Greetings!
If you're like us, one more mention of "Election Day" makes you want to take the nearest Number Two pencil and break it into little bits. (Well in Ely we vote with #2 pencils; we're not sure what the situation is in the rest of the state or country.) So, we hope that you will hear us out on an issue that applies to Minnesota voters this year.
We are not in the habit of buttonholing our friends, family, and neighbors about party politics; however, the amendment we are writing about, we believe, would appeal to most Minnesotans, regardless of your party leanings. (If you're not a Minnesota voter, we hope you might find some parts of this message informative anyway.) On the ballot this year is an amendment to the state's constitution to protect Minnesota's land and water resources. It also would secure a small amount of funding for the arts. It is called the "Land, Water, and Legacy Amendment."
Recent polls suggest that most voters
-- are unaware that this item will be on the ballot, and
-- support the amendment once they learn about it.
Eli and I both received grants from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council for our studies in Finland last year. We also received grants from the Donald Gardner Trust of Ely, and Eli was awarded a grant from the Finlandia Foundation. Before you start thinking that we are riding the gravy train of government and private arts funding, let me assure you that these grants covered just a small fraction of the total cost of studying abroad and being without work for a year. However, the intangible, emotional significance of receiving grants like these cannot be measured. Receiving a grant is like receiving a vote of confidence from a community of people, be it the Ely community, fans of Finnish-American culture, or all of Minnesota. It says in effect, "We want art or music like yours to continue."
The amendment on the ballot this year would raise sales tax in Minnesota by 3/8 of a percent. For the average household, this increase would cost about $50 per year. (Remember items like groceries are not taxed in Minnesota.) Every ballot left blank will be counted as a "no" vote. The amendment is the first one on the ballot after all the voting for candidates. It takes a lot of work to get an item like this on the ballot, and because of the way our political system works, it is unlikely that it will be presented to voters again. Arts funding in Minnesota is always in danger of being cut from state budgets (and often in fact does get the axe). This amendment would secure funding and send a clear message to the legislature that Minnesotans care about our natural resources and the arts, the things that make Minnesota a great place to live. More information is available here: http://www.yesformn.org/index.
We thought we would add a few musings about the situation with arts funding in Finland. Funding is project based; artists get funding to complete a project. Nearly every recording project, for example, receives some form of government or private foundation assistance. (Actually this system is similar to how arts are funded here, but Finland seems to have deeper pockets.) As another note of interest, the funding body in the government is called something like the Department of Arts and Sports.
