Tuesday Asshat Trifecta, Part 3: Nikki Haley

So, our governor down here in lil ole South Carolina went to the opening of the 10th Anniversary Artisphere in Greenville recently, and while standing on the stage at the arts event, reiterated her lack of support for government funding of the arts.

Seriously. I half expect this woman to speak at a library and reaffirm her lack of support for knowledge.

Now, Haley did acknowledge the positive impact that events like Artisphere have on both the local community, and local economy, and did recognize that art adds to the quality of life, but when she was asked about her support of state funding for the arts through the South Carolina Arts Commission she said No.

No.

Let me get this queer: art is good for the community, art is good for the economy, art is good for quality of life, but, no, don’t ever expect the government to fund art programs.

And to make it all the more laughable that she would attend this event and once again state her aversion to funding the arts is the fact that Artisphere receives almost $20,000 annually from the South Carolina Arts Commission [SCAC; this year the event received another $5,000 from SCAC to help fund the installation of a new public art piece commemorating the 10th anniversary of the festival.

All told, $24,000 taxpayer dollars went directly into the very event that The Transparent Nikki Haley thinks is solely supported by the names of the sponsors on the banners surrounding the event.

But then Nikki Haley has never been a supporter of the arts. Every year during her first three years in office, Haley has either eliminated the SCAC in her Executive Budget Proposal, cut their funding, tried to put them in another part of the budget, and/or vetoed their funding.  And every single year, advocates, both the South Carolina House and Senate, in a bipartisan effort, has overturned her vetoes.

One more reason, my South Carolina readers, to vote Haley out of office? Her opponent in the race, State Senator Vincent Sheheen has been a champion for the arts in SC; he has lead bipartisan efforts to save arts funding, co-chaired the Senate’s Arts Caucus, and voiced his support on many public occasions.

One sees what art can do for the state, one doesn’t see at all.

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