LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)

Philistines Of The West . . .

"Bleeding Arts" (Editorial, Thursday) noted the possible elimination of funding for Arizona's state art agency and arts programs. I had to smile. Ever since the government funded art on a local highway, we have suffered the embarrassment of "Alice In Wonderland" decor.

The Arizona taxpayer received for his hard-earned dollars: teapots, cups and saucers, toilets and more to decorate this highway. I've often wondered if the artist pulled the old "Emperor's New Clothes" trick on our agency, which appears, like many in the story, too embarrassed to admit that it did not see the emperor's clothes. After all, we are from the West -- we just aren't classy enough to appreciate "fine art." Bureaucrats make poor patrons of the arts.

Karen Sirridge, Paradise Valley, Ariz.

. . . Sophisticates Of The East

Every time there is a fiscal crunch, the same "unimportant" items, like education and the arts, are cut. It may surprise you that many people support both of these because they value them.

Now that they are being cut, or even eliminated, you are apparently doing your part to cheer the process in "Bleeding Arts." That space should have been dedicated to something worth reading, such as discussing where the support will come from -- perhaps from your deep-pocketed supporters, now that they have holes. Or, you couldn't care less. Your editorial is ludicrous and not worthy of a serious newspaper.