Gutfeld’s Case Not to Defund NPR: We Need Them to Remind Us What Subsidized Failure Looks Like
By Jeff Poor | October 23, 2010 | 09:37
It appears Juan Williams’ firing is just what the public needed to realize their tax dollars are being poorly handled through subsidies from the federal government given to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to prop up National Public Radio.
However, “Red Eye” host Greg Gutfeld makes the most reasonable case not to deprive NPR of its taxpayer subsidies. On the Oct. 23 broadcast of his program, Gutfeld explains to his viewers his case for not defunding the radio organization, but not without taking some jabs their decision to fire his Fox News colleague.
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“So, many people are calling for the defunding of NPR – after all, why should Americans have to pay for something that's so fundamentally anti-American?” Gutfeld said. “Let's face it: They didn't fire Juan Williams for expressing an independent opinion, they fired Juan Williams for expressing an independent opinion that didn't jibe with theirs. And it was worse, because he did it on Fox News – two words that bring a pained sneer across the faces of the already contorted NPR listener.”
So while Gutfeld explained there is a double standard, or perhaps another reason – he explained to his viewers we needed the show around to remind us what an entity propped up by the federal government looks like.
“But, hell, everyone can see NPR's duplicity,” Gutfeld continued. “They never police their lefty employees, and suddenly, Juan Williams is fired? If it wasn't because of his views, what was it then? Was it because he's black? Or because he's black and didn't do what he was told? Anyway, I'm one of the few to say, keep funding NPR because if we don't, they go away. We can't have that. We need them around to remind ourselves what subsidized failure looks like. As long as NPR drones listlessly on, we can point to it and say, ‘Yeah, we're letting it live.’ It's like allowing the drunk at the pub to wipe down the tables for pocket change. It's more out of pity, than anything.”
NPR, along with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private non-profit corporation created by an act of Congress to promote public broadcasting. According to the Associated Press, some 15 percent of public broadcasting's funding comes from the federal government. The CPB's latest annual budget was $430 million according to PBS chief Paula Kerger.
Gutfeld associated the situation with what MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow did earlier this week. As Newsbusters’ Jack Coleman pointed out, Maddow accused a member of Congress of having advanced knowledge of Timothy McVeigh’s plot to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma Cityand then attempted to recreate Maddow’s reaction following people pointing out this oversight on her part.
“Which leads me to that thing with Rachel Maddow,” he said. “Remember, she accused a man of having advanced knowledge of the Oklahoma bombing. When exposed for her error, she blamed it on an editing mistake - and then angrily mocked those who corrected her. It was scary. Anyway, if you want to see the face of the angry and the entitled, that was it. How else can you explain someone assuming her mistakes are above reproach? But hey - what do you expect from someone who had a heads-up on 9/11? I kid, Rachel – we'll fix that in edit. And if you disagree with me, you're a racist, homophobic, editphobe.”
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Comments
editphobe
Submitted by ripper58 on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 9:57am.
Gut-man is a genius
I'd be happy to keep them
Submitted by Thoreau on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 10:33am.
I'd be happy to keep them around if I wasn't paying by theft.
See, the drunk at the pub might ask me for change, but if he robs me I shoot him.
NPR gets it's money from taxes and communist supporters like the Tides Foundation/George Soros. That's theft, and that doesn't work for me.
I'm with Thoreau
Submitted by neutron on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 12:52pm.
"We need them [NPR] around to remind ourselves what subsidized failure looks like."
No, we already have Government Motors (GM and Chrysler) to remind us of that.
don't forget
Submitted by kscheuller on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 4:01pm.
Obama, Reid & Pelosi. Talk about susidized failure!
Fannie-Mae, Freddie Mac, any
Submitted by Agnostic on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 10:42am.
Fannie-Mae, Freddie Mac, any number of transportation systems (rails), social security, medicare, medicaide, any bloated regulatory agency (comparing $ to results), the Senate cafeteria, Whitehouse travel department, any government construction project over budget/past due (99%+) - Just how many examples do we need?
Gutfield is nuts
Submitted by ThisnThat on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 10:45am.
if he thinks I want to pay money to keep NPR around "as an example". Using that logic, why not keep ACORN around, too? And how about we fund another bank bailout, just so we can keep it in the news as an everyday reminder? This kind of logic is totally illogical!
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Guttfeld is an idiot. We
Submitted by jdhawk on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 10:46am.
Guttfeld is an idiot. We should eliminate funding for PBS, period. Our government should not be in the news business because as we can plainly see, it has devolved into the propaganda buinsess touting the socialist agenda.
Yet, once again, this is a side issue as is "foreign donors", Juan Williams, etc. It is another Red Herring to take the focus off the issues that will drive conservatives into office.
Should Republicans capture the House, they can defund PBS. But, we have to capture the House to do so.
That should be the thrust of all conservative media forces until the election. That is, what lies, misinformation, and propaganda are dimocrats, dimocrat media, dimocrat groups spouting against conservatives as it has to do with this election.
Focus people.
Most of you that are reading this can vote early. Don't wait until November 2. Don't let anything happen so that you don't get down to your polling place and caste your vote. Hopefully that will be for conservative candidates.
defunding
Submitted by Agnostic on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 10:50am.
Even if they capture the house the Republicans will not defund PBS. Too many will be worried about being cast by the media as the politician that killed Big Bird or some other such drivel.
Yeah, there will be a big outcry
Submitted by ThisnThat on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 11:13am.
and I'm afraid the "republicans" will pay attention to it -- without realizing this outcry will only come from a minority. They will begin to ignore the majority that put them into office.
So, we'll make sure to remind the next, new batch we vote into office in 2012.
And every other election after that -- until the majority begin to drown out the minority. Majority rules -- and the damn RINOs had better start learning this, soon.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Agnostic, you are correct
Submitted by gunguru on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 11:27am.
in your assumption of Republican cowardice. We have plenty of examples to choose from, especially when we have had either Bush 1 or Bush 2 in office. I don't agree with jdhawk's statement that Greg Gutfield is an idiot, however. I am pretty sure that his bit on the subject of funding PBS was very much tongue-in-cheek. My opinion is that they should have to compete in the marketplace of ideas and succeed or fail on their own merits, not at the behest of taxpayers like us. I was born before Big Bird, but my daughter thought he was a Big Nothing. She made a marketplace decision at age 5 and decided that she preferred Bugs Bunny or Tom and Jerry (well, I might have influenced that decision a little bit).
Speciesist
Submitted by Agnostic on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 4:50pm.
While moving in the right direction even with the Republican landslide (which I don't think is going to happen - a strong shift probably) there will not be enough true conservatives or even fiscal conservatives to pull off any meaningful policy change. I hate the fact that I'm being negative at such a positive time but like Bush alluded to about the war on terror - it is going to be a long battle. If this level of interest can be maintained through 2016 I think we can see real changes made.
You and your daughter made a wise choice on cartoons in my opinion. I've always been a big fan Bugs, Daffy, Yosemite and Sylvester when he was with the kangaroo. Didn't care to much for Roadrunner or Tweety and since I lean heavy to Conservative the media would probably call me a speciesist (even if they had to make up a word).
It will certainly be telling
Submitted by Snappy on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 11:40am.
It will certainly be telling in the coming months. If the republicans win control of the house and possibly senate, will they settle back into business as usual? Some will I imgagine, but hopefully most will undestand the outrage that elected them is not short lived and could easily turn against them in the next cycle or sooner. Things must change and they must start listening to the people and our will. The running joke of "just a campaign promise" is getting old and its time to retire it. If you say you will do it during the campaign they need to be held to that. So will they stand tall? Or will they cower at the thought of killing big bird. You cant have it both ways. I guess we will just see what the current election brings.
Throwing money away
Submitted by jon_torlin on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 12:06pm.
I don't care if NPR sticks around, but I'm not a believer in throwing money away to prove something's a failure. Nor do I want my money taken(by theft through taxes) for that purpose. If people want to voluntarily pay for it, that's fine, but not me.
-Jon
We've seen it...
Submitted by JohnK on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 3:57pm.
now de-fund it!
If the Right takes the House
Submitted by Van Halen on Sat, 10/23/2010 - 8:27pm.
If the Right takes the House and starts to waffle on defunding PBS from the taxpayer (an easy accomplishment if they have the majority), then they can't do anything.
However, there will be less chance of them waffling on this if we hammer them the moment the new Congress sits.
write
Submitted by Ciampino on Sun, 10/24/2010 - 3:26pm.
Once elected, write your congressman at frequent intervals and specially when something big is in the air, to remind them that you voted them in on the basis of certain campain promises and political leanings. Tell them you can always vote them out. (We need a general, more available and easier process of 'recall' to get rid of politicians who go back on their promises).
I'm for defunding
Submitted by Model850 on Sun, 10/24/2010 - 2:30pm.
I favor defunding CPB and by extension PBS and NPR, but not because I don't want my tax dollars supporting a point of view with which I disagree. That happens all the time at the local, state and federal levels. It's the nature of taxes, unfortunately. We can't pick and choose how tax dollars are spent, at least not to any significant degree, and there always will be programs we don't agree with that receive tax money.
No, I favor defunding simply because the press (the media) is supposed to be* a watchdog of government. PBS and NPR, relying on government funds, in any amount, makes them beholden to government, thus compromising their ability to act as watchdog. You don't bite the hand that feeds you even if the amount of food is just a small per centage (disputable) of your total.
* I said SUPPOSED to be
Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.
totally agree
Submitted by Ciampino on Sun, 10/24/2010 - 3:31pm.
The idea behind 'separation of church and state' applies equally well to the media, actually even more so. We cannot have goverment-dependent news media - whether by ongoing funding such as CPB or bail-outs as were discussed some time ago pertaining to the newsprint media.