Defundamental
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 228-192 yesterday to eliminate federal funding for National Public Radio. Voices from the floor debate:• “The American people are not concerned about jobs or the economy or what's going on around the world. They are staring at their radios saying: Get rid of Click and Clack. Finally, my Republican friends are doing it. Kudos to you.” —Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-NY
• “As much as any of us here, including myself, may enjoy programs like Car Talk [and] Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, you can't tell me that that's a core mission of the federal government.” —Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Fla.
• “We've seen NPR and its programming often veer far from what most Americans would like to see as far as the expenditure of their taxpayer dollars. That's the bottom line.” —Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va.
• “This legislation does not serve any fiscal purpose. But it does serve an ugly ideological one. This legislation is not about reforming NPR; it is about punishing NPR.” —Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
• “NPR can survive on its own. It has quality programming.... They could survive and even thrive. So let's let them loose from taxpayer subsidies.... I would be doing this if this was right-leaning or neutral because there’s no need for government to be subsidizing media.” —Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., who introduced the bill.
Editorial Comment: Defenestration?
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Sad news. I remember many instances of national or world turmoil (natural or manmade) when, driving my car and wanting, needing to know more, I tuned to Public Radio. There was no where else to go. Now, via I-this or hand-held that, there's every radio station, TV station, news network, social network, blog, etc., etc., etc., under the sun. Which will be the go-to source for timely, reliable and sane information?
ReplyDeleteRep. Doug Lamborn is among the uptight, far-right bunch from El Paso County who seem to be bent on destroying the America I've known and loved for 80 years. Locally these guys conned voters into passing TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights), which has plunged Colorado into a tarpit of debt. What these guys say sounds good to some, but it doesn't ever work for the public good. TABOR, for example, was designed to aid Realtors. It did that, at great expense to the decent, hard-working citizens of Colorado who aren't in that business. The bill has a ratcheting effect on revenue that caused a devastating effect on public services that we had taken for granted.
ReplyDeleteRay Dangel
Centennial, CO
Good by Click and Clack, Hello Clap and Crap.
ReplyDeleteSusan
I have long thought that NPR should get off the federal dole. Aside from the fact that they are pedantic and boring, they are not such a singular voice that they couldn’t operate with subscriber support ala what the NYT is doing. They’ve been spoiled for too long.
ReplyDeleteThat is not to say, however, that the motivation behind this measure isn’t purely partisan and disgusting, and ornamental as it won’t get anywhere in the Senate.
—Tony
Never mind. We can still get "One or Two Things Considered."
ReplyDelete—Will