Regarding the Oct. 15 letter "Statist music": The Civitas Institute that employs the letter-writer was initially funded by the John W. Pope Foundation, which in recent years also showed interest in shoring up the teaching of Western civilization at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Pope Foundation also contributes to the N.C. Symphony. Apparently, the Civitas Institute believes that Western civilization should be renewed only by non-governmental sources.
Such conservatives allege that traditional values are in decline (because of liberal politicians and bureaucrats, of course). One would think they would applaud a government effort to promote Western civilization -- precisely what the Symphony does (with about one-fifth of its budget coming from the General Assembly).
The Civitas folks appear to believe Western civilization is worth preserving only if it turns a profit. That North Carolinians might contribute to the enhancement of their quality of life through taxes levied by democratically elected representatives -- well, that lacks a moral foundation. Civitas' rather radical notion is that government exists solely to secure the peace and facilitate capitalism. Nothing much wrong with Law & Order and Free Enterprise, but are they the only values by which we define our civilization?
