Actually, telephone and electric utilities used to be heavily regulated. That has changed though, deregulation has allowed for an expansion in services that we've seen in telecommunications. It only took a great president to get that done (Reagan).
NPR & IPTV
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Actually, telephone and electric utilities used to be heavily regulated. That has changed though, deregulation has allowed for an expansion in services that we've seen in telecommunications. It only took a great president to get that done (Reagan).
Just as an FYI, the Postal Service hasn't accepted public subsidies since 1982. They do not receive any tax dollars for support.
USPS - Postal Facts
The more you know... :wink:
USPS - Postal Facts
The more you know... :wink:
I'm not rich by any means, but my income is well above the median. Software developers do get paid decent coin. So I pay my share of taxes. I'm also not complaining about the taxes I pay. I'm all for repealing the Bush tax cuts. I'd rather not pass on my debts to my children.
My point is that the public broadcasting budget is a pitance compared to defense budget.
And the defense budget is a pittance compared to the welfare/entitlement sewer we pour the majority of our tax dollars into with no return. In fact, in return for this incredible wastage of funds, we get "negative" return, in that welfare/entitlements have destroyed the concept of family and have turned our inner cities into a wasteland/war zone.
I do not think pittance means what you think it means.
For 2007 Unemployment and welfare accounted for 13% of the federal budget. Defense spending accounted for 19%. And that 19% doesn't include the war in Iraq, as that gets it's own suplementary budget. But the number that really bothers me is the 8% that goes to pay interest on debt.
United States federal budget, 2007 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
When I worked at WOI Radio (Ames NPR), a minority of their budget came from the government. The largest percentage of their funding came from listener donations. It's been a few years since I worked there, and they've now been absorbed by Iowa Public Radio, but I imagine it's probably pretty similar now.
For all of those on here who hate PTV and NPR and want them to go away so you don't have to pay taxes to support them (would you really notice that in your taxes if pub radio and tv were gone!?), instead of whining on CF, write and call your congressman and senators, constantly, and engage like-minded folk and start a grass-roots campaign to lobby in Wash DC to get rid of these evil, nazi-like agents of propoganda. I mean seriously, the last thing we need on tv and radio these days is in-depth analysis of issues from around the world... I just wish Frontline would take on more stories about Brittany Spears and Michael Jackson (now thats news!). Maybe considering the size of the listenership and donations NPR receives from private citizens (as well as pub tv), perhaps there are some people out there who still like to watch or listen to a show with out getting bombarded with advertisements for crap they don't need.
Maybe while we are at it, we should get rid of the USGS and the EPA, because they might tell us some things we don't want to hear about our air and water as well. We can just listen to Rush and he'll tell us everything is ok!
Maybe while we are at it, we should get rid of the USGS and the EPA, because they might tell us some things we don't want to hear about our air and water as well. We can just listen to Rush and he'll tell us everything is ok!
About five years ago or so, prior to deregulation, down here in Texas, we had some of the lowest electric rates in the country. They were very attractive for industry and business. Now, after deregulation, Texas has some of the highest electric rates in the country.
There is plenty of "competition". You can buy your electricity from any one of 20+ resellers. The problem is that there are only a few companies that actually generate the majority of the electricity. The deregulation proponents (i.e. power generation lobby) convinced the Texas legislature that due to the huge market in Texas, companies that actually generate electricity would flock to Texas if the market was deregulated and drive prices down even farther. It didn't quite work out that way. Ooops!
Some municipalities own power plants, so a few cities, (like Austin, I think) have decent rates. The rest of us are hosed. I'm sure there will be a few deregulation fanatics here who will try to tell me that it's a good thing for my electric rates to be sky high...
It's funny to hear the politicians explain how they were duped by lobbyists into deregulating the electric power industry in Texas.
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Actually I enjoy both PTV and NPR. I have contributed to a number of their fund drives. However, I don't agree that the government should be spending money to entertain me. I enjoy reading in-depth analysis of events around the world. Should the government start subsidizing the cost of books, periodicals, and magazines that provide an in-depth analysis of events around the world or should they start-up a service to provide such literature?
The size of the listenership and the broad based support does indeed indicate that there are large numbers of individuals that enjoy NPR and PTV. Therefore, either let the users pay for the cost of the programing or seek more private subsidies instead of going to the public trough.
The USGS and the EPA are first and foremost regulatory agencies. Therefore, I don't understand how they fit into the discussion of ending government spending on PTV and NPR.
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