[mousepod]

For the record, I give money every year to my local public radio station (KQED) because I enjoy the programming. I also pay for Sirius radio almost exclusively for Howard Stern. They're not mutually exclusive.

However, I ceased giving money to public tv years ago. With the exception of one or two shows, the programming doesn't do it for me. Perhaps when I have kids, I'll donate something to keep commercials out of Sesame Street.

Have you ever noticed that the great documentaries that they play on Public Television during the pledge drives are usually edited? The versions that you get on DVD in exchange for a pledge are almost always longer. That alone is enough to tick me off.

As I get older, I find that I am more of a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. Exactly like neither of the two parties.

This story makes me neither happy nor sad. I guess I'd be happy if the sweeping cuts were less biased. It just shows how ugly the government really is. Come to think of it, maybe I am sad. But not for the "right" reasons.