In an interview with Fortune, Mitt Romney admitted that one of the ways he will reduce government spending is to cut all funding for PBS.
Romney was asked by Fortune where he would cut government spending, and he answered, “There are three major areas I have focused on for reduction in spending. These are in many cases reductions which become larger and larger over time. So first there are programs I would eliminate. Obamacare being one of them but also various subsidy programs — the Amtrak subsidy, the PBS subsidy, the subsidy for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities. Some of these things, like those endowment efforts and PBS I very much appreciate and like what they do in many cases, but I just think they have to strand (sic) on their own rather than receiving money borrowed from other countries, as our government does on their behalf.”
Mitt Romney was essentially telling Elmo and the rest of Sesame Street to stop being a bunch of bums and get a job. Mitt Romney’s vision for America includes the death of Amtrak, slashed funding for the arts and humanities, and a privatized PBS.
If you want to know what PBS would like without government funding turn on A&E, History Channel, or the ever oxymoronic Learning Channel. These networks have been long held up by Republicans as the private sector alternative to PBS, but look at the programming that these channels actually contain. Would Sesame Street be replaced with Pawn Stars? Instead of Antiques Roadshow, how about Storage Wars? Replace Downton Abbey with Toddlers and Tiaras.
PBS gets to be PBS because they don’t have to be concerned with ratings. Their goal is to produce top notch programming. Can you imagine Nova being replaced with Mythbusters? In Mitt Romney’s America, that is exactly what would happen. Romney’s vision sounds like it could have been spoken by any number of House Republicans. His lack of independent thought reveals a candidate that is still trying to pander to his base.
If Mitt Romney is elected president, public broadcasting will cease to exist. PBS will become a for profit commercial venture that will succumb to the corporate agenda.
If Mitt Romney has his way, it will be goodbye Big Bird, hello reality television. Mitt Romney doesn’t see the value of public television, which is one the reasons why voters are likely to not see the value in Mitt Romney.
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David R. Kruse
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
I use Amtrak. Republicans will do anything to keep us dependant on dirty oil. Cut PBS and educational funding for the poor. They want us dumb so we don’t realize that they’re saying absolutely nothing in their speeches.
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David K. M. Klaus
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
You picked a bad example in a NOVA/MYTHBUSTERS dichotomy. The presenters on both shows consider themselves colleagues and friends, and their shows both deal with actual science.
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lindsay
Aug. 17th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Except that … one you have to pay for and listen to corporate sponsers selling their products and one is free to anyone who has a tv. Romney, once again, wants to disenfranchise the poor.
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Bobby
Aug. 20th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Also, while both NOVA and Mythbusters are great, and I love both, there IS more hard science and less of a focus on entertainment in NOVA, and more just letting the science entertain you.
I have NOTHING against Mythbusters and I love it, but I also love Harry Potter and think it has much more literary merit than many give it credit for, but I don’t want it to replace Shakespeare.
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Terry
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
PBS is like 5 cents of the budget. It’s just nonsense.
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Roy
Aug. 17th, 2012 at 8:11 am
You’re right, Terry but most people won’t bother to do the math. They only care about the politics.
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thedrakester
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
PBS/NPR is about .001% of our national budget.
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Rich
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
PBS raises money to supplement government help. Mitt would make them do telethons every day.
I suggest the top 2% do without their tax break and then the other 98% of us can watch PBS and no they are not pandering.
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Reynardine
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
If it’s of any benefit to the youpeople, they’ll cut it on principle.
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Rocky in texas said...
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
“Us People” the “Small Minded Ones” Demand 2 C the Tax Returns.
My guess is that the Romney’s are Tax Frauds.
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calma60
Aug. 16th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Let’s cut subsidies to big oil. Let’s make regulations that really regulate speculation on Wall Street. Let’s cut tax breaks to people who make zillions by using loopholes not available to the average person.
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badlandangel
Aug. 17th, 2012 at 3:12 am
Seriously, my husband works in the oilfield, along with thousands of other men that provide for their families with that income. At least we are helping to use our own natural resources instead of depending on foreign oil and gas. We are in a lose/lose situation.. without his job, my 8 children, who might I say have grown up watching PBS kids, will be left to starve and have no kind of healthcare. The oil field provides jobs and security for many families like my own, its a job. We still live pay check to pay check, we don’t make millions of dollars but we survive. As of now, things are looking bad for not just my family but yours too if the freeze our natural resources.. Gas prices will sky rocket. How will u get to work and back without Trains, Planes and auto mobiles?
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Obama2012!HOLLA
Aug. 29th, 2012 at 11:06 am
The hell are you talking about…this is about PBS, not your little pity party.
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fedded-up
Aug. 17th, 2012 at 8:59 am
Cutting big oil subsidies is not going to shut down US production. It just means that instead of clearing multi-billions each quarter in profit, they might lose a few million…maybe. I doubt they would be affected at all, EXCEPT they would scream bloody murder and threaten all kinds of absurdities. Actually shutting down US production? Nah, they’re not stupid enough to do something drastic enough to merit being nationalized.
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Paul Wilson
Aug. 17th, 2012 at 9:31 am
What we seem to forget in this country is that the Arts have _never_ paid for themselves. Government has _always supported the Arts, going back to the Greeks. And where would Shakespeare have been without the patronage of Queen Elizabeth? Michaelangelo and the Vatican? Mozart and the Emperor of Austria?
If you want “art” that pays for itself, what you get is the TWILIGHT series or SHADES OF GREY or superhero movie franchises or everything else on television _besides_ PBS.
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Churchlady
Aug. 17th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
And if you leave history to the HIstory Channel you will get crap the likes of which you cannot imagine!
I have the dubious distinction of having helped produce a major piece of shit for them. We did not KNOW that it was going to be so awful, but the end piece was dreadful. Asked to review it, we made copious edits – not one suggestion was taken. Lucky for me, they misspelled my name. Whew!
Now if you watch, you, too can get such important breathtaking insights as “Secret Codes in the Bible”, “Evidence of Nostradamus’ Prophecy”, “Insights into the Mayan Calendar and End of the World.”
It’s history via the National Inquirer. How long before the religious right purges discussions of slavery, immigrants, women and all other topics that occasionally see the light of day on A&E, the History Channel, TLC when they make the mistake of airing something well done?
Sorry if Mitt et al. don’t like accurate portrayals of reality, but y’know – truth counts. If I’ve had to support 40 years of lying, scheming, manipulative policies on war, imperial aggression, etc., they can fund Elmo.
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Diana Baskin
Aug. 21st, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Who will vote for this clown. He doesn’t care about any of us. Amtrak, PBS?? Good thing he can’t cut our air or charge us for it. We would all be dead.
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mpell
Aug. 27th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Seriously comparing Sesame Street to Amtrak? I have tried to ride Amtrak with my family it it was disgusting, overcrowded, late! PBS has constant fundraising events….they don’t need to be funded by the geovernment. Nor does Planned Parenthood. They have plenty of money in their coffers! Romney is right….this is something that can be cut…let the fundraisers pay for it!
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