In the second installment of the Civitas Institute’s new feature entitled “Waste of the Week,” we spotlight the new Earle Scruggs Center, a museum dedicated to the deceased banjo player that received $250,000 in taxpayer dollars in this year’s budget.
The funds were directed to the Scruggs Center via a “state aid” appropriation from the Commerce Department. After months of negotiations and haggling over big-ticket items like teacher pay and Medicaid, state budget writers decided that a quarter-million taxpayer dollars should be instead redirected to a museum dedicated to a banjo player.
The museum reportedly cost $6.2 million and is housed in the restored Cleveland County Courthouse. It had its grand opening in January of this year.
Attractions such as these should be funded voluntarily, not through taxpayer dollars that are collected through the threat of force.
Or do you think state budget writers should continue to divert tax dollars to the museum in the future?
Earle Scruggs in world renowned North Carolinian. To me it is State money well spent.
The first paragraph says “… received $500,000 in taxpayer dollars in this year’s budget…”and further down in the article it says”…state budget writers decided that a quarter-million taxpayer dollars should….” Which is it and no it shouldn’t be taxpayers money going to this.
Tom B,
Thanks for catching that – the post has been updated.
I don’t object to the museum itself (even though I’ve never heard of this Scruggs), though I do object (very much so) to the money the state takes from me by FORCE being used to pay for it. If the state (& federal) governments were to only use tax money for vital government services, taxes would be much lower. Of course, as citizens, we have no say in how this money is spent.