The trouble with taking public money

I am intrigued by all the efforts to cut NPR funding (probably less than the Pentagon spends on paper clips).I seriously doubt it has anything to do with deficit cutting. I think NPR represents a serious threat to powerful economic interests that seek to monopolize the news media. Since it is independent of advertising dollars it can present view points that might step on the toes of the high and the mighty. Although "defunding" NPR might not force it to shut down it would certainly weaken it. And that's the goal. Too many people in positions of influence (Mr. Charisse, for example) listen to it and, heaven forbid, might become enlightened by it.

NPR's firing of Juan Williams for not fostering NPR's liberal agenda brought to reality in hard terms what NPR is largely about. While the votes and opportunity are there, now is the time to cut the funding. If and only NPR would publicly admit why they really fired Williams and then apologize for that action, the cutting of its funding then could be debated.

The government doesn't want the truth to get to the masses. Does that really surprise anyone?

Liberal or conservative, I don't want any of my tax money being spent on the support of an ideology that is in opposition to mine.

Let NPR pay their own way and I wont resent what they say however much I disagree.

So, Disgusted, because they have an opposing viewpoint (which you don't say what it is), you'd choose to defund because they don't toe YOUR line?

Have you listened to NPR? I haven't hear anything remotely partisan. Just facts.

Or, would you rather have your news be "market-driven". That is, corporate-driven? Let's go back to the 50's, when RJ Reynolds had their TV stars smoke their cigarettes on screen. In short, Corporate shills.

Keep your hands off NPR. I don't listen to anything else.

One of the most conservative radio stations I'm aware of is WHP,(AM 580), out of Harrisburg. Can anyone imagine a network of stations like that being partially funded by the federal government? The Democrats would unceasingly howl until they got the funds cut off.

The antithesis of that is NPR. So, it's not fair that tax money is being made available to support mostly one side of the political spectrum. I, then, could support NPR's existence if funding were also made available to a radio network that expounded opposing views.

If NPR would provide news coverage the way that, say, C-SPAN does, then I too would fight to sustain their federal funding.

Disgusted wrote:

Liberal or conservative, I don't want any of my tax money being spent on the support of an ideology that is in opposition to mine.
Let NPR pay their own way and I wont resent what they say however much I disagree.

Yes! I resent paying for other people's radio, housing, food and health care. It is expensive enough just to pay for my own.

In our Commonwealth and Nation, foo'ball, NASCAR and Jesus are the driving forces for a populace which is relatively uneducated and uninformed. They are too dumb to appreciate their own delusions and biases, and they resent people who are smarter and better informed. This is cultural warfare.

Michelle wrote:

So, Disgusted, because they have an opposing viewpoint (which you don't say what it is), you'd choose to defund because they don't toe YOUR line?
Have you listened to NPR? I haven't hear anything remotely partisan. Just facts.
Or, would you rather have your news be "market-driven". That is, corporate-driven? Let's go back to the 50's, when RJ Reynolds had their TV stars smoke their cigarettes on screen. In short, Corporate shills.
Keep your hands off NPR. I don't listen to anything else.

This is funny. You don't hear anything 'partisan' on NPR, and then you go on an anti-corporate rant. That should indicate to everyone that NPR has a leftist bias. Thanks for pointing that out!

Jeff Spangler wrote:

In our Commonwealth and Nation, foo'ball, NASCAR and Jesus are the driving forces for a populace which is relatively uneducated and uninformed. They are too dumb to appreciate their own delusions and biases, and they resent people who are smarter and better informed. This is cultural warfare.

Guess we should all strive to like you right? The people in our Commonwealth and Nation have enough common sense to realize when the the "smarter and better informed" are full of it. Its those "smarter and better informed" who have gotten us into this mess - they know how to spend "our" money better than we, they know better who deserves "our" money. They know better what is a just cause and what is not. They know better how to mold a society into their own vision so vastly different from the one upon which this country was founded.

You are right about one thing though - this is cultural warfare.

Hopefully wrote:

<quoted text>
Guess we should all strive to like you right? The people in our Commonwealth and Nation have enough common sense to realize when the the "smarter and better informed" are full of it. Its those "smarter and better informed" who have gotten us into this mess - they know how to spend "our" money better than we, they know better who deserves "our" money. They know better what is a just cause and what is not. They know better how to mold a society into their own vision so vastly different from the one upon which this country was founded.
You are right about one thing though - this is cultural warfare.

Bravo! I also have difficulty listening to the bleating of the indoctrinated. Take heart in the fact that their skein of lies is swiftly headed for it's doom. When the government debt bubble collapses, self-reliance is coming back with a vengeance, and their promises will be seen for just exactly what they are.

Disgusted wrote:

Liberal or conservative, I don't want any of my tax money being spent on the support of an ideology that is in opposition to mine.
Let NPR pay their own way and I wont resent what they say however much I disagree.

Agree, like most organizations, let them solicit funds from the public. Our tax dollars should be used to protect our freedoms and promote fee will and most importantly capitalism.