Secretary of the Arts (petition)

Link to an online petition that urges President Obama to consider appointing a Secretary of the Arts. Here is a Times article that talkes more about the idea.
Of course, Republicans think any effort spent on the arts amounts to efforts wasted...

Comment by a petitioner:

The arts are very important and often overlooked in our country as little more than occasional entertainment and not seen for what they really are: the second most important way that people can express themselves, after language. We communicate thru art, we learn about ourselves and others thru art and we find release and freedom of expression in art. We need to stop the diminution of the importance of the arts in our schools, and our communities on the whole. And there needs to be someone who will work to ensure this. Someone whose goals will be focused on the betterment of the arts and will not be distracted by other issues. We need someone whose job this would be. We need a Secretary of the Arts.