NEA Called Too Taxing

You’ve got to hand it to Times art critic Christopher Knight (“Congress Divides, Conquers the NEA,” Calendar, April 18). He likes art, he loves the National Endowment for the Arts and he can’t stand Republicans. So in a commentary that started out as a well-written outcry over New York’s lopsided receipt of grant funds, Knight goes into a diatribe against the Republican Party that slashed the NEA budget.

Well, guess what? Not all Americans want the NEA, especially one that feeds at the trough of American taxpayers. If he was looking for sympathy, Knight won’t get any here, considering that I’ve just sent what could have been a future child’s education to the IRS.

Although Knight and his circle of friends might be hissing at Newt Gingrich and his cohorts, this taxpayer is giving them a standing ovation. I hope to see more commentaries like this in the future. Then I’ll know Congress is doing its job.

PAUL NORDLUND

Newport Beach