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Posted by: kwflatbed

By Dave Wedge
Boston Herald Chief Enterprise Reporter
Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Cash-strapped Beacon Hill - facing demands for more cops and school programs - has found thousands to pay for Cambodian dance lessons, Shakespeare for jailed teens and Japanese tea parties.
The $438,000 in grants dished out by the taxpayer-funded Massachusetts Cultural Council comes as Gov. Deval Patrick struggles to close a $1 billion state budget gap while coming up with money for cities and towns clamoring for more police, education funding and other essential services.
The agency, which got a $2.5 million budget boost this year, is spending $10,000 to teach Lowell teens “Cambodian classical dance and costume,” and another $15,000 on a “Cambodian folk tales” and theater program, a Herald review found.

The council has also awarded $30,000 to teach incarcerated teens Shakespeare and graphic arts and $10,000 for singing and writing lessons for pregnant teens. The money was awarded under former Gov. Mitt Romney.


Massachusetts Cultural Council spokesman Greg Liakos defended the “Youth Reach” grant program, saying it has helped hundreds of Bay State teens and been nationally recognized by President Bush.


“Well-developed, community-based arts programs for young people are an effective way to help keep them out trouble,” Liakos said. He added that the Cambodian cultural programs have helped many Lowell teens avoid the lure of dangerous street gangs.


“It’s more than just about teaching them how to dance,” Liakos said. “It’s about connecting them with their community and building self-esteem through creativity.”


But one legislative staffer questioned the use of taxpayer dollars on such programs when many agencies are struggling to provide basic services.


“We’re cutting some pretty crucial programs and spending state money on programs where it really doesn’t need to be spent,” said the legislative source. “As far as I know, there is no Cambodian folk dancing crisis in the state.”


Patrick spokeswoman Cyndi Roy did not specifically address the arts grants, but said all spending by the state will be scrutinized.


“Given the fiscal constraints and challenges we are facing, we are looking at everything in the budget to find efficiencies and savings,” Roy said.


The cultural council, which received $13.4 million in taxpayer dollars this year in addition to a small amount from national endowments, had its budget cut by 65 percent in 2002 but arts funding has been on the rise in recent years. Romney tried to slash some arts spending as part of a $400 million budget cut package but most of those cuts have been reinstated by Patrick.


Dan Hunter, director of the Massachusetts Advocates of the Arts, Sciences and Humanities, which oversees the grants, said the cultural council’s budget is a “miniscule” three-tenths of one percent of the overall state budget and called the youth programs “invaluable.”

“How do you build a community? Someone has to make an investment,” he said. “It’s money well-spent.”

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Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwflatbed Romney tried to slash some arts spending as part of a $400 million budget cut package but most of those cuts have been reinstated by Patrick.

Well, at least we know how he's going to do it. The "box of unpaid bills" that Dukakis claimed to have found wouldn't be plausible in the computer age, so I guess Patrick is going to restore all the pork spending Romney slashed, declare a budget crisis, then "very regretfully" announce a huge tax increase.

I say it again....the executive boards of every police union that endorsed Patrick should be hanging their heads in shame.

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Posted by: SinePari

The shit storm is coming...Patick supporters go ahead and keep those stickers on your cars so we can find you.

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Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinePari The shit storm is coming...Patick supporters go ahead and keep those stickers on your cars so we can find you.

I'm still seeing Gore/Lieberman stickers, so I don't think that will be a problem.

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Posted by: midwatch

We were just talking about how the "property tax cut" and 1000 new cops (the issues central to Patrick's campaign) aren't feasible anymore. I might have been upset...if I hadn't been expecting it for 4 months. LOL and he's only been in the corner office for 5 days.

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Posted by: bbelichick

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta784 I say it again....the executive boards of every police union that endorsed Patrick should be hanging their heads in shame.

They were just idiots with no ethics or morals that piled on at the last minute. What's wrong with that?

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Posted by: Vader

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta784 . I say it again....the executive boards of every police union that endorsed Patrick should be hanging their heads in shame.

I completely agree. Along with every officer, sheriff, Trooper that voted for this dope!!! All because Romney wouldn't give you a 5, 5 and 5 raise..."I'm not voting for HEALY". Makes a lot of sense!!!

Morons...

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Posted by: USMCMP5811

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwflatbed Cash-strapped Beacon Hill - facing demands for more cops and school programs - has found thousands to pay for Cambodian dance lessons, Shakespeare for jailed teens and Japanese tea parties.

Hmmmmm, how's this for an Idea, Spend the money for classes on how to speaka da english?

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Posted by: Duff112

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinePari The shit storm is coming...Patick supporters go ahead and keep those stickers on your cars so we can find you.

I don't know about you Sine.... but I've been doing it since November 8th

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Posted by: Spart12

So did anyone pay attention to the fact the Romney is the one who initially distributed the funds?

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Posted by: SinePari

I've never called a talk radio show before, but today man was I fired up! Eagan and Braude got my blood boiled over this issue. 2 things I could've zinged them on (Braude in particular).

1. Why is it that every piece of ancient history and dirt regarding Healy and her administration came up during the campaigning, but nobody crunched the budget numbers until after???

2. So, if Patrick's estimate is right on ($1 billion deficit), what would've happened if Romney DID NOT cut all of the proposed spending, and DID NOT keep the income tax down?

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