A few minutes ago I went on KUOW to talk to Ross Reynolds on "The Conversation," about public art. The subject for today was the editorial in this morning's Seattle Times by state Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens)—in which Hobbs decrees art to be the enemy of teachers, the sick, and the poor.

If we could just cancel public art for the next two years, he writes, we could save our state. Why, oh why, is art so damned selfish?

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" Hobbs veritably yells in his editorial.

Then, on the radio, he declared public art a "luxury" and a "sacred cow." He said he didn't want to kill it, he just wanted to do some "cowtipping."

Hobbs has the right idea: The legislation he proposed is as intelligent as cowtipping.

Does any of this sound familiar? It's exactly the same debate we were having when the National Endowment for the Arts had to get on its knees and beg to be included, for the miniscule price tag of $50 million in the $787 billion federal bailout.

It's also the same debate we've been having since Jesse Helms made it obvious that art, due to its subjective nature, would be the easiest target for public ire—the easiest way for politicians to distract the public from real problems.

PUBLIC ART FUNDING IS A RED HERRING, PEOPLE. If we'd fined every politician who tried to use public art for his or her own gain in the last 20 years (thanks, Patty!), we could have paid for art/music/dance/etc teachers in public schools this whole time. Imagine!

The state spends about $2 million a year on public art, in an approximately $15 billion operating budget. Public art spending accounts for .013 percent of the state's budget.

Please ask your legislators to focus their time and money on fixing the other 99.987 percent of the budget. Please ask your newspapers and broadcasters (as much as they can) to disallow idiotic, ancient, false debates.

I'm sorry to be belligerent about this, but it is infuriating to have this dumb conversation year after year after year, whether the economy is up or down or in-between, and whether the politicians are Democrats, Republicans, or space invaders.

Most important of all for every intelligent person out there: Don't let anybody, ever, say that art is preventing Americans from being educated, fed, and cared for.

We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore.

UPDATE: One more thing: On the radio, Ross Reynolds was also interviewing Washington State Arts Commission executive director Kris Tucker, whose office oversees public art in the state. Tucker talked soft, about "quality of life" and making our buildings "better." Tucker basically refused to engage.

Blech. Why didn't you call him on his shit, Kris? And where were your numbers?

Kris, I realize that you and your office have to spend most of your time convincing legislators about your point of view, and maybe very different things need to be said in those private meetings, but this was a public forum, and you should have creamed him—or sent someone who could.