The situation of artists living in the Netherlands is based on a fundamental inequality that merely has to do with where they live, meaning in a city or in a village. To say it very simple, there is a website www.kunstenaars.nu which plays the role of national database meant to present the visual artists of Holland. To be listed in the database, not to talk about requesting any financial support, you have to be recognised by one of the arts organisations that correspond to an area of the country. Area can be a province, like the case of Zeeland or a municipality like the case of The Hague. The State gives money to the provinces that choose if they are going to support the arts. The Hague is a special case where the money goes directly from the municipality to Stroom together with the authority to support the arts in the city, please note, as an absolute monopoly. But the issue of this article is that artists living e.g. in Voorburg, or in Leiden, or in any of the villages of for example the province Zuid Holland have no chance whatsoever to any recognition or no-recognition of their artistic status. For a couple of years there existed an artists centre for Zuid Holland which lost the financial support of the State in 2007 and since then ceased to exist without further comment. The listing of the artists of Zuid Holland disappeared at the same time from the national database mentioned above. In the same way, when an artist is disqualified his/her listing appears blanc on the internet, all information and images are erased as never existed. I am sure that they erase our faces from the group photographs as well; nowadays it is even easier than then.
There are artists around that know the situation much better than I do so I am inviting them to explain more clearly and in detail. Please talk!
It would also be very interesting to know how the situation is in other countries. Artists out of Holland let us know!
artB 
Yes, I find it shocking that artists still line up like silly meek lambs.
As an artist I would be inclined to say: AWAY with all subsidising of art, let us be equal artists brothers, (but some will be more equal than others.)
No it is not for artists to squabble amongst one another.
It was thought that we had a third world, now we have developing countries. And when I ask you should we give money to the developing world? It would be right to say that the presidents use the money to inflate their own egos and build palaces, and squander the money on parties and friends, and at the end of the month the money is all eaten up and the people that really needed it did not get any, so what the point? No, we should not give up on the developing world, as it also helps us to develop.
Poverty disease and hardship was thought to be the essential tool leading the artist to inspiration and creation. Now we know that this is not true.
The tax money directed towards the arts (artists also pay tax) should be channelled back to the developers in the most efficient way possible. It should not be allowed to stagnate on the egos or salaries of the administrators. Artists should be keenly aware of the flow of the art money, and SHOUT if it misses the target.
I can tell you, in Africa the people with no voice power found their power through the blog.