Save PBS (and more importantly, NOVA/FRONTLINE)!

[0roo0roo]

..

 

[rudder]

Why can't PBS use all that money from merchandise? Where does it go? Tickle me Elmo probably racked in millions upon millions of dollars for Sesame Street. What about the clothes I buy for my kids that have Sesame Street characters?

 

[0roo0roo]

well...they don't get all their funding from the government.

 

[Linflas]

No thanks. If this was 1970 I might be worried about this. Given the huge number of media outlets available over the air, cable, and satellite perhaps it is time that PBS sink or swim on its own. If PBS received no government subsidy I might actually contribute during one of their quarterly begathons but since they are currently getting my tax dollars I feel no obligation to do so at this time.

 

[shilala]

Fvck PBS. We need that money to kill Iraqis.

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: shilala
Fvck PBS. We need that money to kill Iraqis.

lmao

 

[Torghn]

Originally posted by: Linflas
No thanks. If this was 1970 I might be worried about this. Given the huge number of media outlets available over the air, cable, and satellite perhaps it is time that PBS sink or swim on its own. If PBS received no government subsidy I might actually contribute during one of their quarterly begathons but since they are currently getting my tax dollars I feel no obligation to do so at this time.

 

[43st]

Check this out = On the Media transcript.

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: Linflas
No thanks. If this was 1970 I might be worried about this. Given the huge number of media outlets available over the air, cable, and satellite perhaps it is time that PBS sink or swim on its own. If PBS received no government subsidy I might actually contribute during one of their quarterly begathons but since they are currently getting my tax dollars I feel no obligation to do so at this time.

You know people have to pay something seperate for each of those other huge number of media outlets.

And doesn't the fact that they have begathons say something about the size of the gov cut they receive?

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Linflas
No thanks. If this was 1970 I might be worried about this. Given the huge number of media outlets available over the air, cable, and satellite perhaps it is time that PBS sink or swim on its own. If PBS received no government subsidy I might actually contribute during one of their quarterly begathons but since they are currently getting my tax dollars I feel no obligation to do so at this time.

well actually its because of the begathons that the subsidy is relatively small.

a begathon only channel isn't realistic. and pbs supported by commercials destroys the whole point really.

its a public service. i mean why don't we close down the libraries now too. we have bookstores everywhere.. these days.. you can just go buy the book eh? the libraries sure aren't paying their way.

anyways, makes you wonder if any of you cheap bastards benifit from government subsidized programs for the public good. like public universities and grants/loans. a good chunk of atot is college students. how about you pay the full price of your education eh? everyone should get an ivy league size tuition bill

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: Thera
Check this out = On the Media transcript.

:thumbsup:

 

[Torghn]

My biggest problem with PBS is freedom and choice. I should be able to choose what media my money goes to fund. Currently I have no choice in the matter. They force me to pay for it whether I want it or not. I realize there are somethings we just don't have a say about but what TV channels we pay for shouldn't be one of them.

 

[NewSc2]

Originally posted by: Torghn
My biggest problem with PBS is freedom and choice. I should be able to choose what media my money goes to fund. Currently I have no choice in the matter. They force me to pay for it whether I want it or not. I realize there are somethings we just don't have a say about but what TV channels we pay for shouldn't be one of them.

you don't want to fund programs for children like Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow and educational programs for adults like Nova? Sure, you may not watch them, but they are a great benefit to a lot of kids and adults out there, thus bringing up quality of life for America in general.

 

[43st]

Originally posted by: Torghn
My biggest problem with PBS is freedom and choice. I should be able to choose what media my money goes to fund. Currently I have no choice in the matter. They force me to pay for it whether I want it or not. I realize there are somethings we just don't have a say about but what TV channels we pay for shouldn't be one of them.

Yeah and I should be able to pick what targets the bombs I purchase get dropped on.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Torghn
My biggest problem with PBS is freedom and choice. I should be able to choose what media my money goes to fund. Currently I have no choice in the matter. They force me to pay for it whether I want it or not. I realize there are somethings we just don't have a say about but what TV channels we pay for shouldn't be one of them.

its just a smoke screen. the republicans know the problems of social security and medicare dwarf all other funding problems but they don't have the balls to do anything real about it. they have no one to blame when controlling all 3 branches of government, so they choose to distract by attacking big bird

as for choosing what to fund. i'd rather blue state money not be redistributed as welfare for the red states, but well..thats not gonna change any time soon.

and i'm sure a hell of a lot of people aren't happy that billions of dollars are going into bushies wars. complaining about pbs is bullsh*t really.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: NewSc2

Originally posted by: Torghn
My biggest problem with PBS is freedom and choice. I should be able to choose what media my money goes to fund. Currently I have no choice in the matter. They force me to pay for it whether I want it or not. I realize there are somethings we just don't have a say about but what TV channels we pay for shouldn't be one of them.

you don't want to fund programs for children like Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow and educational programs for adults like Nova? Sure, you may not watch them, but they are a great benefit to a lot of kids and adults out there, thus bringing up quality of life for America in general.

yup. i don't use many libraries right now. but its nice to know kids have the choice to go use one instead of say... watching stupid sh*t on tv or smoking crack corporate media has proven itself as corrupting sh*t when it comes to news and information. and so called educational corporate tv is mostly dumbed down..like discovery channel.

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: Torghn
My biggest problem with PBS is freedom and choice. I should be able to choose what media my money goes to fund. Currently I have no choice in the matter. They force me to pay for it whether I want it or not. I realize there are somethings we just don't have a say about but what TV channels we pay for shouldn't be one of them.

You don't get to choose what books the library orders either, but people are thankful for your tax dollars going to pay for those books.

I am. Our money is well spent too, I believe, in this case at least.


edit: dangit... now there's too many compairisons to the library...

 

[CPA]

No.

 

[Linflas]

Comparing public libraries to PBS is comparing apples to oranges. When the public libraries start publishing books at taxpayer expense to compete with books published by for profit publishers then there might be some basis for comparison.

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: Linflas
Comparing public libraries to PBS is comparing apples to oranges. When the public libraries start publishing books at taxpayer expense to compete with books published by for profit publishers then there might be some basis for comparison.

I don't think that's accurate. PBS and NPR are public information services just like the library.

PBS is not trying to make a profit.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Linflas
Comparing public libraries to PBS is comparing apples to oranges. When the public libraries start publishing books at taxpayer expense to compete with books published by for profit publishers then there might be some basis for comparison.

ugh, public libraries give free access to books and thus compete with bookstores that sell the books for profit. but we consider the public good of libraries over the profits of the publishers and bookstores. so of course theres a basis for comparison. most institutions for the public good aren't for profit, or even pay for themselves in any way in terms of plain dollars. whether its education, research, military or elections but without these our country and society are clearly poorer for it. its penny wise pound foolish.

how about we ebay our government positions to the highest bidder. fill our coffers it would.

 

[Torghn]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: Linflas
Comparing public libraries to PBS is comparing apples to oranges. When the public libraries start publishing books at taxpayer expense to compete with books published by for profit publishers then there might be some basis for comparison.

ugh, public libraries give free access to books and thus compete with bookstores that sell the books for profit. but we consider the public good of libraries over the profits of the publishers and bookstores. so of course theres a basis for comparison. most institutions for the public good aren't for profit, or even pay for themselves in any way in terms of plain dollars. whether its education, research, military or elections but without these our country and society are clearly poorer for it.

how about we ebay our government positions to the highest bidder. fill our coffers it would.

Yes but libraries are part of Local government. If you want to have your property taxes pay for libraries I couldn't care less. If I don't want my taxes to pay for libraries I'll take it up with my LOCAL government. There are some places that don't have public libraries, and that is their choice. If a county or even a state wants to fund PBS good for them, just don't force me to do it, or at least let me vote on it first.

 

[novon]

Message sent to representative! Stupid government trying to take the last good source of news off the air.

 

[Zanix]

Originally posted by: Torghn

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: Linflas
Comparing public libraries to PBS is comparing apples to oranges. When the public libraries start publishing books at taxpayer expense to compete with books published by for profit publishers then there might be some basis for comparison.

ugh, public libraries give free access to books and thus compete with bookstores that sell the books for profit. but we consider the public good of libraries over the profits of the publishers and bookstores. so of course theres a basis for comparison. most institutions for the public good aren't for profit, or even pay for themselves in any way in terms of plain dollars. whether its education, research, military or elections but without these our country and society are clearly poorer for it.

how about we ebay our government positions to the highest bidder. fill our coffers it would.

Yes but libraries are part of Local government. If you want to have your property taxes pay for libraries I couldn't care less. If I don't want my taxes to pay for libraries I'll take it up with my LOCAL government. There are some places that don't have public libraries, and that is their choice. If a county or even a state wants to fund PBS good for them, just don't force me to do it, or at least let me vote on it first.

Stronger local gov, weaker federal. A true conservative. I agree with you, but I wonder if this could be implemented in such a fasion.

Michigan public radio hosts NPR, I wonder how it works for PBS.

 

[azazyel]

NOVA has some of my favorite shows, many which I have purchased. The one on the Vikings was great!

This should be a good one too..

World in the Balance: China Revs Up?June 21 at 8 pm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/