The federal govt also pays farmers not to produce soybeans. Maybe the
same would work for poetry.
At 11:21 AM 4/1/2007, you wrote:
>I thought people in this group might be interested in this:
>
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>
>FEDERAL POETRY SUBSIDIES PROPOSED
>
>Washington, D. C. (CNS) -
>
>In a surprise move, the Bush Administration has announced that it will
>propose legislation in Congress to subsidize the production of verse by
>American poets.
>
>The program, which will be modeled on the longstanding federal agricultural
>price support program, will be designed to ensure a market at a basic price
>support level for the nation's poetry output.
>
>According to administration spokeswoman April Narr, a goal of the subsidies
>will be to ensure the continuing production of particular types of verse for
>which the market is currently weak. "For instance," she said at a news
>conference this morning, "not too many people write sonnets or heroic
>couplets any more, so those types of verse would be eligible for special
>price supports."
>
>Narr also said in response to questions that although the details have yet
>to be worked out, subject matter may also be taken into account to determine
>the price support levels of different types of poems. "There are plenty
>poems being written about having an affair or traveling in Europe or
>watching your child grow up," she said, "so that sort of poetry probably
>needs less subsidy. But poems about junk yards or shaving cream or peeling
>an orange are more rare and may be deserving of more price support."
>
>When questioned as to whether the public will accept a government program
>which channels taxpayers' dollars to poets, Narr replied, "It's really not
>such an unusual idea when you think of it. After all, if the federal
>government can pay farmers to produce soybeans, why can't it pay poets to
>produce sonnets?"
>
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> Jon Corelis www.geocities.com/jgcorelis/
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