Has our society become so utilitarian that we can't even spare the change for paying a few people to work on things that previous generations have considered worthy of pursuit? (a.k.a. The Arts) Sure, producing more widget workers for the foobar factory sounds good at first, but won't we all end up in wage slavery like this? I am a great supporter of 'useless' cultural pursuits, if only because that is what makes us human. Without culture, we're no more than monkeys with tools.