House fails to eliminate NPR funding

[kpete]

Source: The Hill

House fails to eliminate NPR funding
By Jordan Fabian - 11/18/10 01:09 PM ET

The House on Thursday voted to move forward on legislation without voting on a proposal put forth by Republicans to defund NPR.

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the next majority leader, said the vote demonstrates that Democrats "are still not ready to listen" following their sweeping midterm election losses.

"News organizations are free to do, say and operate on their own terms, but that doesn’t mean that taxpayers should be forced to fund them. Today’s vote was just the latest common sense YouCut to cut spending and save taxpayer dollars, and again Democrats showed that they just don’t get it."

The House voted 239-171 to move forward on a teleworking bill without taking up the stripping of NPR's funding. Republicans put the item on the floor through their YouCut program, an initiative that allows the public to vote online on spending cuts they want to see enacted by Congress.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/129963-house-fails-to-eliminate-npr-funding

[gateley]

1. God I hate them more and more. What DON'T they want to defund? nt

[Demeter]

2. Themselves (and their masters) of course!

[MissDeeds]

10. And wars and killing

Gotta have lots of $$$ for blood letting.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. +1000. No one ever mentions the humungous defense budget!

[AlinPA]

3. Cantor is slimy. His smirk-"smile" is ugly. He looks like a republican.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. Looks like Harold Ramis's evil twin.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Wise ass bastards got shut down. Good.

[MissDeeds]

13. + 1000 n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

6. Who knew the election a couple weeks ago was a referendum on NPR?

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. And federal funding is a very small percentage of NPR's budget

This would be a ridiculous and minimal cut.

[Iliyah]

12. This is what we

are going to see for the next two years of where their priorities are, bullsh** crap like trying to defund a news organization, justify why they don't believe in climate change, repeal HCR, make Obama a one term president, start a war with Iran, tell Israel that they have it's back, promote tax cuts for the 2%, investigate anything concerning Dems.........ban earmarks, and so forth.

BUT no discussion about job creation, vote against unemployment extension while the holidays are coming up, help hide the mortgage crap and party harty with Wall Street - who spent their money on them to win.......and F**k the middle class.

And this bulls** about tax cuts for the 2% will create jobs, so what the hell were they doing in this past. WHERE ARE THE JOBS????

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. At best it is for the rest of this FY

NPR better be planning for nothing in the next FY.

[bergie321]

9. "YouCut"

I wonder if one of the options is for cutting tax cuts for millionaires?

[Grassy Knoll]

11. So Roger Ailes nazi comment.........

about NPR didn't sway the repigs ? maybe if limbaugh said it, jerks.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. tsk tsk tsk. How about the repukes decline their GOVT FUNDED health insurance?

That would save $10,000 per repuke each year..

[kestrel91316]

16. They CAN'T "defund" NPR, lol. 90% of NPR's funding comes from voluntary contributions by listeners

and sponsors (private foundations, corporations). Only 10% comes from the government. You would think that the RW would remember that they have already been steadily eliminating NPR funding for decades.

[nolabear]

17. You mean they don't just get anything they want? Let's hope this is a trend.

[LawnKorn]

18. This will set the tone of failure for the Tea Party and the Republicans

Execution of their first voter mandate = FAIL!

[LawnKorn]

19. K&R

[FreeStateDemocrat]

20. Lockheed F-35’s Projected Cost Now $382 Billion, Up 65 Percent

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-01/lockheed-f-35-s-projected-cost-now-382-billion-up-65-percent.html

[boppers]

27. I love how they demonize public radio.

It shows how empty they are.

[AlbertCat]

21. Democrats showed that they just don’t get it.

No Eric, you don't get it.

Tax payers don't mind paying for hours of good music and commentary, which is what most of NPR's air time consists of. They would rather spend the few cents apiece on that than the dollars spent on 2 illegal and unnecessary wars, or tax cuts for folks who are doing just fine.

Does he seriously think anyone with a brain would think that defunding NPR would put a dent in the huge deficit the Repugs created?

[savalez]

22. Good. FU Cantor.

[annabanana]

23. Democrats "are still not ready to listen" . . . .

Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.

[harun]

26. How well did Republican's listen after Obama won by 8 million votes?

Nuff said.

[PSPS]

24. Nothing but RW political theater for the knuckle draggers/'baggers

"Defunding" would amount to losing 3% of their total budget which isn't really material.

Besides, while still a worthwhile news organization, NPR's commentary and opinion pieces (and some reportage) have been steadily drifting right for many years. Examples:

- NPR's official policy to never use the word "torture" when describing our torturing of captives.

- Reporter Anne Garrels' on-air endorsement of torture as a legitimate way of getting intelligence.

- Bob Edwards' firing.

- The (short-lived) introduction of martial music beds.

[bemildred]

25. "fails to eliminate"?

A "239-171" vote is "fails to eliminate"?