Conservatives Battle PBS/NPR

Tribune: "Late Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would reduce next year's federal allocation to public broadcasting by 46%. The measure would cut $100 million from next year's budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the private nonprofit that distributes federal funds to local stations. The CPB funds make up about 15% of public broadcasting revenue.
Money earmarked to help local stations undergo digital conversion and to upgrade PBS' satellite system would also be cut. And funds for public television's "Ready to Learn" programs — shows like "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow" and "Postcards From Buster" — are on the chopping block." [Tribune] [NYT]

Originally it was reported that the Repugnicans on the House Appropriations Committee wanted to cut ALL federal funding, but now it is 46%. This makes me sick. This is PUBLIC BROADCASTING!!! The Repugnicans, namely Kenneth Tomlinson (Republican chairman of CPB's board of directors) want more "conservative programming" on PBS and NPR to balance what they call "political lopsidedness." Is it politically lopsided to watch Sesame Street, or Reading Rainbow??? Is it politically lopsided to listen to NPR??? Let's just cut children's programming because we don't want to see kids learn something! Keep the masses ignorant and uneducated!