OpinionsEditorials

Penniless Broadcasting System?

editorial cartoon by Yasuyuki Nagasawa
editorial cartoon by Yasuyuki Nagasawa

With only .0003 percent of the U.S. federal budget going toward the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), why would the 104th Congress want to kill it? By cutting out the funding, it will not help the federal deficit, rather it will sink the already troubled ship of such CPB fledglings like the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Although the amount the government pumps into the corporation is just 17 percent of its overall funding, the monies are important because they are used to start new PBS shows. Without it, many stations, especially ones in small communities, will not be able to run because they often do not have corporate backers like GTE or a strong local base of viewers to support them.

The Republican-dominated Congress has not been clear with its “Contract with America” for the exception of eliminating federal funding that they consider frivolous like CPB and the National Endowment of the Arts. They believe that eliminating the funding will not only help the deficit, but that the CPB will be able to stay afloat.
The Campus Times not only finds both these arguments false, but feels that the real motive of the Republican effort is to strike at the heart of the liberals. According to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, those who want to keep CPB running are “a small group of elitists who want to tax all the American people so they get to spend the money.”

Those who want to keep the corporation afloat are people who grew up on Sesame Street or enjoy listening to educational radio. Congress is foolishly portraying the CPB as a luxury. They believe that the only persons who watch PBS are wealthy elitists. This is not the case. According to a Jan. 31 Los Angeles Times article, 60 percent of households watching PBS make under $40,000 a year. This means more lower class families watch PBS than wealthy ones.

The Campus Times urges all who support PBS and public radio to contact their U.S. Congressional Representative. While this area’s House Representative, David Dreier, does support PBS, he is willing to cut it to soothe his mentor, Gingrich.

Dreier can be reached at United States House of Representatives, Washington D.C., 20515. Gingrich can be contacted at the same address, or via e-mail at GEORGIA06@HOUSE.HR.GOV. California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer may be reached at United States Senate, Washington D.C., 20510.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

Yasuyuki Nagasawa (above) and Lisa Scott are the two artists whose ideas of painting a mural last spring were snubbed due to controversy on where to paint it. The wall behind Nagasawa was the original site for the mural. / photo by Veero Der-Karabetian
Yasuyuki Nagasawa
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