Dear President Obama,<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a violinist, and not particularly active politically; I don\u2019t consider myself a Democrat. I tend to form my convictions and keep my perspective reasonably discreet, lest some zealot start yelling at me in a restaurant or something. But like millions of Americans, I\u2019m relieved to finally sense that the endless incompetence, stupidity, and arrogance of the last eight years may be coming to an end, or at least that a new direction for the country is taking shape. I don\u2019t envy you- I think\u00a0The Onion<\/a> got it right. Now that I think about it, the job really didn\u2019t seem that bad before 2000, except that you had to deal with politicians all the time. Anyway, as you are taping the Constitution back together (and hosing it off), fixing the economic situation, figuring out Iraq and Afghanistan, shutting down Guantanamo, putting a band-aid on Gaza, firing all the unqualified ideologues hired over the last two terms, demonstrating your ability to walk across the Reflecting Pool, and about 700 other things that seem to need urgent attention, I hope you\u2019ll remember one other thing: the arts matter, especially at times like these. For thousands of years, in any advanced society the arts have flourished both in good times and bad. Even the US had a reasonable record in that regard until relatively recently, before \u201cclearing brush\u201d and listening to hillbilly nonsense became the cultural standard of the White House. Even with the Clintons’ alarming interest in Fleetwood Mac and his incessant attempts to make some sort of noise on a saxophone, at least there was usually a sense that some sort of interest in the arts was essential for any meaningful existence, American or otherwise. But we\u2019re still a long way from Camelot and people like Casals actually getting some respect. Maybe we\u2019ll get back there sometime.<\/p>\n Speaking of the word \u201crespect\u201d, it\u2019s encouraging to finally a decent lineup for the Inaugural soundtrack. While some may bristle at the inclusion of John Williams without a movie showing, it\u2019s tough to top the Queen of Soul. Or Yo Yo. We\u2019re way past that lame Ashcroft \u201cSoar With Eagles\u201d stuff, so there\u2019s already serious progress. Perhaps Parliament or Radiohead for a future event?<\/p>\n Anyway, I have a feeling you know all this, and you\u2019ve got a lot on your plate. So best of luck, and don\u2019t forget that the arts in America are a vital component of the country\u2019s identity (and\u00a0 recovery- remember the Works Progress Administration?), and they always will be.<\/p>\n