Tax Cuts and the Republican Legacy

Some comments at Alec Baldwin's blog (a native Long Islander currently appearing in NYC live theater): Tax cuts should be in the spirit of retro-cuts: return the President's salary to President Clinton's level, 1/2 of President's Bush's, because it's an honor to serve. New Hampshire pays just an honorarium. Retro-cut the Defense Budget until it buys American, replace the Presidential Sea King helicopter with the same brand, a Sikorsky, (awarded to Britain and Italy, the company's workers are now on strike over health benefits according to James P. Hoffa here). Retro-cut taxes for the bottom first, like lunches for individuals under $10 or so. They should be looking to expand NEA funding. Residential Education could prove to be popular, where classes are held by artists in lounges, or other places near students. I watched it work for awhile once in Buffalo, NY. A "Seminar in the Arts" had a different visitor every week, i.e., Eric Bentley, an architect, a historian writing about a "History of Sex in the White House", the philharmonic tympani player. They had the Cleveland Quartet in residence one year, things like that could go far in improving education and the aims of the NEA. There was also a neighborhood "Media Center" which had film-makers (Hollis Frampton and Paul Sharits and others) in the community which worked with the community and university. More NEA funds not less.