Chuck Teed on cuts in our own backyard

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When Stephen Harper announced he was cutting arts and culture funding by $45 million in August, I have to admit I was a little relieved.

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Stephen Harper has received mixed reviews from his plan to cut funding to arts programs.

When Harper stated that artists go to rich galas and complain that their subsidies aren't high enough on a recent campaign stop, he painted a very accurate portrait of the state of the arts and culture industry in Canada. I've spent most of my adult life working in the music industry, and it's really hard figuring out what to do with all the money I make.

You wouldn't believe what type of lifestyle a low five figure income will afford. This year I was able pay for my rent, food, and a phone!

Can you believe it?

I even had a few bucks left over for a bus pass. Life doesn't get much better than that, let me tell you.

A lot of my musician friends are in the exact same situation as me. I was chatting with an established percussionist at a recent gala, publicly funded, of course and he echoed my concerns.

I've had to quit playing with the band, he said, expensive drink in hand. My girlfriend wants to settle down, and I am making too much money. I think it's time to get a real job, like an average Canadian.

I remember thinking how easy he had it as a musician.

I booked a gig for his band in Saint John once, and they made over $300 at the door. After paying for gas and hotels, I think each guy walked away with $20 each. Who needs that much money?

And to think they made that much cash every day for an entire month.

Almost makes you want to learn guitar, doesn't it?

Oddly enough, a lot of musicians I know have jobs on the side. Bands with videos on Much Music, solo artists with East Coast Music Awards. They don't really need the money; if you re on TV you're automatically rich, you know, but they don't like spending too much time devoted to their craft. If they're continually writing and performing, they'll improve as artists and become more marketable, therefore increasing their chances at a successful career.

But as Biggie Smalls says, mo money, mo problems. And we already have enough money as it is.

I really hope that Stephen Harper finds a good use for that $45 million. It's only a fraction of the annual budget (.0002 per cent of the budget, to be precise), but I'm sure there a lot of industries that could better spend the money. I heard the energy sector was a bit sluggish, so maybe he could throw a few dollars to the folks in the oil industry. The eight billion dollars oil execs received between 1996 and 2002 did wonders for their bottom line - do you realize how much gas is worth these days? So I am sure they'll figure out a way to spend our taxpayer dollars wisely.

And I'm sure giving that much money to oil executives would resonate well with the average Canadian. After all, they're just regular Joes; not bloated rock stars pulling in low five figure salaries each year. You certainly wouldn't see them on TV crying about hard times...