Should the Goverment Fund the Arts?

The United States government has a long history of funding the arts, from the Federal Art Project under FDR to today's National Endowment for the Arts. Other nations had and continue to have similar programs. A look into remoter reaches of the past shows a tradition of wealthy political figures acting as patrons for talented but impecunious painters, sculptors, and the like. But is any of this a good thing? Should governments fund the arts? If so, who or what should get funded? Join us for a friendly discussion about art, society, and grant funding (I am kidding on that last one) :)