Can The GOP Finally Defund NPR?

[red states rule]

Given the soaring budget deficits and the total waste of taxpayer money - will the GOP finally step up and cut off the ATM card for NPR?





For years, Republicans have wanted to cut off federal funding for National Public Radio. They tried and failed in the 1990s, but now, with a new GOP majority in the House, they're ready to try again. It's still a long shot, but they have a fighting chance. There are two reasons House Republicans are more optimistic than before: concern over federal spending and the lingering fallout from NPR's decision to fire commentator Juan Williams.

"We're running annual deficits of over a trillion dollars," says Rep. Doug Lamborn, the Colorado Republican who has written a new bill to defund NPR. "With 500 cable TV channels, Internet on people's cell phones, satellite radio, we have so many sources of media that we don't need a government-subsidized source of media."

Lamborn introduced an NPR-defunding bill last year but couldn't get much support. That changed in October when NPR fired Williams for confessing that he sometimes gets nervous when people in Muslim garb board airplanes. "Before the Juan Williams issue came up, it really wasn't on a lot of people's radar screens," says Lamborn. "People said, 'Oh, you can't go against Big Bird.' "

The "Big Bird" argument -- that defunding public broadcasting would kill beloved programming like "Sesame Street" -- is the oldest plea in the book for defenders of government-funded media. But Lamborn's narrowly focused bill is aimed specifically at NPR, and not at all of public broadcasting.

Still, cutting off federal money just to NPR is a complicated task. There isn't any congressional appropriation that says "Funds for NPR." Instead, federal money goes to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which received $420 million from the government in 2010. About $90 million of that went to public radio. The corporation gave part of that $90 million to NPR, and part of it to local public radio stations, which turned around and used the money to buy NPR programming. NPR has also gotten money from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Departments of Education and Commerce.

How much federal money, all told, does NPR receive? Lamborn doesn't know. "The funding is so convoluted and opaque," he says. "We asked the Congressional Research Service to look at the books, and a senior analyst got back to us and said it was like a spaghetti bowl -- those were his exact words." Lamborn has asked the Government Accountability Office to find out for sure.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/01/gop-gears-again-strip-npr-federal-funds#ixzz1B798U3GH

[Gaffer]

Given the soaring budget deficits and the total waste of taxpayer money - will the GOP finally step up and cut off the ATM card for NPR?

Cut them all out and let each one apply for funds individually. Take politics out of public broadcasting.

[red states rule]

Cut them all out and let each one apply for funds individually. Take politics out of public broadcasting.

Cut them off and DENY ANY TAXPAYER MONEY for NPR

If people want to listen to nonstop liberal talk shows let THEM pay for it

No taxpayer money for ANY radio networks. Period

We are broke and we do not have the money

[gabosaurus]

NPR is public radio. That is why it gets government funding. If you don't like the programming, why not work to change it?
The government assigns and controls ALL radio and TV frequencies. Can I ask that the networks that run the conservative talk shows be taken off the air?

Forget NPR. I would rather have the government defund the NRA.

[red states rule]

NPR is public radio. That is why it gets government funding. If you don't like the programming, why not work to change it?
The government assigns and controls ALL radio and TV frequencies. Can I ask that the networks that run the conservative talk shows be taken off the air?

Forget NPR. I would rather have the government defund the NRA.

Why don;t yuse libs have the same attitude when it comes to conservative talk radio? Libs always want to remove their voices from the air and they do not care how they do it

The difference is Gabby - WE ARE BROKE and where in the US Constitution does it say taxpayers must finnance a liberal talk radio network that would never make it on itsown in the private sector?

Remember Air America?

[Gaffer]

NPR is National Progressive Radio, it's not public. It's government owned and run for the purpose of promoting progressive ideals. If it was truly public radio they would have differing opinions with equal time as they want with their fairness doctrine.

[red states rule]

NPR is National Progressive Radio, it's not public. It's government owned and run for the purpose of promoting progressive ideals. If it was truly public radio they would have differing opinions with equal time as they want with their fairness doctrine.

Look how the employees of NPR reacted when the facts came out about the firing of Juan Williams

The libs were not very happy





WaPo: NPR Insiders Furious NPR's 'Capitulating' to Fox News and Others Opposing 'Democracy'
By Tim Graham | January 08, 2011 | 10:32


On Saturday, Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi found that NPR insiders are furious at the forced resignation of Ellen Weiss, the senior vice president for news who so controversially canned Juan Williams. The liberal arrogance of NPR was on full display, that they were the future of "democracy," and Fox News was clearly the enemy of democracy and an independent press:

"We have allowed Fox News to define the debate," wrote Peter Block, a member of the board of Cincinnati Public Radio, in a posting to an e-mail group consisting of public radio managers. He added, "I do not think this kind of capitulation [by NPR] assures the future of an independent press....Democracy is on the line and NPR is one of the last bastions of its possibility."

Farhi added that NPR's ombudsman, Alicia Shepard, also pointed to Fox (less harshly) in her column, that the Williams "incident has become a partisan issue in Washington's hothouse atmosphere, with Republicans (egged on by Fox News) using it as a rallying cry to demand that NPR be 'defunded' by the federal government." Do conservatives need to be "egged on" about NPR's shameless actions?

Farhi's story, focused as it was on NPR insiders being furious, never found a place for a conservative counterpoint. Instead, readers were treated to the "effusive praise" public-radio liberals had for Weiss:

"She's the greatest," said Ira Glass, the host of "This American Life" who worked with Weiss when he started as a 19-year-old employee at NPR (Glass's program is distributed by Public Radio International, an NPR rival). "As a journalist and a manager, she's an ally for everything good in public radio. It's a shame that she's having to go out because of this one decision. It's bad for public radio and bad for everything we believe in as journalists."

Weekend anchor Guy Raz was also explicit in praising Weiss as "legendary" and "an inspiration" for her climb to the top of public radio, where she could shovel the leftist bias with such panache:

Guy Raz, who hosts the weekend edition of "All Things Considered," called Weiss "the finest journalist I ever worked for. . . . She's a pretty legendary figure in the newsroom. For many people, she's an inspiration that you could start at the bottom and make it to the top if you worked hard it. It's a cliche, but she really set the standard for integrity."

Some employees interviewed Friday steered clear of criticizing NPR's upper management, but Raz said there was some anger in the newsroom. "It's a pretty natural reaction," he said. "Yeah, I think we're angry because she was such a good leader. She really knew how to lead this organization," he said.

Farhi left the impression that Weiss was unanimously popular. But NPR ombudsman Shepard reported: "The news rocked the staff, which has been divided about Weiss's leadership. Some questioned whether the punishment fit the crime. Some quietly rejoiced."


Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2011/01/08/wapo-npr-insiders-furious-nprs-capitulating-fox-news-and-others-opposing#ixzz1B80zTCEC

[NightTrain]

Forget NPR. I would rather have the government defund the NRA.

And Gabby reveals to the unwashed masses another epiphany!

Tell us how the government funds the NRA.

This should be good.

[red states rule]

And Gabby reveals to the unwashed masses another epiphany!

Tell us how the government funds the NRA.

This should be good.

Oh, how about under George W Bush secret slush funds were set up to fund the NRA and other "extreme" right wing groups

You will notice Gabby left pretty fast when direct questions were asked of her

Anyone surprised?

[NightTrain]

Oh, how about under George W Bush secret slush funds were set up to fund the NRA and other "extreme" right wing groups

You will notice Gabby left pretty fast when direct questions were asked of her

Anyone surprised?

Standard Liberal Procedure:

1) Make asinine comment, assert as fact.

2) Feign surprise that anyone would question the statement.

3) Cherry pick responses, ignore pointed questions to the statement.

4) Disappear.

5) Return at a later date, pretend statement was never made.

6) Pointedly ignore references to original statement, divert attention with NEW asinine comment asserted as fact.

7) Rinse and Repeat.

[red states rule]

Standard Liberal Procedure:

1) Make asinine comment, assert as fact.

2) Feign surprise that anyone would question the statement.

3) Cherry pick responses, ignore pointed questions to the statement.

4) Disappear.

5) Return at a later date, pretend statement was never made.

6) Pointedly ignore references to original statement, divert attention with NEW asinine comment asserted as fact.

7) Rinse and Repeat.

I got this in an eamil along time ago and I saved it

Hope you enjoy it

Reminds me of Palin Rider, Gabby, Bully, and PB




Liberal Debate Tactics

1) Attack The Messenger: Instead of addressing the argument that has been made, people using this method attack the person making it instead. This is particularly easy for many delusional people on the left who believe that almost everyone on the right is a racist, sexist, homophobic, Fascist who longs for the return of the Confederacy and is planning to start throwing leftists in prison camps if they let their guard down for five minutes. The charge made doesn't even have to be accurate, in fact it's better in some ways if it's off target. That's because the more whacked out the charge is, the more compelled your opponent will feel to spend his time defending himself while you continue to make your points.

2) The Bait & Switch: When a claim is made and your opponent refutes it, don't try to respond, simply change the subject. Example,
Lefty Debater: I think we all know what kind of job George Bush has done with the economy. Right off the bat, he got the economy into a recession.

Conservative Debater: Excuse me, but you're incorrect. The recession started under Bill Clinton, not George Bush.

Lefty Debater: Well what about his tax cuts? They're for the rich, the rich I tell you!

Conservative Debater: What about getting rid of the marriage penalty and increasing the child tax credit? Are you arguing that only rich people get married and have kids?

Lefty Debater: Haliburton, did I mention Haliburton? What about that, huh? I guess you want to dodge that issue.

The best part about this from the left-wing debater's perspective is that since they never acknowledged they were wrong, they can feel free to make the exact same incorrect claim in future debates.

3) The Blitzkrieg: The goal here is blast your opponent with so many accusations that they can't possibly respond. Example,
Lefty Debater: George Bush? Who would defend someone who was AWOL from the National Guard, used coke, lied about weapons of mass destruction, raised taxes on the poor, wants to cut Social Security, is the worst environmental President we've ever had, and who has destroyed the US economy?

Moderator: That's great, but the question was, "Should the Israelis kick Arafat out of the "Disputed Territories"?

It doesn't matter if all -- or even any -- of the accusations are true, relevant, or make any sense. The goal is just to get them out there. Making an accusation takes a few seconds, refuting one takes much longer. So an opponent confronted with these accusations will never actually have time to respond.

4) Enter The Strawman: Tremendously exaggerating your opponent's position and then claiming to fight against a position they don't hold is always a great way to dodge the issues. In all fairness, this is a technique often used by the left & right. But still, the right can't hold a candle to the left in this area. I mean how many times have you heard, "Republicans are going to take your Social Security away," "The GOP wants to poison the water and the air," "Republicans want to take away your Civil Rights" etc, etc?

This whole concept has gotten so out of hand on the left that we now even have some people on the left comparing the Israelis to Nazis. Look, when you're claiming that a bunch a Jews defending themselves from people who want to kill them are like Nazis, you've gone so far past irony that you almost need a new word to describe it like -- "Idiorony" or "outofyourmindony". But that's what happens when people wink at all these strawmen that are tossed out in debates. Eventually some people start to take them seriously and build on them.

5) History Will Be Kind To Me For I Intend To Write It: The technique is similar to using strawmen in some respects. What you try to do is to rewrite history, to claim that a debate in a previous time was different than it actually was. Here's an example of how this is done,

Mother: I told you to be back by 11 PM and you're just getting in at 1:30 AM!

Teenage Daughter: I don't think I remember you mentioning that...

Mother: I told you 3 times to be in by 11, I left a note reminding you on the dinner table and snuck one into your purse, I called you on your cellular phone at 10:30 and reminded you to make it home by 11 and I even told your boyfriend he'd better have you back in time.
Teenage Daughter: Oh, oh, oh wait...I remember now -- you meant 11 PM? I thought you meant 11 AM. I thought that by getting in at 1:30 AM I was here 9 and 1/2 hours early. Silly me!

Mother: Nice try, you're still grounded!

The build-up to Iraq war has been treated in a similar fashion by the anti-war crowd. Before the war there were complaints that Bush wouldn't stick to one reason for invading, now there are claims that it was only about WMD. There was almost no debate on Capitol Hill between Dems & the GOP about whether Iraq actually had WMD until after the war when it became apparent that none were going to be quickly be found.

Throwaway lines that were hardly noticed before the war (like the controversial yet true 16 words in the State of the Union speech) have been treated as if they were core arguments made by the Bush administration after the fact. It's all just a way to rewrite history.

6) I'm Not Hearing You -- La La La: Just totally ignoring what your opponent has to say and going on to something else is another technique often used by politicians of all stripes, but no one, and I mean no one, can hang with Yasser Arafat and company when it comes to totally blowing off any uncomfortable questions that are asked. For example...

Moderator: So Mr. Arafat, are you willing to disarm Hamas & Islamic Jihad?

Arafat: The Israelis want to kill me! They are causing all the problems! We want peace, but the Israelis don't!

Moderator: That's fine Mr. Arafat, but are you willing to disarm Hamas & Islamic Jihad?

Arafat: Why don't you ask the Israelis if they will stop their terrorism against our people? Why don't you ask them that?

Moderator: Mr. Arafat you seem to be ignoring my question.

Arafat: Are you questioning me? Do you know who I am? I am general Arafat! This interview is over!

When they duck the question, it's a pretty good indication that they don't have an answer anyone wants to hear.

7) Motives Matter, Results Don't: Oftentimes when people on the left are losing an argument or can't explain why they seem to be so inconsistent on certain issues, they start questioning the motives of their opponents. For example, if you favored going to war with Serbia based on nothing more than humanitarian grounds, then logically you should also be in favor of invading Iraq for exactly the same reason. But of course, that's not how it works for a lot of people.

So to get around that, they just claim that there are impure motives afoot. The Bush administration may have claimed to care about stopping terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, humanitarian causes, or UN Resolutions, but it was really all about stealing oil, getting payoffs for business buddies, getting revenge for an attack on "daddy", because Bush needed Iraqi sand for his garden, Bush was jealous of Saddam's rugged good looks, etc, etc, who cares -- they're all equally ridiculous. When the real issues are too tough to deal with, it's all too easy to just pretend something else is what you're really upset about.

8) That Context Is On A Need To Know Basis: Stripping away the context of a situation is a favored technique of people who hate the United States. They talk about something the United States has done without discussing the reasoning behind it, the actions that provoked it, or other things that the United States might have also done that would place us in a more favorable light. It's very easy to make someone look like a bad guy if you simply don't include every detail that doesn't support your case. For example,

Lawyer: Your honor, I intend to prove that my client is innocent of all charges and that the police shot him maliciously, recklessly, and without cause as he was minding his own business at the park.

Judge: He was minding his own business? According to the police report I have in front of me, your client had shot 3 drug dealers who were standing in "his spot" and was firing off rounds from an Uzi at a passing school bus, two nuns on a nearby park bench, and at the officers as they arrived. That doesn't sound like he was "minding his own business" to me.

Lawyer: It does if his business is being a drug dealing thug -- ha, ha, ha! Hey, that's just a little joke. It was getting a little tense in here....you're not laughing. OK, just checking -- is that plea bargain still available?

9) That's Mean, Mean, Mean! When it comes to certain subjects, ordinarily rational people turn into complete bubbleheads. For example, you could probably put together a bill that called for nuclear waste to be dumped in every Walmart in America and as long as you called it the, "Feed The Children For A New Tomorrow Bill" about a 1/3rd of the American population would support it. So naturally, some people take advantage of this and claim that certain policy proposals are "mean". Once you say that, results, logic, how expensive the project is, etc, etc, goes out the window and the argument becomes over whether someone is "mean" or not.

[NightTrain]

I got this in an eamil along time ago and I saved it

Hope you enjoy it

Reminds me of Palin Rider, Gabby, Bully, and PB

#6 sure describes PyschoBabble to a 'T'.

[red states rule]

#6 sure describes PyschoBabble to a 'T'.

And it applies if he is drunk or sober

Being a liberal PB does not know the difference between debate and attack

[fj1200]

NPR is public radio.

So? It's unnecessary and public shouldn't have a bias anyway.

[red states rule]

So? It's unnecessary and public shouldn't have a bias anyway.

If people will not listen to a liberal talk radio (Air America) - then the left demands the US taxpayer pay for the entire liberal radio network (NPR) to keep it on the air so those few libs wil be able to hear what they want to hear