Cut all PBS funding, Republicans urge

[applegrove]

Last Updated Thu, 20 Oct 2005 17:26:46 EDT
CBC Arts
"There is a new call from Republican circles to pull all federal funding to PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts.

As the White House scrambles to find ways to pay for an expensive war in Iraq and the rebuilding of New Orleans, public broadcasting is once again being offered up as an expense the American public can possibly do without.

PBS television and radio receives $400 million US annually in federal support.

The Republican Study Committee, a conservative group within the caucus, recommended on Wednesday that it all be cut.


...... Snip"

http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/10/20/Arts/artscuts_051020.html

[enid602]

1. frontline

Well, apparently their placement of RW-ers in PBS management was not enough to derail the recent 'Frontline' on torture. Back to the drawing board.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Telling the truth is a costly venture. Lying to an entire nation is

a costly venture.... I'll take the truth telling... I'll pass on the executive lying.

[Mythsaje]

3. Cut all Republican funding,

intelligent humans urge.

[Justitia]

6. took the words right outta my mouth! -eom

[nosmokes]

4. pbs and npr occasionally tell the truth. to most of the

GOPosse that's like light to a cockroach.

[Parche]

5. Repubs

Of course they do.......plus they want to cut Amtrak into pieces

We wont have an infrastructure left with them in office

[NorCalDem]

7. This quote is my favorite!

"Eliminating the federal share of CPB funding would free up $400 million this year," said Gov. Haley Barbour, a Mississippi Republican who needs to build schools in hurricane areas. "That is enough money to build 40 elementary schools."

And do you know how many schools we could have built if we had never invaded Iraq?

[FormerRepublican]

8. Hey, since they turned it into a NeoCon stronghold, I'm not sure thats...

...such a bad thing. Although I would prefer it if they would cut their own salaries to a nub and all go home. What a useless bunch of dweebs. I read that their salary has gone up $28,000 in the past 5 years. Show me some other Americans outside of the top 1% who has had their salaries go up by $28,000 in the past 5 years! And we're paying all this cash to a bunch of losers who want us to starve in the streets and die from a lack of medical care.

Pfft. I can't wait for 2006.

[Roland99]

9. Cutting 1% of the Pentagon's budget would result in 1002% more money than

cutting funding to PBS.

FY 2005 Pentagon discretionary spending was $401 billion. 1% would be $4.1 billion.

[applegrove]

10. It is book burning -pure and simple. Every time a newscaster, politician

or channel says something that doesn't refelct back their far right message - or teaches people to think for themselves.. it has to be destroyed.

People say the big difference between early Hitler and the neocons is that there is no "book burning". Well there is 'book burning' and 'burning witches at the stake'. The attack on independent thinking and programming has been going on for 5 years with effect. Twenty years if you start with legislation that would make it easy to do.

[Mend]

11. if we could get rid of this government's interference

with programming and had our real PBS back, it would be worth it, even if it had a shorter schedule. Let them get their own network...oh that's right they have all the rest of the airwaves, except for Comedy Central.

[radio4progressives]

12. According Our Constitution - Government Role includes Supporting the Arts

Article 1. Section 8. (clause 7)

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts,by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;


I expect it is likely that the founders were thinking specifically of patents and copywrites. However, I think a good Constitutional lawyer and scholar might intelligently arguing that this clause in our constitution also refers to support for education and it's facilities and institutions. PBS is certainly integral to that.

The righties want our people to be ignorant in order to succeed in their indoctrination of more ignorance and religious superstitions.

just my opinion..

I think intelligent congress members (is there such a thing?) should look into this clause in our Constitution in opposition to those ignorant bastards.