George takes a swipe at Big Bird

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by JWBear

Ignore. Duplicate post.

(Why did the board add a second post when I went to edit the original???)

You probably hit quite instead and didn't realize it (I do that a lot).

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

The protection of our country is one of the only constitutionally mandated functions of the feds.

If only there was any proof that the billions of dollars we put into Iraq are actually protecting us from any real threat. We aren't one tiny bit safer due to this war. If anything, we have made things worse.

Meanwhile, we are perfectly fine cutting the arts, cutting medicare, cutting student loans, etc.

It is downright sickening.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

This, of course, does not mean there is not waste and/or corruption.

When literally billions of dollars are wasted because congress insists on building more stealth bombers, despited the Air Force's insistence that they don't need any more (old example, but true and illustrative of how big of a military waste problem we have), I have a hard time swallowing the insistence that the CPB is the first place to start looking for budget cuts. Cutting $50 million may cripple public broadcasting, and will do next to nothing to restore spending order. Cutting several billion dollars of fat out of the military will barely register and would actually make a noticeable dent in spending. One word...priorities.

[MickeyLumbo]

i have donated to PBS in the past because i love the programing. i watch frequently...in fact several times in the past week. i give when i can...the appeals suck me in and i feel obliged.

following Katrina, i donated a hefty sum to the ASPCA. since that time, the mailings, calendars, t-shirts, and sometimes more than one slick-mailing in a week has me reconsidering donating to non-profits.

i realize the execs need a salary and that they appeal to their "base" of previous donors... but damn... i'd bet the stuff they have mailed me since my contribution nearly negates what i gave.

PBS does sends me mailings every few weeks ... and it is such a waste of money.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by MickeyLumbo

PBS does sends me mailings every few weeks ... and it is such a waste of money.

The cost of such mailings is paltry compared to the return they get, else they wouldn't be doing it. That said, I'm sure you could contact them and ask them not to send mailings to you.

[MickeyLumbo]

too much fun on LoT to accomplish things like writing out bills or sending a letter or grocery shopping. why have you made LoT so wonderful? damn you.

[Prudence]

I could support the government getting out of the content business if they would fully get out of the content business and stop whinging about boobies on the telly.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Prudence

I could support the government getting out of the content business if they would fully get out of the content business and stop whinging about boobies on the telly.

Indeed we need public bandwidth set aside for specifically for porn - Why should the poor be expected to pay for something the rest of us take for granted?

[Alex]

Just for the record, I hardly consider getting rid of the CPB to be a high priority. If given access to the red pen there are plenty of places (including parts of the defense budget) where I'd start with much greater impact.

But just because I disagree with the prioritization of this cut doesn't mean I don't support the cut.

€uroMeinke, if Firefly is revived but instead of being on broadcast television (as it was the first time, on Fox) it is on the SciFi channel, should I get a goverment check to help me upgrade my cable to the package that includes SciFi channel.

As I said, I have no problem with the government guaranteeing a channel (through reserved spectrum space) but that isn't accomplished through CPB. They're providing content (and giving out grants for the design of the CPB annual report).

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

As I said, I have no problem with the government guaranteeing a channel (through reserved spectrum space) but that isn't accomplished through CPB. They're providing content (and giving out grants for the design of the CPB annual report).

I get that - but, I guess I don't see the spectrum being preserved what with all the giant media company mergers. So given that the regulatory bodies in place don't seem to be accomplishing what I think their objective should be, that makes me knee-jerk protectionist for my pork barrel funding.

So yeah, if the governemnt is preventing your programming on getting onto our public spectrum, then I think they should give you a Sci-Fi channel voucher.