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Joined: Jun 2005
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I honestly can't believe what Congress wants to do. They are trying to get rid of one of my kids favorite shows - Sesame Street!

My 4 young ones love PBS shows. And I like that they aren't bombarded with commercials while they watch the Cookie Monster.

If you're like me you know that these educational and fun shows on PBS are important to our children's development.

Well, the House of Representatives is about to vote on whether to cut federal funding for public broadcasting by 45 percent -- the largest cuts in history.

And the House will also vote on whether to ELIMINATE funding for the Ready to Learn program, which supports educational and commercial-free children's programming on public television including SESAME STREET.

If you would rather have your hard earned tax dollars go to BIG BIRD instead of TOBACCO LOBBYIST then let your Congressperson know. Let your voice be heard.

Call and email your member of Congress and let him or her know where you stand.

To find your representative in the House go here:

http://www.house.gov/

You can also go here and sign a petition that will be sent to both your House and Senate Representatives.

Tell your family, friends, co-workers across the country and ask them to let the House know how they feel.

If you wish to express your opinion on this issue, you must act soon. The House of Representatives could take final action on these cuts by Wednesday, June 22.

Tell your representative he or she won't be able to count on your vote if they eliminate The Count.

Tell your rep to leave our kids alone! Tell them to pick on someone their own size!!!

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That is what is so confusing to me about Pres. Bush. He was so gung ho about his No Child Left Behind program but funding is being cut to a simple thing like Public programming. And he also spoke of everyone should have the chance to get a college education....funding was cut to the grant programs and the work study program ( i recieve both right now to get myself through college.)


Jeanette Stingley - Women's Lit
http://womenslit.bellaonline.com
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Unfortunately these things aren't black and white. I don't know what Bush personally believes about public broadcasting, but I've read that one of the reasons they want to do away with it is a liberal slant to the news shows. If they want to get rid of a liberal slant in the media they'll have to go after much bigger fish than PBS.

I also don't think congress considers Sesame Street and their other "ready to learn" shows as unimportant, they're just victims of politics. They don't have the budget of a big lobby group (who have way too much influence in gov't). If the politicians could get their personal agendas out of the way and do what they're supposed to do - work for the people they represent, we wouldn't have quite so many problems like these.

Fortunately, I think our voices have been heeded on this issue and, if I'm not mistaken, those cuts have been changed.

Our gov't better wake up and smell the coffee - if they keep cutting funding to educational programs and schools, they're going to ruin our future, and their retirement!

Last edited by WestCoastEditor; 07/16/05 05:28 PM.
Joined: Aug 2005
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I think Congress has finally gotten fed up with PBS's sob story about not having enough money to run their children's programs when they rake in the cash with all the merchandise associated with their shows. Free money is always good, but PBS doesn't need the money like it says it does. The money that Elmo dolls bring in alone probably pays for the network with money to spare.

My kids like the PBS shows, too, but I certainly don't think it's a necessity for my kids to learn. I would also wager that the CEO and other bigwigs of PBS are just as rich as the ones of NBC. That's where the "Elmo" money goes, huh?

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I know I am getting here a little late and by this time Congress has approved the funding for PBS once again. There are some problems with Breezy's statements that I would like to clarify as well...

1. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit, which means the money it takes in has to go to improve itself. It takes in revenues in the millions compared to the other networks who take in in the billions.

2. While the CEo of PBS makes $500,000 in salaries and bonuses, the CEOs of other networks make multi-millions.

3. At issue was never that PBS doesn't need the money. The reason Congress was looking to cut funding to PBS was because they felt that PBS has too liberal of a slant, rather than a "balanced schedule" that presented both liberal and conservative programming. At the center of the issue was the Bill Moyers program and an episode of Arthur that included a family with two moms. Congress felt these two programs were so liberal that they negated any conservative programs.

4. The revenue generated by the Elmo dolls actually belongs to the non-profit Sesame Workshop, who uses these revenues from the sale of merchandise to fund educational programs around the world. So the Elmo money ACTUALLY goes to children!!!

Imagine that! The REAL reason for cutting funding is politics, not lack of need. Sometimes information is a dangerous thing...


Moderated by  Amy - Preschool Education 

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