Potholes vs. Arts Funding: Who Will Win?

Winnipeg Sun columnist Tom Brodbeck's April 7 column, "Nix 'artist' funding: City $$ for puppet shows, nude oils, poetry wasteful," continues the the arts funding debate, this time on a civic level. Especially in a recession, why should the city fund obscure art when the city should be repairing potholes? 

I take great comfort every time I slam my driver-side wheel into an axle-shattering pothole that some "artist" is getting a taxpayer-funded grant to produce another psychotic short film or deranged piece of poetry no one will read.

What's interesting here are the online comments. There are many many of them, most in support of arts funding. They're are a fascinating read, running from satircal to outraged to quietly eloquent.

Brodbeck has continued the argument in his blog. Meanwhile, others have done some digging on Brodbeck's public funding opinions and found their own unfixed potholes.