Obama's Inaguration Day: Great Day for the Nation. Hopefully, A Great Day for the Arts

I spent most of the day in front of the TV and online watching the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. While our President has several difficult problems to attend to now, such as the economy and the war on terror, in the future he can focus on the arts. 

In October, I wrote about the differences between Obama and McCain's policies for the arts. Now, I am proud to highlight President Obama’s platform for the arts. The full two-page platform was drafted with the help of 33 arts leaders who make up the National Arts Policy Committee.

President Obama's Platform for the Arts 

-Expand Arts in Education by:

1) Increasing partnerships among schools and arts organizations by expanding resources provided to the Department of Education’s Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Grants.

2) Creating an Artistic Corps of young artists trained to work in low-income communities, especially in schools.

3) Increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, which, over the past 17 years, has been reduced by $50 million.

-Promote Cultural Diplomacy by:

1) Promoting and expanding partnerships to increase cultural and artistic exchanges throughout the world. 

2) Using artistic ambassadors to help win wars by showcasing American ideals, as done during the Cold War.

3) Welcoming members of foreign arts communities to America to help eliminate barriers among nations and reduce hatred and fear.

-Ensure Affordable Health Care and Fair Taxes for Artists by:

1) Creating a new public program that allows individuals and small business to buy affordable health care.

 
2) Developing a National Health Insurance Exchange to reform private insurance.

3) Lowering the cost of health care for the average American family by up to $2,500 a year.

4) Supporting the Artist-Museum Partnership Act, which allows artists to deduct the market value of the their work on taxes when they contribute to charities.