Common Sense Agriculture's Blog

Senator Reid has once again shown that he not only suffers from hallucinations, but also delusions. While speaking on the floor of the senate yesterday, calling the House Republicans “mean -spirited” in their proposed budget cuts, he successfully provided the evening news outlets with a non-stop stream of ridicule directed at a group of people whom I have great respect and admiration for, cowboy poets.

Reid said that the “tens of thousands of people who come there every year would not exist” if it were not for the National Endowment of the Humanities. Give me a break Senator! First, government does not create life, let alone “tens of thousands!” Second, festivals of poetry and music can and will be successful without government handouts.

I do not doubt that the National Endowment of the Humanities may have provided some of the original funding to get the event started, but with the quality of acts and tremendous attendance and support of the public, it should be self-sufficient financially. As an individual who enjoys cowboy poetry and bluegrass, I have been to several, very successful festivals that started and continue to survive, without government handouts. It is the coming together of communities, the passion behind the art and music, that makes these events so successful.

So, Senator Reid, thanks, but no thanks. Please put some time in on cutting government waste, reforming Social Security and Medicare, cutting taxes and eliminating onerous regulations to create jobs and allow Americans to put more money in their pockets. Let the private sector create its own endeavors, through individual ingenuity and support.