My mom wrote a funny letter to rep. John Boehner

We'll see... A LOT of things we thought would never happen have come to pass. THAT is how freedoms are lost.

 

OK man, OK, you are right, even though public braodcasting has been around for years with it's alleged liberal bias, soon the multi-billion dollar private media is going to go under and public braodcasting is going to start being the voice of a totalitarian regime.

Please.

 

No, they will not go under. They will BROADCAST the message (Fox news, MSNBC, etc., etc.). You really think taking over mass comm is hard?! That's the EASY part. Already they are scared to death of the FCC. What about when the government stops saying what they CANNOT broadcast and starts telling them what they CAN. All I am saying is, eventually, this will happen. Look at history. Look at what the government is currently doing. I am not saying this will happen next year, or even next decade, but mark my words, it WILL happen. IF history and current events are any indication. And government funded broadcasting will be the vanguard. Try to minimize or marginalize it if you want, but it will happen. It has happened in other "free" and "open" societies. I sincerely do hope you are right. But I really doubt it.

 

I think your mom is smart lady. I like her style.

What is disturbing is that people who whole-heartedly support the reason for poverty, have started to "care" about the exploited people, without really wanting to solve the problem..

I think your mom is great for standing up against the rightwing extremists in your society, but I don't believe liberalism will be they way to go. Democrats are still just puppets for the capitalist class.

 

....i guess thats why no one responded to me huh? yall are narrow minded idiots who go crazy when someone doesnt agree with your views that will never happen. the truth hurts hippy boy

 

It's public television. The government is of by and for the people. Thus, the government is public. That's the idea. PBS recieves a lot of private funding from corporations and viewers, but also need government funding. It's part of what keeps it from being like...every other channel out there. It's a freer atmosphere for such things, not having to be flashy and sparkly like most of the rest of tv. They can have real content because they aren't trying to sell themselves as much. Private TV channels have to attract advertizers, PBS doesn't as much.

Anyways, great letter, though I'm not sure what your mother seeks to accomplish with it.

 

Licencing is the only control that the Government has over either Commercial or Public broadcasting.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is nothing more than a grant-agency; no different than the National Endowment for the Arts, or the National Science Foundation.

They have no power to dictate, but merely award grants to non-profit cultural and educational programming that serves the interest of the Public.

PBS and NPR apply for, and receive many such grants; that's all there is to that.

Moreover, all the broadcast frequencies in our nation are owned by the Public whether they be commercial or non-commercial.

Congress has set-aside specific broadcast frequencies, all across this nation, for non-commercial Public use only, and are protected from commercial hustlers.

These broadcast frequencies are mostly licenced to institutions of higher-education to help educate the general Public.

They give a broader and more in-depth annalysis of every story they cover.

However, to Conservative America, any in-depth annalysis will appear biased against their narrow world-view, and will always be a threat.

A threat to the Alpha-Males of money and power who are the focus of every Conservative's latent homosexual school-girl crush.

 

If PBS is so great, why don't they earn thier own damm money.


Marilyn Manson doesnt get any subsidy, why should Big Bird?

 

Because its "Public" Broadcasting, not Private broadcasting. Its meant to the voice of the nation, not the mouthpiece of corporate interest (the way all supposedly "free" press was intended to be and has ceased being thanks to media empire conglomeration).

Try looking at how many "Private" big money industries get handed millions, indeed billions, in tax dollar "subsidies" (aka corporate welfare) by the federal government and then go on to market their products for their own exclusive corporate profit, no return to the people of the nation (apart from the select few who hold the bulk of the stock). Thats where your real extortion of the public is coming from.

 

quote: However, to Conservative America, any in-depth annalysis will appear biased against their narrow world-view, and will always be a threat

Exactly, any coverage of real, but negative issues is now called liberal bias......

It would be pretty hard to scrape up a positive yet important news story these days.


quote: Try looking at how many "Private" big money industries get handed millions, indeed billions, in tax dollar "subsidies" (aka corporate welfare)

Yep, like the piss poor US airline industry.

 

Even PBS doesn't broadcast "hard" news anymore. Any journalist with any balls -- or in any way concerned with ethics and truth -- has been forced to the exile of the internet.

But they do have the only decent children's programming...and they don't subject children to flashy advertising that gives them ADD.

 

A bit off topic, but if you like Larry David, check out his hilarious blog from after Bush' speech last night.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/featuredposts.html#a003287

 

I don't get how that thing works...the only name I see there that is even close to Larry David is Laurie David.

Explanation, please? Cause I wanna see this.

 

sorry, they moved his blog:

try this. If it doesn't work use the old one and scroll down-his is listed in the middle of all those names in red at the bottom.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/larry-david/the-roving-thoughts-of-a-_3287.html

 

Yup, that link is it.

Thanks.

 

Screw:


Anything can be done better by the private sector??

Not always.

ENRON is a case in point. Private companies can be and are just as corrupt as a government.

I don't believe government should run our lives, but we do elect them, so they should do something for us, right? Privatizing everything is not the answer.

I find conservatives funny. They hate the government, think it should do squat for us, and want everything to be privatized -- yet, are more than willing to follow Bush and get angry when liberals criticise the government! Unbelievable!

 

most of the people in here did discriminate against listen to screw. i even saw a comment that could be considered racist. just because you don't like his views doesn't mean you have to discriminate against him. texas isn't a totally bad state. Paul begala comes from texas.

i do think that government should fund pbs and other programs similar to pbs. i remember growing up on pbs. i learned from all of their programs. it would make me want to learn in school.

 

government funding would also prevent pbs from becoming a place where companies load all of their advertising on children ages 5 to 12