What's more important, funding a bridge to an island in Alaska to be used by 300 residents, or museums visited by 24 million people* every year?

Sometimes it's hard to face what's staring us in the face, the kind of tough advice offered in the book He's just not that into you.

In a blog entry yesterday, I quoted from a poem I wrote more than 10 years ago, "I call again and again, not realizing I already have my answer."

Well that, unfortunately, provides the kernel of the answer to Tyler Green's op-ed in the Los Angeles Times (why is it that we have to look to the Los Angeles Times for hard questions about issues surrounding the National Mall; they also ran many great pieces about the impact of the World War II Memorial), about the state of the Smithsonian Museums, "The Air and Space Museum is falling: Why is Congress ignoring neglect at the Smithsonian Institution?" (Thanks to Dcist for the notice.)

Uh, because they don't care.

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"Free admission to the Smithsonian Institution's museums and National Zoo stands out in a city where everything has its price." -- Associated Press story, "Smithsonian Still a Free Attraction."

* Note that the admission number in the title comes from this story, which compares museum admission policies for major cities in the U.S., as well as London and Paris.
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The state of federal funding for the Smithsonian Museums is an indicator of Congress' concern about the arts and culture.

Congress can call on the FCC to get Comcast to broadcast Washington Nationals baseball games at the same time that Congresspeople such as James Moran of Virginia suggest that the Smithsonian start charging admission fees. See "Admission Fee Idea Floated For Smithsonian" and "House Urges FCC to Intercede In MASN Debate." Also see, from NPR, "NPR : Alaska Bridge Criticized, but Earmark Remains."
Image from the Alaska Conservation Foundation website.

Doesn't that make the priorities of Congresspeople like Moran and Tom Davis pretty clear?

Meanwhile, in return for a guarantee of government funding, in the UK, a goodly number of museums do not charge admission. See "Funding is 'crucial' for museums," from the BBC website.

Again, doesn't that make U.S. federal priorities pretty clear?

Index Keywords: arts-culture; museums