Museums and Such

[PerpetualImperfexion]

Should taxpayers be expected to prop up any theaters or museums that cannot survive on a commercial basis?

I would say no. If it's a matter of storing historical artifacts, warehouses for such purposes would be much cheaper.

[West Coast Sheriff]

I think not because they aren't a huge part of society and with the debt the US and the e tire world are in right now, we have other problems to deal with and focus on. It's kind of a waste of money. I'm not trying to bash museums, I respect all people who like history and stuff like that. I'm just saying that there are more serious things needing our attention, and this sure is definetly not one of them.

[FreeFall]

Uh. I mean that's history and there's something that puts you in awe when you're staring at dinosaurs and the relics of long ago.

But in the scope of everything, a chunk of ancient stone is as impacting as the twig on my window. I think taxes should go more to more impacting facilities (schools, maybe libraries) before they go to a place to stroll about looking at ancient things.

I feel bad if those were to go away but they could try and raise money themselves, us being forced to support them won't help much in my opinion.

[Hypers]

No. There are are more important problems to solve, such as unemployment, healthcare, education, homeless people...

[Jabbawocke]

Why not utilize the artifacts or something to gain money?

[Gigablue]

I would say yes. Museums don't cost much to maintain and can teach the public a lot. If they were more expensive, I would say no, but they don't so little that I think taxpayers should help may for them.

[TigerBoy]

Definitely yes for me. Viewing things with a purely short term utilitarian or 'accountancy' type view is to utterly miss the value of art and culture to society. The same arguments are often applied to education, sacrificing the future of the next generation to pay the debts of the current one.

Where such views prevail humanity has lost opportunities to study our own history and lost knowledge. A documentary I watched a while back was looking at ancient sites and artifacts that had been destroyed through vandalism or negligence in places like Libya and Iraq: things that had survived for millennia lost because of ignorance or apathy in a single generation.

The general population needs its interest and education in such things stimulated and maintained, or we lose the will and education to preserve and understand our roots.

[Human]

No there are bigger problems, just store them in a massive warehouse