This is What Democrats Call Job Creation?!

August 12, 2011

Dancer DNA Tests, Puppet Theaters and Plays About Cat Ladies Must Be What Pelosi Meant by “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs”

Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi has taken to chanting the word “jobs” whenever she can, in the hope that somehow jobs will magically appear despite her party’s job-destroying policies.
However, the only thing Pelosi’s spell seems to conjure up is bizarre projects backed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the same government agency that was provided with millions in taxpayer dollars by the Democrats’ failed nearly trillion dollar stimulus. The NEA is now spending taxpayer dollars on dancer DNA tests, puppet theaters and plays about cat ladies. We wish we were kidding.
To most Americans, these projects are an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars. But Democrats fought against attempts to pare down wasteful spending at the NEA and focus on real job creation.

BACKGROUND

Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi has taken to chanting the word “jobs” whenever she can, in the hope that somehow jobs will magically appear despite her party’s job-destroying policies:

POLITICO’S “THE PLAYBOOK”: “DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS.” (Mike Allen, “Dems Plan Pivot to Jobs,” Politico’s “The Playbook”, 8/2/2011)

DEMOCRAT LEADER PELOSI, AUGUST 3, 2011: “But again, this is about how we go to the next steps: jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.” (Remarks from Nancy Pelosi, “Pelosi: Americans ‘Want Job Initiatives,'” MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, 8/3/2011)

AUG 2, 2011: “Jobs, jobs, job, jobs. You cannot say it enough. … I was very pleased to hear the President pivot to jobs and to talk about infrastructure, to talk about how we create jobs to meet the needs of the American people.” (Remarks from Nancy Pelosi, “Transcript of Pelosi, Democratic Leaders Press Conference Today,” Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 8/2/2011)

JULY 28, 2011: “The American people’s top priority is the creation of jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.” (“Pelosi Floor Speech in Opposition to Republican Default Act,” Office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 7/28/2011)

However, the only thing Pelosi’s spell seems to conjure up is bizarre projects backed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the same government agency that was provided with millions in taxpayer dollars by the Democrats’ failed nearly trillion dollar stimulus. The NEA is now spending taxpayer dollars on dancer DNA tests, puppet theaters and plays about cat ladies. We wish we were kidding:

STIMULUS FUNNELED MILLIONS TO NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS:“When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he restored National Endowment for the Arts’ Funding to its highest level since 1992.

Under the bill, $50 million will be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects an activities. According to the text of the bill, the allocation will be used to ‘preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector’ and compensated for diminished philanthropic support caused by the economic downturn.” (Joseph Lewis, “Obama Signs Stimulus Bill with NEA Funding,” Politifact, 2/17/2009)

$35,000 TO STUDY DANCERS’ DNA, SEND THEM OVERSEAS TO LEARN NEW DANCES. THIS IS NOT A JOKE. “National Black Arts Festival, Inc., Atlanta, GA, $35,000: To support the creation and presentation of new dance works by choreographers and dancers Camille A. Brown, Kyle Abraham, and Gesel Mason. The artists will travel to their ancestral homelands in Africa, as determined by an analysis of their DNA, and will link with an African-based choreographer in the country of their origin to create joint works which will then be presented as part of the festival’s DUETS project.” (“2011 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence—Dance,” National Endowment for the Arts, Accessed 8/5/2011)

$35,000 FOR A “BILINGUAL PUPPET THEATER” ADAPTATION OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. “Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, GA, $35,000: To support the development and production of a bilingual puppet theater adaptation of Beauty and the Beast directed by artistic director Jon Ludwig. Staged for a contemporary setting and using original modern music, the cross-cultural production will feature a cast of five puppeteers, with an emphasis on found-object puppetry (puppets made from everyday objects).” (“2011 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence—Theater,” National Endowment for the Arts, Accessed 8/5/2011)

$35,000 FOR “DEVELOPMENT OF PUPPET AND MASK PIECES” AND “REHEARS[ING] PUPPETS/OBJECTS MANIPULATION”: “Heart of the Beast Theatre, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, $35,000: To support the development of puppet and mask pieces in PuppetLab, an intensive workshop process for artists. Selected through a competitive jury, participants will receive time and space to develop scripts; design puppets, objects, and sets; rehearse puppets/objects manipulation; and present a completed work.” (“2011 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence—Theater,” National Endowment for the Arts, Accessed 8/5/2011)

$22,000 FOR DEVELOPMENT OF “CAT LADY,” A “DARKLY COMIC ENSEMBLE” THAT EXAMINES THE “PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND HOARDING, ANECDOTES FROM UNMARRIED WOMEN WHO LIVE ALONE WITH CATS”: “Circuit Network, San Francisco, CA, $22,000: To support the further development and premiere of Cat Lady, a darkly comic ensemble work for five performers, anchored by solo performer and writer Kristina Wong. The multimedia theater piece incorporates the psychology behind hoarding, anecdotes from unmarried women who live alone with cats (‘cat ladies’), and Wong’s attempts to simultaneously end racism and get her own pet to stop spraying.” (“2011 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence—Theater,” National Endowment for the Arts, Accessed 8/5/2011)

To most Americans, these projects are an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars. But Democrats fought against attempts to pare down wasteful spending at the NEA and focus on real job creation. Then again, these are the same people who claimed the Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare was “entrepreneurial” because it would let musicians “leave work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have healthcare”:

PELOSI: GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER “ENTREPRENEURIAL” BECAUSE “IF YOU WANT TO BE CREATIVE AND BE A MUSICIAN,” “YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR WORK” AND STILL “HAVE HEALTHCARE.” “We see it as a entrepreneurial bill – a bill that says to someone, if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have health care.” (“Pelosi to Aspiring Musicians: Quit Your Job, Taxpayers Will Cover Your Healthcare,” Breitbart TV, 5/15/2010)

GOP FUNDING BILL FOR 2011 CUT NEA FUNDING BY $20.4 MILLION, OPPOSED BY 96% OF DEMS. Final Vote: 235-189. (H.R. 1, Roll Call Vote 147, Clerk of the U.S. House, 2/19/2011)