Been there done that. Except the average per hour fee for Powwow dancers and craftsmen are in the pennies. They work all winter to travel the country in caravans from powwow to another to sell the crafts they spent dawn to dusk creating. They also are not paid for practice time at the fancy dances which they compete for at the Powwows. Regalia is personal and worth thousands of dollars as hand made products. Of course the Gypsies at the Romany Theater in Russia are highly paid and highly valued. Folk dancers in the Balkans and artists in the socialist countries are all paid according to their expertise. Even Canada has the Canada council which pays all kinds of performers according to their expertise and the desire to conserve and preserve the quality of the culture of the country.
Then there is the fact that I teach young students pro bono to keep the referral sources that I have while taking every cent that I get from teaching and putting that back into the bank loans for the American Masters Festival we did in 2003 when they used the new bank laws to jack up our interest until we paid back the loans twice and still owe the original amount. [yes we know Elizabeth Warren's stories first hand]. I have been insulted, harassed and when I had a life threatening operation the creditors suggested it would be better if I died. Meanwhile I have at 68, $850 a month with my medicare payments, to fund any food or clothing that I might need for the rest of my life. I dare say that Keynes successful theater and Keiths successful internet music business didn't and doesn't make a salary for them either. Productivity cut my salary in half from my own teacher's in the 1960s while all of the expenses went up. I do not have the room or rehearsal space to do half of the things I am trained to and have taught in the past. That's all of us, not just me. We now pay full rent when in the past artists had rent control. New York is still wonderful but becoming more like Tulsa or Toronto daily. Arthur I am so pissed off at this National pathology that the only choice I have is to enjoy the beauty of the local place, enjoy my students who can't pay me except by the quality of their Art and to help the old people in my community to die with dignity. If I didn't have Mozart and Nezahaualcoyotl I would have chosen the American Indian route to France or Russia long ago. There is no way that you are going to convince me that with my 50 years of experience and expertise and making a living in the upper 2% of my profession for that time, that I couldn't do better in any number of countries if I were younger. Meanwhile I could make some money loading groceries in the local market or driving a cab or I can do the Art. From the time in Picher I was told that when I was hungry that the thing to do was practice. I'm too old to do something just because it makes me put food in the stomach. American Economists and business has fucked the country. That's all I have to say about it. REH From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Arthur Cordell Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 11:08 PM To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION' Subject: [Futurework] The 8 lowest-paying jobs in America http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38168029/ns/business-careers/
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