Should the National Endowment for the Arts be abolished?

Pro: The subjective nature of judgments of the value of works of art makes agreement on that value nearly impossible. Amid the general public, therefore, there will be some who agree with certain judgments and some others who disagree. In the extreme, some will find particular works of art worthless or downright offensive and others will find those same works insightful and important. Because public funds support the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Endowment cannot satisfy or provide equal benefits to all taxpayers, the NEA ought to be abolished.

Con: The National Endowment for the Arts affords opportunities not otherwise available to many creative people for contributing valuable works to enrich our society. The NEA, by providing some monetary support to artists, helps talented people continue doing what they do best, even as they meet their financial obligations.