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Originally Posted by scaeagles
Regarding PBS, why should the government spend anything on it? Let the free market decide if it should survive. It provides no service that cannot be found elsewhere in the free market.
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Oh, that's just because a generation ago the silly powers that be decided that we needed a little more culture and world-view in our lives. The three all powerful networks were dishing out the same stupid game shows and soap operas, and there was very little children's programming. New, innovative shows such as Sesame Street and imports like Upstairs, Downstairs, etc, had very little chance to get on the Big Three. You may not agree with PBS's existence, at least the slight amount of public funding they get, but we all owe them a huge debt. Sometime when I'm bored I'll get a list of shows that you would know, and might not have were it not for PBS.
PBS is largely driven by private citizen donations and corporate sponsors. The small amount of government funding is a bargain, especially for what we have gotten in return. Remember, Scaeagles- every great nation has encouraged arts and culture- those that don't, aren't.
Personally, I will be forever grateful to PBS. Were it not for them, I might not have developed my love of all things Python, and I never would have seen such great shows as Faulty Towers, Dr. Who, The Black Adder, The Red Dwarf, and so on.