June 23, 2005

Screw the public, screw the children

Doesn't this capture nicely the Republican platform? It's been coming for a while now, but the cons' effort to destroy public broadcasting is coming to a head. The House of Representatives is considering a measure today that would cut funding for public broadcasting in half. A heartwarming detail from The Los Angeles Times:

The measure before the House today would strip more than $200 million, including money for Ready to Learn, an initiative that helps finance children's shows such as "Reading Rainbow."

And here's a New York Times article on the matter.

You can sign a petition to save public broadcasting here at MoveOn.org. They started with a goal of 500,000 signatures and are now past 1 million. This really is important. NPR and PBS are full of excellent, educational information and entertainment, which, by virtue of being public in a free society--not beholden to private, corporate interests--represent some of the last remaining independent broadcasting.

2 comments:

  1. I guess its because PBS, with its science (dangerous science, bad!) has a liberal bias.
    Either that or public broadcasting is socialist.
    I forget which, but I'll be sure to check next time I pick through some Heritage regurgitation on the conservablogs.

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  2. Anonymous10:15 AM

    If each of the million folks who signed MoveOn's petition gave 20 cents each, they could make up the entire funding gap. If its die-hard supporters don't care enough to make that sort of small donation, there's no point in continuing federal funding for it.

    As it stands, Congress did give them their full funding.

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