Censorship Issue

In attacking U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Lomita) (“Dabbling in Artistic Censorship,” April 26) for his criticism of the National Endowment for the Arts, your editorial confuses censorship and sponsorship.

“He who pays the piper calls the tune” is the time-honored dictum. Rohrabacher is representing his constituents who want some judgment exercised over their sponsorship of the arts. We have that right.

I have yet to see Rohrabacher question non-tax-sponsored art.

Let those artists who would offend taxpayers find their own sponsors who approve of their work. The Times should know better than to charge censorship when the issue is sponsorship.

RANDY SMITH

Yorba Linda