Juan Williams Fired from NPR

So you're going with "You took me out of context"?

An interesting move on your part. But, my compliments; you definitely have a bright future as a politician.

 

It's because they see NPR as elitist.

 

Hush now with these actual facts. We don't need no stinkin' facts. They interfere with hysteria and flailing.

(I don't think Juan Williams should've been fired and NPR handled this very poorly, the hysteria is just serious dumb-ass.)

 

I'm not sure why defunding NPR should be considered hysteria.

While they don't get direct money, when you add up the money they get from the CPB, the NEA, the Commerce Department, and from their local stations, who also receive funding from the CPB, it becomes a significant amount.

And it wouldn't be difficult to write a law that would cut off all of that money. (Passing it would be another story.)

I think it's certainly a reasonable question to ask if NPR should receive any public/federal/government funds.

 

I am pleased, however, to see that Republicans and conservatives have become keenly concerned about the plight of the working man.

If one guy getting fired can rally the support like this, I imagine they will be really behind the unions from here on.

 

"Defunding" NPR over the firing of one guy is, in my opinion, a pretty dumb-ass way to make policy. I mean...c'mon. Seriously? I mean...seriously? Just...seriously? This is the flag under which to have this particular policy battle? Umm...I would respectfully say, No.

The larger question of whether PBS and NPR should receive public monies is something people can have a civil debate about (clearly I am fine with the current funding situation, but it's at least a point on which people can form coherent pros and cons about). Thus far, I have not see any commentary that made the larger point, and of a lot of OMIGOD JUAN WILLIAMS WAS FIRED DEFUND! DEFUND! DEFUND!

 

Dude, quit plagiarizing Sarah Palin's Twitter postings!

 

You give sixteen opinions, what do you get
Another day older and a buncha web hits
Saint Roger don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the government show

 

I don't think this should be the reason to defund NPR. But it put them in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons, and I don't think it's surprising that it would renew calls for defunding it -- especially in today's political & economic environment.

And, in one sense, just as the CEO of NPR called Williams' comments, "the latest in a series of deeply troubling incidents over several years," a lot of people feel the same way about NPR's decision to fire Williams and their handling of his firing.

 

YF, you seem to have issues with NPR. Can you answer my question about what it is that makes NPR such a burr in conservative sides? Again, I've listened to it. Or tried. It is the most vanilla snoozefest on the airwaves today.

 

You know, I haven't listened to it enough to have a very informed opinion.

A former very conservative boss of mine used to listen to it in the morning & my oldest brother is a fan, but like you, every time I've tuned it in to try and understand the appeal, it's bored me to death.

Defunding NPR isn't any kind of crusade for me. Until this latest flare up, I can't say I've given it much thought at all recently. (Though I did download and then promptly ignore its iPhone app not that long ago.)

For me, I suppose it's just a matter of principal. While I have bigger fish to fry, I'm still not sure why any public dollars should go to subsidizing public radio -- regardless of its content. If its content only reflects one side of the political spectrum, the question is more relevant.

I think you can even ask how broad a constituency it aims for and/or reaches. How many of its presenters are Hispanic or African-American? How diverse is its audience?

It seems to be more of a "narrow" caster than a broadcaster. If that's the case, it should be funded entirely by private dollars.

 

YF, what about public universities? Most academics are liberals. Should public money not go to fund public universities?