www.heraldtribune.com/story/entertainment/arts/2024/06/14/desantis-vetoes-most-florida-arts-funding-for-first-time-in-history/74087269007/
In historic first, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoes most arts funding in Florida
Soft PaywallDeSantis vetoed nearly $1 billion from the $116.5 billion state budget before signing it in Tampa on Wednesday, including nearly $90 million the legislature earmarked for 669 different arts and culture projects and for special line item programs.
It is the first time that no money will be allocated for arts and culture programs by the state.
(Emphasis in bold mine, not author of article.)
But also:
Economic studies have shown that every $1 spent on arts and culture programs generates about $9 more in related spending.
So, I know this is mildly oversimpllified, but more or less, if $1 spent on arts and culture generates $9 more in related spending for our state/local economy, then the $90 milion he vetoed could have generated $810,000,000 ($810 million) for the state/ local economy, but he chose instead to defund it all.
(edited for math; thanks to the user below for checking my math, it won't let me tag you)
He vetoed what amounts to 1% of 1% of the budget just to be an asshole
To be fair he was already a complete asshole.
He read the word "culture" and was triggered.
We have got to start renaming things the way the corrupt often do. Instead of arts and culture we should call it the reeducation of liberals through judeo christian informed literary works act.
Big rip to everyone who works at theaters or performing arts. I can see concert halls really struggling now.
Reminds me of how NASA always made money, but keeps getting the short stick. Trump is not exactly wrong when he’s says we are a nation in decline. He’s just disingenuous about who is causing it.
Or like how the USPS could turn massive profit if it wasn't kneecapped in multiple ways by the Feds. Or how Amtrak could turn a profit if it ever got enough investment to actually improve it's infrastructure/rolling stock. It's like they hate actual economics.
It’s like the reverse Midas effect
More so the, we don't want a strong Central government so we're going to sabotage it's services from being more successful than private sector.
And then the private sector can cut services and quality while raising prices!
the carriers sure the hell won't deliver to the further out rural areas.
The Mierdas Touch. Everything Republicans touch turns to shit.
They developed a self fulfilling prophecy. Complain government doesn't work, make it so the government can't work, then usher in the private sector to fill the gap left by the public sector. At the end of it, all they do is line their pockets as the private sector pays them off due to their vested interest.
They're complicit. They're compromised. I'm tired of pretending they have America's interests at heart. They've been bought and paid for decades ago. They need to be kicked out and taken to prison.
The Republican Party is doing more long term damage to America than any foreign adversary could ever dream of.
I thought economics was when rich people were supposed to trickle their pee down on me.
If they're peeing on you it better not be for free
Don't worry, it's not free, we're all paying for it.
Trump is not exactly wrong when he’s says we are a nation in decline.
Well, that is why fascists come to power.
He’s just disingenuous about who is causing it.
And that is how fascists come to power.
Luckily for the fascists no one who could do anything about it is willing to go beyond talking.
I love the smell of fresh bread.
While your point is correct... only $90M of that $1B was earmarked for the arts, which could have generated up to $810M for the economy.
I stand corrected. Thank you for reading it closer than I did and for correcting the math.
This is Reddit, you are not supposed to be cordial with people that correct you, what is this wokeness.
If DeSantis sees this, he’s gonna be pissed and will try to ban it.
This just in; reddit posting is now classified as 'an art.'
Nah, they'd classify reddit as an adult site and try to get it blocked. Just like they "blocked" anyone under 16 from having social media.
Is there a line item specifically for large red banners for the state house?
Does no one want to bring up IRS funding? Talk about money generation.
And 90 million are literally peanuts. It's less than 0.1% of the state budget but it is devastating to the projects that get defunded. It's so shortsighted, it is mind-boggling.
He knows how to play the spectacle with his base…
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20d
Now they just need their own little salute.
I still can’t believe some people think she was just waving to the audience.
They know what she was doing. They think they by denying it they somehow are pulling one over on "the libs."
Mein Florida.
Conservatives often tend to lack imagination, but this new crop seems to be creatively bankrupt. Basically no original ideas across the board.
I don't think there is a single conservative artist right now
So Scott Baio's body of work means NOTHING to you? Just give me your Fingerprint Grape and begone!
How can you forget the esteemed impressionist Ben Garrison?
👴🏻(Fauci) 💉(Needle) 🗓️(1984) 👩🏻(AOC)
Do the noises Jason Aldean makes count as art?
Boy, that Slate article really aged like milk, didn’t it?
Maybe repurpose a thousand year old icon that means the sun.
If it doesn’t have those little zigzags they think are a subtle 🙄 reference to the SS logo, they don’t want it.
In bright white effeminate cowboy lift boots
Oh they do. I give it to them all the time!
He was a shitty high school history teacher, of course he hates the arts.
Who partied with students. There are photos.
I remember some of my friends at Darlington talking about how “cool he was”. I very much enjoy reminding them of this whenever he opens his mouth and stupids.
Yep, he was a con man looking for marks. They weren’t stupid for not seeing it, they were victims.
How long until they round up all the people with glasses, because they're smart?
This comment and link should be higher up. The pattern is so glaringly obvious. They are almost step by step repeating every single Hitler strategy.
Umberto Eco
It’s worth reading the entire essay “Ur-fascism.” Not just the points at the end, though it’s fairly deep into academic philosophy.
Learn about the Nazi efforts to seek out and destroy "degenerate art"
When you burn books, bodies come shortly after. This has held true for thousands of years and this is the sign amongst signs, the strongest of all red flags.
Get ready folks, vote democrat only for a bit your life may depend on it
Western civilization? They seem to be against it.
Make America 1930's Germany Again
That’s some Pol Pot shit right there. Anyone wearing glasses in Florida better watch out!
I have a friend whose sister didn't make it out of Cambodia and Pol Pot. Desantis can.... , well, I don't want to get banned.
DeSantis: "I am Icebreaker."
Eco: "Are you FUCKING insane?"
Florida finally finished fomenting their fascist fuckfest.
Don't forget burning books
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20d
How the hell can Floridians tolerate this no class douchebag. What's next...no finger painting in kindergarten. What a clown!
They defund the arts. Deny science. Distort history. Force Christian law on families, women and doctors. Promote Guns and God! I just can't wait to see how this movie turns out. 😒
I'd ask that Adolf fella but he's not answering his cell.
They get swallowed by the ocean on the coasts and those inland get pushed out by colossal insurance rate hikes, since for risk assessment purposes, insurance companies actually believe in climate change.
no finger painting in kindergarten.
For some reason, I immediately envisioned chocolate pudding and felt queasy.
Just no kindergarten
That is the ultimate goal. No education period.
Yep — an uneducated population is easily controlled. Unfortunately, it never ends well in the long view.
Thing is for most fascist thinkers it doesn't have too. Putin has stolen over 200 Billion dollars, he has giant houses, yachts, it's all about raping the country in your lifetime and then who cares.
Not just fascists; any narcissist will gladly sell everyone around them for a quick buck. Give billionaires a tax break, put it on the debt; it’s been the GOP playbook since Reagan.
They’ll just do what the Nazi’s did, make education mostly PE and a side order of deep indoctrination about how amazing their country is.
As a lifelong Floridian, I can tell you, its largely two reasons:
One: Old people and Republican voters down here are so entrenched in right-wing media echo chambers that they'll never hear about this. And frankly, if they did, they're so well conditioned at this point that they wouldn't care (very similar to many other parts of the country).
Two: Not enough people are politically engaged and participating, which enables scumbags like desantis to get away with this shit and not face as much (if any) accountability
I thought that was already banned? They could make a rainbow and become gay.
The Floridians got invaded by the elderly conservatives that flock to their state to die near sunny beaches.
Do they even like beaches? I’ve never understood their desire to go to such a huge tourist trap state for young adults and children…is it because it’s the only way their families will visit them?
"I heard they give the children rainbow finger paints! Not my child, tell you what. Everyone knows there's only 3 god-approved finger paint colors for kids: red, white, and blue!"
These assholes have no problem being destitute if they can blame liberals and be openly racist and homophobic.
Wonder if the Cubans will hightale it out of there once they realize white people don't care they're also conservative.
Highly doubt it. They usually stick out to the end and are always surprised when someone finally comes for them.
Florida is a third world country because of the GOP. Unfortunately, Floridians are perfectly happy with that.
I assure you a shitload of us - the educated ones in the cities - are not. The barely-graduated highschool, broke Faux News-watching dumbasses and the Baby Boomers who moved here for retirement are doing this to us.
Don’t forget the idiotic Cubans. They leave a dictatorship and vote for a dictator. Such easily gullible people. Republicans tell them the Democrats are communists and they are like sure we believe you.
The civilian volunteer force was originally planned as a non-military mission meant to provide relief after disasters like hurricanes but it has quickly evolved. Lawmakers expanded from 400 to 1,500 members and allowed DeSantis to deploy them out of state, while also allocating $100 million for planes and boats.
Who needs culture when you have your very own civilian militia.
and that force is very likely unconstitutional
This motherfucker has destroyed this state so quickly, with full consequences not going to be seen for years and will take decades to probably fix.
That's the Republican way. Fuck it up so badly but in ways that take time to manifest. By the time the other shoe drops the other party is in power then they can point fingers at the Dems and say they caused this so they can get reelected. If Republicans happen to be in power when the shit catches up they go to their classic immigrants and minorities causing the problem.
It's so fucking brain-dead stupid and easy to see through that I have lost faith in a huge swath of humanity for how easily it works on them.
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20d
and will take decades to probably fix.
Florida is going to be a hellhole thanks to climate change. This is the endgame. Ruin the civilization and steal all the money for themselves.
By the time the repercussions of their actions take affect, democrats are already in control and are promptly blamed for what the republicans did.
Ron’s entire identity seems to revolve around an obsession with ‘owning the libs’. He really does need therapy. Or a cult deprogrammer.
His entire brain is just “Liberals go to Jupiter to get more stupider” on repeat
I can’t even imagine most conservative run of the mill people being in favor of this. Like, isn’t it an almost human experience to have a love for arts and culture? What a miserable fascist fuck.
They’ve been in favor of killing arts funding for decades. Whether it was fully defunding PBS-NPR or ending the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s been a talking point in every wave of post-Nixon Republicanism.
Conservatives don't need art when there's facebook, sports, and fox news.
Hey don't be dragging sports into this. Plenty of us sports fans place value on the arts.
True, but sports are also the primary distraction for the kind of uneducated and unintelligent rednecks which think arts are a waste of time.
I’m thinking he needs to take off his lift boots. They’re making him even dumber than he used to be. It’s got to be cutting off blood flow or something
I was thinking a good ole fashion lobotomy. They want to go back to the good ole days let him.
it’s a sad day when something basic like arts and music is considered something for “libs”.
Republicans hate art, because art encourages free, out-of-the-box thinking that threatens their strict Christian nationalist dogma, and they fear anything that's different.
I once posted in a popular sub: "Republicans don't value art."
and someone less politically minded as me was like "WTF. You can't just say that. I mean, surely that can't be true and I am offended for all conservatives that you would say that."
But it's true and it shocked this person that anyone could just flatly diagnose a group like that.
They hate the humanities even though the humanities are part of the "western culture" they pretend to venerate.
Conservatives are nihilists who don't actually believe in anything. They are sado-hedonists in denial that cosplay as the moral majority when they are neither moral nor the majority.
The withdrawal of financial support for the arts will have far-reaching economic and cultural consequences, diminishing the quality of life, stifling innovation, and weakening social cohesion.
The economic impacts includes: Job Losses: Tourism Decline: Economic Multiplier Effect on other areas of the economy: Innovation and Creativity in design, advertising, and media.
Cultural Impacts include: Cultural Identity and Heritage and diversity: Social Cohesion and Community Engagement and increased social fragmentation.Access and Inclusion, the arts could become the preserve of the wealthy: Education and personal development including of future generations.
Yeah, go for it Ron..
The data on arts support and property value has been documented many, many times.
In many areas, Florida property value is going to approach zero in the next 30, 40 or 50 years with or without the arts. When properties are uninsurable due to flooding and hurricanes, they can't be sold for more than peanuts. Look at the recent flooding in Miami and then picture that over and over on a regular basis and then add in some CAT5 hurricanes every 5 years. It won't be sustainable.
Has any governor ever actively and intentionally sabotaged their own constituency as much as DeSantis?
It's not even a matter of opinion or politics. He's pretty upfront about how this is basically all done out of spite.
Do better, Florida.
Sam brownback and “the Kansas experiment”
That singlehandedly resulted in a Democratic governor winning the next 2 elections in a deep red state.
The thing I can never wrap my head around with Laffer (one of the economists that came up with this idea) is that he came up with one of the simplest models for how taxes affect an economy, then promptly decided to spend the rest of his career ignoring the chart he came up with.
The laffer curve, while lacking anything resembling specific values, makes it clear that 0 tax is bad.
Greg Abbott is doing his best to keep pace
Matt Bevin was so bad he lost to a Democrat in Kentucky
Scary this will be the future of conservative policy for public office
It's already been said but yes:
Sam Brownback and the Kansas Experiment is the stuff of poli sci textbooks, will be remembered forever
Honestly, it is pretty much par for the course for R governors now.
And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. - John Keating | Dead Poets Society
Not if you're anti-woke and live in God's waiting room.
Hey, everybody knows the arts is full of libruls and wokeness. No surprise here from the nations worst governor.
No lie. My cousin (who drank the flavor-aid) was an amazing artist when growing up. He hasn’t so much as drawn a doodle in 30 years because (his words) “art is for liberals”
Tell him language is for liberals and that he should return to grunting like an ape like his ancestors did. He's probably already halfway there.
This is also the pool of money museums get their funding from. It really is just an attack on intellectualism and empathy.
Keep em broke, keep em sick, keep em stupid, right Rhonda?
Manchild is still mad at thespians.
What else is new to Desantis' childish brain
His next platform boots purchase…probably.
It is the first time that no money will be allocated for arts and culture programs by the state.
Economic studies have shown that every $1 spent on arts and culture programs generates about $9 more in related spending.
I feel a Leopards ate my face post coming on soon.
In Florida? More like "leopards ate my already rotting corpse."
What a dick
Is he gonna outlaw dancing next?
I laugh at this because you can't suppress art. Like life, it finds a way.
I would say this is unbelievably stupid and shortsighted but it’s DeSantis so it’s actually pathetically par for the course.
I think a giant 100 foot tall mural of Desantis licking Hitler's ass is in store.
Florida is arguably the worst place in America. It’s cool that you have sun and beaches…but beyond that, nada. I won’t spend another dime in Florida.
I’m from there, I like going back even though the weather hurts and I have no family there anymore (I need Waffle House and Hungry Howies in my life), my wife and I both received degrees in the arts from FSU.
I just can’t wrap my head around going down any time soon, though, it is so fucked there.
art can tell the truth - there's nothing republican evangelicals hate more than that.
Most of what we know about human history is because humans make things, create things, copy each other, expand on each other, borrow from each other and learn from each other. Most of this comes from art (lower case). It is understandable that right-wing simpletons dislike Art (capital A) as it is somewhat institutionalized and can certainly be elitist. However, this is really just another attack on diversity and DeSantis learned from Disney to only punch down.
Well people who like the arts are more likely to be well-educated and thus less likely to vote for this idiot.
Used to take my family to Florida for vacation every year. It's been 5 years since we quit that shit and we'll never set foot in that state again.
No. 11 on the list of 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism
"Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts"
It happened to Kansas during the Brownback horrors, too. Humanities survived but the state arts agency was hidden in the commerce dept to try to save it. The mission was rewritten, and 10 years on the budget, while steadily growing NOW, is still below what it was. For example, IIRMC it was around $200k in 2018. And that included the ONE staff member, and programs to serve the entire state of kansas.
The effect was chilling. In my small town it spelled the end of the elementary arts for K-6 because it was funded by the arts council (which is an entirely other can of shit/worms).
I hate Brownback and DeSantis.
Well DeSantis believes the Arts are Gay and will corrupt society
Do people that champion defunding art programs not consume any popular art like TV, movies, or music? Or do they not even understand that those things are "art" and they need to come from somewhere, like these programs?
I am 71. I cannot believe what I read everyday. We are lost.
We are not lost, but we will be if they win this November.
We overcame all of this before. They tried to make society like this several times in the past century, and now they're using social media to get a propaganda boost, but less educated populations than what we have now still rejected them.
There is a chance we will be lost. But remember how few people need to vote in GOP primaries to make Trump their candidate, and he has lost 20% of his primary votes in several states to Nikki Haley even after she dropped out.
We don't know how much real popular support Trump has left. 74 million in 2020 was a frustrating number, but not one that won elections. And there remains a very real chance his support from that point is collapsing much further due to the loss of the incumbency advantage.
In fact, the GOP have underperformed in practically every election major since 2018 except for small local elections (where they have seen even more unexpected losses post dobbs), and except for 2021 Virginia, where they were then beaten badly a mere 2 years later in 2023. Even in elections they've won like statewide Texas elections, their margins shrink.
Their last big gamble is Trump keeping his 2020 base (which there is little mathematical evidence he can since the polls have repeatedly proven unreliable due to billionaire funded media buyouts) and a new surge in youth apathy. That is a huge, huge gamble that will devastate the whole party if they blow it. The fundamentals show the GOP as the weakest we have seen them in ages.
It is still crucial to turn out and r/votedem against them. We can take no chance, but no one should assume their tactics are sound, reasonable, or are even remotely guaranteed to work.
I can think of a different leader that showed disdain for the arts and built/expanded his own military force. It didn’t end well for anyone…
Like a typical fascist, DeSantis has nothing but disdain for the arts unless it can be used to further his agenda.
Stop voting for regressives.
I'm stupid and so will your children are.
They really are just trying to run the country into the dirt, it’s like they completely stopped trying to hide it.
Besides men's high heels, what does Ron support?
That fucking invertebrate
They’d ban dancing if they were able to
Fuck him
Man when can we just cut the damn place off.
I hate that my upcoming cruise means I have to step foot in that state for a few hours. 🤮
Fucking fascists…
Great! So they’re going to focus on science, right? /s
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20d
Republicans are trash.
Conservatism cruelty is the point.
I’m really sick of watching America slide into the sea and disappear.
Fascism is alive and well under Ubertrumppenfuhrer DeSantis and the Florida Reichstag.
florida and texas vie for title of “most deplorable elected officials”.
Kansas and Alaska have both (very briefly) eliminated their arts council and forgone all National Endowment for the Arts funding. The outcomes were disastrous. Turns out when artists aren't working on plays, they're really good organizers and rabble rousers. If the results and immediate reversals in those states is any indication, DeSantis is going to regret this decision.
They actually saw statistics that art programs in school. In bad areas actually kept some students out of gangs. Jazz band was my favorite class. To Desantis the arts means liberals. He’s cutting arts because he thinks it’s woke. What a dick head. Florida I hate to say it. But when you’re under water one day. I won’t be too unpest.
When your Governor gets his ass handed to him and acts out.
Keep electing him, idiots.
What a fucking asshole. A total brainless moron.
He is just...the worst
Surprised it took this long. Dude really wants that Hitler vibe
I thought people said he'd stop acting like an evil despot when he stopped running for president.
They also said Trump was unaccustomed to talking like a politician and would become normal after he was sworn in.
In the age of AI the thing that’s going to shine through and maintain our humanity is art. Get rid of this Guantanamo torturer and inhumane man, and get his outdated ass as far away from power as possible. He has the smile of a used car salesman.
Economic studies have shown that every $1 spent on arts and culture programs generates about $9 more in related spending.
The conservatives: in a race to be the last.
How people can stick around in the South is unbelievable to me. Absolutely disgusting piece of shit he is.
Hmm… weren’t there some governments in Europe who did the same between WWI and WWII?
He’s a complete POS. He knows the voters are dick of him so now he’s just using the budget for spite.
This is terrible, terrible news. What the hell.
Voting red has consequences
Florida, what an unwashed armpit of a state.
Florida: America's cultural wasteland.
It's Florida, High Art is a tattoo that says No Regerts!
what a cretin and philistine: the kind of man who would eat pudding with this fingers
Can't have a culture war if you don't have culture. *taps head
"Sir, if you keep this up, you're going to be drawn and quartered by the people."
Desantis - "The fuck they will! I'll strip all the art funding! Then nobody will be drawing anything! Fortunately, with the national change shortage, I don't have to worry about any quartering."
Keep voting Florida 👍👍
This makes no economic sense. The only thing that keeps us from ruining their day is art.
neanderthal
Wow, if that isn't a ham-fisted attempt at retributive legislation because a Federal judge blocked ban and restrictions on health care treatments for trans people then I don't know what is.
He is an entitled PoS and will be remembered as such.
Hey Ron, how's that climate denial working out for you and your constituents?
Florida is turning into a Warhammer40K factory world
I presume this is because artists are disproportionately gay. /s
He REALLY doesn't like Disney, or the business it brings to his state, does he?
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