Posted by Doc on May 14, 2003 at 13:11:03:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Bad News List posted by Joe Baker on May 14, 2003 at 10:57:17:
Can't find fault with the truth. Last time I checked, we were still a democracy, not a socialist nation. Look at the countries who have socialized medicine - care is nowhere near the quality one receives in the U.S. Why else would so many Canadians, Mexicans, and others come to the U.S. for care? It would be terribly sad if there weren't orchestras around, but that is how a free marketplace works. Simple supply vs. demand economics. Demand goes down, supply goes down to meet demand. Fact is, I don't want the federal government redistributing my income to anyone. I am the one who chooses where my money goes. I support orchestras by going to concerts and buying recordings. If the ticket price has to be a little higher to support them, then so be it. I'm not sure I agree with my city or state supporting orchestras, but if it can be shown to bring in more money than is donated, or some other significant benefit to the city or state, I'll listen to that argument. There are many reasons already listed why orchestras are struggling, and I agree with almost all of them. Whatever we agree/disagree on, I think we all agree that what we are seeing is a sad trend, and any loss of orchestras, or a loss of love for good music is tragic.
Doc