Absurd Response

As of Saturday, March 16, 2013

I was surprised to read Lloyd Barnes’ absurd accusation and his pathetic attempt to refute my facts with his fiction in his Feb. 15 letter, “No Basis in Fact,” in response to my Feb. 8 letter, “Narrow-Minded Thinking,” about PBS.

Anyone who watched the presidential debates or who watches, reads or listens to a credible news source recognizes that Mr. Barnes does not know what he is talking about.

It is reasonable to assume that the likely source for his misconceptions might be Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh has a long-running feud with PBS and has declared it “liberal.” Limbaugh’s “ditto heads” dutifully parrot his views.

Candidate Romney made his infamous remark during the first presidential debate that his No. 1 priority would be ending the subsidy for PBS, in effect firing Jim Lehrer and Big Bird. It is interesting that after the debates, PBS urged President Obama not to make Romney’s remarks about Big Bird an issue in the campaign because PBS wanted to remain politically neutral.

Shortly after the election, when Republicans were searching for which Republicans to blame for losing the election, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) was quoted as urging Republicans to “stop being the stupid party” and move away from “dumbed-down conservatism.”

PBS is primarily funded by its listeners. Federal funding is calculated to be 0.00014 percent (that is 14/100,000 of 1 percent) of the federal budget. If Mr. Barnes wants to consider that an investment, I agree. It is actually an investment in the American people. The returns are not monetary; they are intellectual.

Ken Owens

Pinehurst

More like this story

dentman65 2 months ago

Our government has no business financially supporting any radio, television, or other media outlet. They need to focus on ending a war and feeding and employing it's people if anything!

kzowens 2 months ago

The quality programs presented on PBS are primarily informative or cultural entertainment. Regular listeners provide most of the funding, but federal grants are necessary. Why? Because programs focusing on arts and culture strengthen American values and help preserve our heritage and history.

On its website (www.nga.org) the National Governors Association states: "Arts and culture are important to state economies. Arts and culture-related industries provide direct economic benefits to states and communities: They create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies through tourism and consumer purchases. These industries also provide an array of other benefits, such as infusing other industries with creative insight for their products and services and preparing workers to participate in the contemporary workforce. In addition, because they enhance quality of life, the arts and culture are an important complement to community development, enriching local amenities and attracting young professionals to an area.

Governors increasingly recognize the importance of the creative sector to their states’ economy and ability to compete in the global marketplace."

Middleman522 2 months ago

ANYTHING the US spends these days is 40% borrowed. The point you missed, Ken, is that anything not NECESSARY, should be cut! If we start cutting waste in the Government and Military spending today, we might get a grip in 30 years. Government unionized career spenders, with the "spend it or lose it" mentality, will never stop pi.....g our money away until we start cutting! NPR is a liberal voice that conservatives pay some of the costs to run. That sir is unconstitutional! I don't need to listen to Rush to know that! Your liberal dream world must go away or we will be in the same toilet as Europe! All recent presidents have ignored this problem as well as congressional fixtures and we need to vote into office, someone that can have courage and cut the waste!

geoffcutler 2 months ago

"If the government provides such a VERY VERY small amount of funding to PBS, then why not just let the government not spend any at all on PBS. Being as how it is such a very small amount, I'm sure it would not be missed." wdd

Because that would make sense?