If you ran the NEA...

Last week, the LA Times ran an article called "If I ran the NEA..." and invited 30 notable people, from actors and directors to writers and senators to share what they would do and change if they ran the NEA.

Some of the most thought-provoking selections:
Tom Hayden, author and former state senator: "With the Congress including $50 million for the arts in the economic stimulus package, the overall annual budget for the NEA will be just short of $200 million for the coming year. By comparison, we spend more on the Iraq War every day, or $341.4 million, according to the website costofwar.com. This is the real obscenity that goes uncensored. Yet funding for the arts is more controversial than funding for war. For decades, arts subsidies have been targeted as frivolous waste by many of the same conservative Republicans willing to budget trillions for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
John Patrick Shanley, writer-director: "If I ran the NEA, I would commission writers, musicians, photographers and painters to fan out across grass-roots America to answer two questions:
1. What does our country look like?
2. What do we want our country to look like?"
Joel Wachs, President, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts: "Integrate the arts into every department and agency. There isn't a government program or project that couldn't be enhanced by a cultural component."
Debbie Allen, dancer-choreographer: "Civilizations are remembered for their War and Art. We need to balance the footprint we are leaving behind."
Bill Maher, host of "Real Time with Bill Maher:" "The NEA is a perfect example of Mission Creep: The government's job is to protect you, from external enemies and internal criminals, and to maintain roads, schools, and a social safety net. Art is far afield, and in no danger of going away without government money or guidance."
Harvey Weinstein, Co-Founder of Miramax Films and Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company: "Start a mandatory mentoring initiative for the members. This would be an amazing way to give back to local communities, if they had a member of one of the academies speak at their schools, teach a seminar and be available to be hands on with aspiring artists."
Rachel Maddow, host of "The Rachel Maddow Show:" "I'd double down on this part of the NEA's mission: "to bring the arts to all Americans." If our artists are going to be badasses, we need to tap all our potential pools of artistic talent, we need to cultivate a national expectation of artistic literacy, and artists need jobs doing and teaching art."

Now we turn the question to you... what would YOU do if you ran the NEA?