to the Reedville Fisherman's Museum; $100,000 to the Westmoreland County Museum; and $25,000 to the Westmoreland Poor School Society.

Museums and cultural centers are a great way to preserve a localities history and personality but at the same time, like any other enterprise, they should be expected to make it on revenues and donations they generate themselves, not state tax dollars.

I am sure many of them do just that. However, I am sure many wouldn’t even exist were it not for state money. At what point do we as taxpayers say enough is enough? If there are not enough people interested in visiting the XYZ museum or donating money to it why should the state come in and save the day with taxpayer money?

UPDATE

I just picked this up from the NV Daily's Political Depot.

House:
• Belle Grove Plantation, $50,000
• Clarke County Historical Association, $37,500
• New Market Library, $50,000
• Our Health, $250,000
• Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, $100,000
• Wayside Theatre, $25,000
• Warren Coalition Free Wheeling Handicapped Playground, $50,000
• Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, $40,000
• Woodstock Museum of Shenandoah County, $5,765

Senate:
• Winchester Frederick County Historical Society, $20,000
• Belle Grove Plantation, $50,000
• Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, $200,000
• Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, $500,000

Items included in former Gov. Mark R. Warner’s initial proposal:
• Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, $200,000
• Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum: $500,000

I've never been to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. I bet it's nice.