I've bought into the idea that all major museums should have free admission or pay what you will. They are all well-endowed enough to do this, but are restrict

I've bought into the idea that all major museums should have free admission or pay what you will. They are all well-endowed enough to do this, but are restricted from selling pieces of their collections to make ends meet. And what's the point of a museum anyways...is it just preservation or is it to allow the public to view and engage with our shared cultural heritage. Part of the issue is the museum mafia puts onerous restrictions on the extent to which museums are allowed to sell off bits of their collections. That's why so many items are stowed away never to see the light of day. If they sell off items, they will be blacklisted from ever receiving a touring/visiting collection, which is the big money maker for additional admissions fees and bringing folks in who have already seen everything normally on display. The code of ethics of the American Association of Museums explicitly forbids selling items from collections to meet operating expenses, and they will ban museums from receiving loans of artwork if they do so.