Should Opera be Subsidized?

Begin by considering a thing of indisputable beauty and spiritual depth: the High Mass of the Roman Catholic Church. Does its obvious grandeur mean that the state should subsidize its performance?

For those who say yes, the case for a subsidy to the opera may seem straightforward, almost inevitable: if it is appropriate to subsidize the Mass, why not The Magic Flute or Fidelio?

But for liberals like myself, the case for state-supported opera is more complicated. Whatever else li...