Bozell Column: NPR, the Statism Network
One of the greatest perversions of statism is the use of taxpayer money to push for ever more government spending and more government intervention. A casual listener to the far-left end of the FM dial, National Public Radio, will quickly conclude that NPR is one of America's leading offenders in this perversion.
Let's just take one show, the August 22 evening newscast "All Things Considered," perhaps one of the most ill-named programs in the history of radio. Conservatism is never considered. It is only besmirched, assaulted, and rhetorically dismembered.
NPR anchor Robert Siegel was covering the new Martin Luther King memorial statue on the Washington Mall. So in order to consider all things, he asked black wacko-leftist Julian Bond if Tea Party activists were racist.
Siegel threw this softball at Bond: "Some people read into the Tea Party's almost neuralgic reaction to government spending, a sense that white people figure black people benefit disproportionately from federal programs. Do you suspect a racial subtext to that whole argument?" Bond said "absolutely," that "there is a racial animus there."
This was actually a little well-behaved for Bond. In the past, Bond has denounced the Tea Party as the the "Taliban wing" of the GOP. Speaking of Republicans, Bond sated afdter the 1994 revolution that the "running dogs of the wacky radical right" insured "white supremacy" was "everywhere in America," and insisted then that in the Reagan years, the Republicans were a "crazed swarm of right-wing locusts."
That's who NPR turns to for sober analysis.
Later in the same program, NPR offered a profile of Democrat Sen. Max Baucus, a member of the new "super committee" that will somehow magically reduce the deficit in a way the larger Congress cannot. Only liberals are allowed to analyze.
Liberal number one: "Pat Williams was Montana's Democratic congressman through the 1980s and '90s. While he considers Baucus a friend, he doesn't agree with many of his fiscal policies." Williams said "most notably, I've been disappointed in that he was the leading
Democrat who engineered the passage of George W. Bush's tax cuts, which have been disastrous for the country."
(NPR has no time for anyone who thinks the Bush tax cuts were not "disastrous" for America.)
Liberal number two: University of Montana professor Christopher Muste, who put Baucus on the right-wing fringe. Muste "says while Baucus is considered a progressive on many social and environmental issues, he's become a conservative anchor for the Democratic party on
fiscal issues."
To suggest there is a "conservative anchor" in the Democrat Party is to flirt with a mental walk on the wild side. That's like suggesting there's a conservative anchor at...NPR. Muste warned Baucus is "very cautious" and "cautiousness makes him even more moderate in a
lot of his policy actions."
NPR suggested on health care, "Baucus angered many liberal Democrats when he took the public option off the table in a failed attempt to bring more conservative Republicans onboard." Muste added, "So I think he's got to view this bipartisan commission as one of his few chances to actually really come back and reestablish his credibility as one of the key players in deficit reduction in Congress."
Did you catch that? Baucus has to "reestablish his credibility" on deficit reduction by pleasing liberal Democrats. That would mean by increasing taxes and refusing to touch Obamacare, Medicare, and Social Security - anything.
Right after this came another statism story: the endless rerun of billionaire Warren Buffett beating his breast and insisting he's dramatically undertaxed. I'm bored just writing that. NPR anchor Melissa Block interviewed Joseph Thorndike so he could denounce the under-taxation of the rich.
Buffett can pontificate ad infinitum on this, perhaps because he knows NPR will not point out the obvious: Buffett doesn't live by his own credo. He could, but won't, write out his own check to the government. In fact, he does just the opposite, pouring more and more into the (liberal) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, thus protecting his money from federal taxation. In July he parked another $1.5 billion there, bringing his total to $9.5 billion.
Buffett and Gates have both argued for a stiffer estate tax, which this foundation craftily avoids. To real journalists, this would be a story. But not at NPR.
- Brent Bozell's blog
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Comments
ALL LIBERAL THINGS CONSIDERED
Submitted by cbeyer on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 10:22pm.
Several years ago when I was in the Bay area, I listened to Pacifica radio which feature all things considered. On one particuliar topic (don't remember what it was) NPR 'All Things Considered' featured a ten minute or so discussion with a variety of lefty guests. All but thirty seconds (out of ten minutes) were interviews with committed lefties including a couple of college professors. To add some 'balance' they had a very brief quote of a Republican Senator on the subject but the overwhelming presentation was left of the left. NPR needs to get off the taxpayer role. If libs want to support NPR its a free country but to pretend that this is a balanced news media outlet is BEYOND LAUGHABLE.
A much deserved thanks to Brent.
Submitted by Boil It Down on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 10:51pm.
I just can't listen to NPR's heavily laden liberal/progressive stream of sophistry, misinformation and racism anymore. I sincerely appreciate you taking up my slack and reporting on it.
These are the folks who think their views should be forced upon the public regardless of their unpopularity and dishonest presentation. They obviously know that their "indisputable" perspectives have shaky foundations since they don't allow time for reasoned arguments on their shows. The competition is obviously too tough for them. -bidn-
I once tuned in and heard
Submitted by rbosque on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 11:00pm.
I once tuned in and heard some drone actually recite a poem denouncing Clarence Thomas, it was read by a 10 year old.
Some "balance".
6 of one....
Submitted by ArchConservative on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 11:28pm.
Ohhhhhhh I thought it said SATINISM network. Not STATISM Network. Well, either works
You support the troops by supporting the mission! If you don't support the mission, have the guts to say you don't support the troops.
Obama: Not my President. Ever.
NPR is not as bad as some others....
Submitted by big.league.slider on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 11:43pm.
While NPR may be one of the more obvious examples of taxpayer money being used to promote the Democrat/leftist agenda, it's certainly not the worst. Until recently, leftist organizations like ACORN received far more taxpayer money each year. And recently, GE/NBC/MSNBC has received $billions in taxpayer subsidies, while CEO Immelt has shilled for Obama.
The worst example has to be the relationship between the public sector unions and the DNC. The current administration has pumped hundreds of $billions in federal taxpayer stimulus dollars to state governments, which went to bail out public sector pension funds, while the public sector unions in those same states have in return pumped hundreds of $millions in union dues back into the DNC's political funds.
We can only hope that we get a GOP presidential candidate that has the guts to stop the flow of federal taxpayer money to leftist outfits like ACORN, NPR, PBS, ACLU, NEA, AMA, AARP, NAACP, Planned Parenthood, NOW, NATO, UN, IMF, etc. A President has the legal budget authority to do so, as long as he/she has the spine. Neither GHWB, Dole, GWB, or McCain had the guts to do it, and neither does Romney, Huntsman, Santorum, or Gingrich. I can only hope that Perry, Bachmann or Paul does.
Which weighs more, a pound of feathers, or a pound of BS?
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 6:48am.
Well NPR must be balanced, they fired the left wing loon Juan Williams for being, ummmm, errrrr, too conservative.
(Sorry Juan, I really don't think you are a loon. Just making a point,)
He is not a loon but is a
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 11:16am.
He is not a loon but is a tippler of the koolaide.
All excellent reasons why NPR
Submitted by Beukeboom on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 9:36am.
All excellent reasons why NPR should NOT be funded with taxpayer moneys of any kind.
Perhaps the GOB House should
Submitted by ThisnThat on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 10:06am.
Perhaps the GOB House should gather enough courage to sponsor a bill to kill NPR and Planned Parenthood funding -- instead of being afraid of their own shadows.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
I believe that will only
Submitted by Beukeboom on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 12:01pm.
I believe that will only occur when the RINOs are removed and true conservatives with brass cajones are elected in their place.
Charity Giving
Submitted by ThisnThat on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 9:57am.
As for Buffet giving money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- he can do so, and then NOT claim this on his federal tax form. After all, nobody's forcing him to expend the extra effort to document his charitable contributions.
Thereby actually accomplishing two things -- (1) Giving to charity, and (2) Not draining his precious Government treasury. But I guess this hypocrite isn't smart enough to figure this out, or perhaps he's just too selfish to put his money where his big, lying mouth is.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
NPR: Please raise our taxes
Submitted by Tim Graham on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 10:19am.
On the Buffett thing, Block asked their expert Mr. Thorndike to respond to the liberal group Citizens for Tax Justice, which claims the top one percent of Americans get 20.3 percent of the income and pay 21.5 percent of “total taxes,” not just income taxes.
Thorndike offered the usual Bill Moyers tax-the-rich answer: “If you look at effective tax rates over time, which is, to me, a very illuminating number, you see them declining substantially for those who are very rich. They decline for people in the middle class and for poor people, as well, but the rich have done particularly well. I think that's an argument for increasing taxes on the rich, especially in a bigger context where we're really going to be raising taxes on everybody.”
Now there’s a phrase to warm the hearts of NPR’s producers, and their liberal listeners: “Raising taxes on everybody.” That’s exactly why liberals like Lyndon Johnson created NPR in the first place: to be a taxpayer-funded network to promote statism.
Buffet
Submitted by happi on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 11:09am.
I'll take WB seriously when he suggests that we tax him more by treating dividends and cap gains as ordinary income.
It's not called National Proletariat Radio for nothing
Submitted by Dave. on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 11:49am.
They've earned the title.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Wacky questions
Submitted by T D on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 5:04pm.
"Do you suspect a racial subtext to that whole argument?"
This doesn't seem as out-of-line as Piers Morgan's:
"I can't help but notice you did the sign of the cross as you sat down there. Was it -- is it because you're nervous about the interview?"
"I mean, I have met lots of people who are wacky and wing nuts. You can be both, can't you?"
"Can I ask you, have you -- have you committed lust in your heart and therefore adultery?"
I'm disappointed that you didn't see any problem with the CNN questions. I wouldn't have been flustered or insulted by the NPR question, but would have been by the Morgan questions.
The double weapon the media uses against conservatives is first to ask only liberals to respond to whether conservatives are racially (or violence) motivated and thus tar them that way, as you suggest.
The other is to ask conservatives wacky questions that leave the impression they are nut cases who only care about fringe issues (like Perry on creationism).
You are usually so good and proactive. How are you going to complain now when conservatives are asked only about the "weird" parts of their books or personal life?
Buffet
Submitted by alvin on Wed, 08/24/2011 - 11:29pm.
Every letter to the editor in this week's Barrons supports Buffet's views.
Correction: Every filtered
Submitted by ThisnThat on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 7:08am.
Correction: Every filtered letter.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Here's a laugh
Submitted by sentry_99 on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 7:17am.
This Article will get your blood pressure up but I did get a chuckle out of the description of NPR.