That is, they are to promote by establishing patent and copyright laws, not by providing broadcasting companies for the masses. Patents and copyrights encourage the creative instincts of creative people. CPB just picks what it likes and encourages THAT, as does every other broadcasting company.

You like your local station? Great. Encourage them to sell advertising and cough up some cash to keep them on the air. If they’ve got a quality product that appeals to people they won’t have any problem staying on the air.

Not one freaking nickle to NPR, PBS or any other “arts” leach currently attached to my wallet.

I also like PBS. I love history and watch the history channel and PBS history programming. They also have some good music shows

I thought the constitution gave Congress the power to “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts”. I consider music to be a useful Art. And the airways are for the “common good”.

I think if the Republicans stop funding NPR, then the leftists will want to start the fairness doctrine again. I don’t know about anyone else’s radio stations, but Rush and Hannity and Levin are all on general over the air broadcast stations here. I don’t have satellite radio anyway and couldn’t afford it if I wanted it.

I’ve been underemployed for a long time. I don’t have a problem with funding the arts. I think it is an important aspect of a civil society.

I would rather have congress be focused on fiscal and global competitive matters. I’ve been taking some college business courses and in every class I hear about how China is kicking our butts in business. And that when it comes to oil, the arabs and africans like China better and so if there are any shortages, they will sell to the Chinese and not us and that will kill all our businesses because they are all dependent on cheap energy.

We need to stop borrowing from China so they don’t own us and start working on beating them globally.

Funding NPR is such as tiny issue. If our Congress was useful they wouldn’t even be discussing it. They should be developing long term tax and trade policies to incentivize our business competitiveness so we can kick China’s butt.

This in a year when the deficit is 1,500 billions of dollars. Subsidies to public broadcasting cost half a billion of that.

But they are unnecessary subsidies. Why don’t we privatize public broadcasting? It has the makings of one of the nation’s most successful private media companies.

It serves an easily defined niche market.
Imagine how much it could sell in campaign ads during election years.
Its advertising customers are obvious: Apple, Starbucks, upscale store chains, Lands End, LL Bean, etc etc.

Its IPO if handled correctly would gather investors from all the large charitable foundations. Tell me that the Pew Memorial Trust, or the MacArthur Foundation, and numerous others like them wouldnt be buyers in the deal.

So would every other OFA card carrying liberal family around.

Given the size of the debt problem, what’s so bad with a) raising a sum of cash by selling the asset, and b) eliminating a drain on the Treasury?

Who defends them as being fair and unbiased in any way? The Left does.

If they were NOT biased, it wouldn’t work that way.

I rest my case.

That has been true for many years–high pay and perhaps only a few hours of academic work per week. Maybe they’re being paid for the consulting business they bring into their university system.

Threadjack authorized.

3/10/11, “Secretly recorded phone calls cast NPR fundraiser in unflattering light,” Washington Post, Paul Farhi, 10:38pm

“Betsy Liley, NPR’s senior director of institutional giving, made the comments to a man posing as a trustee of a fictitious Muslim charity, which the man had said had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Egypt-based group that has suspected ties to terrorists. “…

* In the 11th paragraph, the Washington Post finally reveals the lede (ed.):

“NPR put Liley on administrative leave as a result of the video. “…

On a separate, but related note, (not intending to threadjack), but your addition of Prof. Lichtenstein’s comments made me think of something I heard on my local radio in my state. Our local lawmakers are looking into the ridiculous salaries that college professors make for teaching very little and why we are paying them.

Ahhh.. it is great to live in a red state!