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Senate Republicans Introduce Bill to De-Fund Public Broadcasting
Probably a prudent savings in light of the massive salaries being paid to NPR and CPB executives and look at Sesame Street.
The statement from Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn:Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D., R-Okla., introduced legislation to stop taxpayer subsidies to public radio and television. CPB-funded television and radio programs are distributed through National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Since 2001, CPB has received nearly $4 billion in taxpayer money.
“Our nation is on the edge of bankruptcy and Congress must make some tough choices to rein in spending, but ending taxpayer subsidies of public broadcasting should be an easy decision,” said Sen. DeMint. “Americans struggling to make ends meet shouldn’t be forced to fund public broadcasting when there are already thousands of choices for educational and entertainment programming on the television, radio and web. President Obama’s own bipartisan debt commission proposed ending these unnecessary subsidies to public broadcasting. NPR boasts that it only gets 2 percent of their funding from taxpayers and PBS gets about 15 percent, so these programs should be able to find a way to stand on their own.”
“Politicians in Washington should focus their attention on eliminating the more than $200 billion in duplicative spending GAO highlighted this week and stop defending indefensible subsidies for public broadcasting,” said Dr. Coburn. “The federal government has no business picking winners and losers in today’s highly competitive media environment. NPR and CPB will do just fine without largesse from Washington.”
CPB was incorporated as a private nonprofit corporation under the authority of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, and its first taxpayer subsidy in 1969 was $5 million. Today, CPB is slated to receive $430 million from taxpayers in the current fiscal year and President Obama recently asked for an increase to $451 million.
According to the 2009 tax forms all nonprofits are required to file (990), PBS President Paula Kerger received $632,233 in compensation that year while NPR President Emeritus, Kevin Klose, received more than $1.2 million in compensation. The PBS program Sesame Street’s Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 — nearly a million dollars — in compensation in 2008. And, from 2003 to 2006, “Sesame Street” made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales.
In 2010, NPR accepted a controversial $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Foundation, backed by liberal financier George Soros, to hire 100 reporters. Additionally, NPR has an endowment of over $200 million.
List of federal funding for CPB over the years, provided by the Congressional Research Service:
• 2001: $340 million
• 2002: $350 million
• 2003: $362.8 million
• 2004: $377.8 million
• 2005: $386.8 million
• 2006: $396 million
• 2007: $400 million
• 2008: $393 million
• 2009: $400 million
• 2010: $420 million
• 2011: $430 million
Of course, it is doubtful Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will take up the bill but as an amendment to a “money bill” is a definite possibility.
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Bob Corker, GOP, Johnny Isakson, Lamar Alexander, Mike Crapo, Mike Johanns, Richard Lugar, Thad Cochran, Tom Coburn
Lame Duck Senate: Which Republicans Sold Out? Melt the Phones After Christmas
US Senator John Kerry (D-MA) (R) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) (C) smile as they depart together after a news conference after the Senate ratified the START nuclear arms reduction treaty at the US Capitol in Washington, December 22, 2010
Too many and they will be held accountable by the Tea Party and conservative activists in their next GOP Primary elections.With the new Republican power in Washington, it is doubly important to keep a close eye on the doings of GOP Senators and Congressmen to spot those who are straying from orthodoxy, seduced by power and the insider clubiness that characterizes Washington.
In the Lame Duck session, we want to draw attention to six Republican U.S. Senators who voted with the Democrats on a key issue. We should all bear their apostasy in mind and, in particular, make them mindful of the possibility of primary challenges to their re-nomination.
Two Senators, in particular, deserve to have primary challengers take them on in 2012 — Tennessee’s Bob Corker and Mississippi’s Thad Cochran. Both men voted for the START treaty which conceded a permanent edge in nuclear weaponry to Russia. While the Treaty provided for equal and reduced stockpiles of strategic warheads, it did nothing to address the vast piles of tactical nuclear warheads held by the Russians. The Russians have 10,000 of these battlefield nuclear weapons piled up in the stockpile while we have only a few hundred.
In addition, START’s preamble blocks the U.S. from developing missile defenses, now especially important in light of North Korea’s and Iran’s expanding capacities.
Both Corker and Cochran face re-election in 2012. They should both be challenged for the nomination by men who put our need for national security above appeasing the Russians. Having suppressed democracy, wiped out free speech, taken over all the media, nationalized their oil and energy industry, invaded Georgia, enabled the Iranian nuclear program, and tried to establish a natural gas monopoly in Europe, what else does Putin need to do before Corker and Cochran realize that appeasement won’t work?
Bob Corker’s vote for START probably stems from the insider-old boy network on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on which he sits. Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who also voted for START, sits alongside him on the Republican minority on the committee. Led by Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking GOP member on the panel, all three voted for START. Unfortunately, Isakson is not up for re-election until 2016. When he does come up for re-election, we hope that the citizens of Georgia’s Republican Party hold him to account.
Lamar Alexander, also of Tennessee, backed START and faces re-election in 2014.
In a previous column, we called attention to the defections of Republican Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Crapo of Idaho from the ranks of fiscal conservatives. Both Coburn and Crapo voted for the recommendations of the Bowles-Simpson Deficit Reduction Commission which recommended cutting the deductions for home mortgages and charitable contributions by two-thirds for most taxpayers and urged the enactment of almost $1 trillion in new taxes.
Coburn and Crapo only announced their intention to endorse the Commission report after they had been re-elected on November 2, 2010.
Here is the vote on New START.
So, who are they:
- Richard Lugar of Indiana – 2012
- Thad Cochran of Mississippi – 2012
- Bob Corker of Tennesses – 2012
- Johnny Isakson of Georgia – 2016
- Lamar Alexander of Tennessee – 2014
- Tom Coburn of Oklahoma – 2016
- Mike Crapo of Idaho – 2016
- Mike Johanns of Nebraska – 2014
Time for conservatives to re-evaluate support of these incumbent Senators and replace them.
Here is their contact information. Give them a call after Christmas and let them know what you think of their sell-out.
Thad Cocheran, MississippiWashington Office
United States Senate
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2402
202-224-5054 / 202-224-5054Jackson Office
190 East Capitol St.
Suite 550
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
601-965-4459 / 601-965-4459
Bob Corker, TennesseeWashington, D.C.
United States Senate
Dirksen Senate Office Building
SD-185
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-3344 / 202-224-3344
Fax: 202-228-0566Memphis
100 Peabody Place, Suite 1125
Memphis, TN 38103
Main: 901-683-1910 / 901-683-1910
Fax: 901-575-3528
Mike Crapo, IdahoWashington, DC
239 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6142
Fax: (202) 228-1375Idaho State Office
251 East Front Street
Suite 205
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: (208) 334-1776
Fax: (208) 334-9044Tom Coburn, Oklahoma
Washington D.C.:
172 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-5754
Fax: 202-224-6008Tulsa:
1800 South Baltimore
Suite 800
Tulsa, OK 74119
Main: 918-581-7651
Fax: 918-581-7195Oklahoma City:
100 North Broadway
Suite 1820
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Main: 405-231-4941
Fax: 405-231-5051Lamar Alexander, Tennessee
Washington Office
455 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4944 / (202) 224-4944
Fax: (202) 228-3398
TTY: (202) 224-1546Memphis Office
Clifford Davis-Odell Horton Federal Building
167 North Main Street, #1068
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 544-4224 / (901) 544-4224
Fax: (901) 544-4227Johnny Isakson, Georgia
United States Senate
120 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-3643 / (202) 224-3643
Fax: (202) 228-0724One Overton Park, Suite 970
3625 Cumberland Blvd
Atlanta, GA 30339
Tel: (770) 661-0999 / (770) 661-0999
Fax: (770) 661-0768
Richard Lugar, Indiana306 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1401
(202) 224-4814 p
(202) 228-0360 fSouthern Indiana
101 NW Martin Luther King Boulevard
Room 122
Evansville, Indiana 47708
(812) 465-6313 p
(812) 421-1883 fNortheast Indiana
6384 A West Jefferson Boulevard
Covington Plaza
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804
(260) 422-1505 p
(260) 424-1342 fCentral Indiana
1180 Market Tower
10 West Market Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
(317) 226-5555 p
(317) 226-5508 fNorthwest Indiana
175 West Lincolnway
Suite G-1
Valparaiso, Indiana 46383
(219) 548-8035 p
(219) 548-7506 f -
Carly Fiorina Endorsed by Eight GOP Senators in California U.S. Senate Race Against Barbara Boxer
Carly Fiorina last night in San Diego last night speaking as part of her California U.S. Senate announcement tour
The endorsements are not really a surprise since I had this fundraising invitation last week. But, it does make the support offiicial.
From the press release:
Support for United States Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina grew today as she earned the endorsements of eight Republican United States Senators including Tom Coburn, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Jon Kyl, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Olympia Snowe.
“I am humbled to have earned the endorsement of each one of these distinguished Republican Senators. They are all dedicated public servants and it is a true honor to have their support. I look forward to working with each of these Senators to get our economy moving again and to restore fiscal accountability to Washington,†said Fiorina. “California is not getting the kind of representation it deserves in the United States Senate. In nearly 18 years, Barbara Boxer has only managed to get a handful of inconsequential bills signed into law and I don’t believe that is good enough for California. It’s time for a change.â€
What is most interesting to me is that Fiorina is being supported by a broad base within the Republican Party. There are liberal Republican, moderate Republican and conservative Republican Senators from the East Coast to the Far West who are endorsing Carly and most importantly will help her raise money for her campaign.
Each Senator issued the following:
- “One of Carly’s greatest strengths is that she has never served in elected office. Her frame of reference was shaped by the real world, not politics. Our nation is facing serious economic challenges because we keep rehiring the same failed career politicians who have proven themselves incapable of making hard choices. Carly’s common sense and fiscal conservatism will be a welcome addition to the United State Senate. I am glad to offer her my endorsement,†said Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
- “As a business leader and innovator, Carly Fiorina will bring great perspective to the United States Senate and she has my full support. She understands that Americans are concerned with the state of the economy and our expanding federal deficit and has the knowledge to help address those issues in a real way,†said Senator Susan Collins.
- “Carly’s experience as a business leader has given her the knowledge and tools to help craft policy that will get our economy moving again. There is too much waste in Washington and we need leaders like Carly who can apply what they have learned in the business world to government. She is the best choice for Californians,†said Senator Lindsey Graham.
- “During these tough economic times it is critical that we have leaders who can bring a dedication to fiscal discipline to Washington, and Carly is exactly that kind of leader. I am proud to endorse Carly Fiorina for Senate,†said Senator Jon Kyl.
- “Carly Fiorina is a visionary Republican leader and I am proud to endorse her to represent the people of California as their next United States Senator. Carly is an outstanding business leader and I benefited from her no-nonsense way of getting things done when she served on my campaign last year. Carly dedicated her time, energy and intelligence to our cause working with Republicans at every level across the country,†said Senator John McCain.
- “I believe that Carly has what it takes to serve as a U.S. Senator. She will serve the people of California and this nation with integrity, honesty and will fight each and every day to ensure that California is getting the kind of representation it deserves. I am proud to endorse Carly Fiorina,†said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
- “Carly is a strong Republican candidate who will put ego aside, reach across the aisle and develop real solutions to the problems we are facing. Her style of innovative leadership and ability to bring people together is desperately needed in Washington. I hope the people of California send Carly to the U.S. Senate next November,†said Senator Lisa Murkowski.
- “Carly will help us create policies that will put Californians and all Americans back to work. Washington needs business leaders with experience who can help us restore fiscal accountability and get our financial house back in order. I am pleased to endorse Carly and look forward to working to help send her to Washington, DC,†said Senator Olympia Snowe.
And, three of the four Republican women Senators have quickly endorsed Fiorina.
The fundraising potenital of all of these Senators will translate into millions of dollars for campaign ads to use in the GOP contested primary election against Chuck DeVore and later in the general election.
Technorati Tags: Carly_Fiorina, John_McCain, John_Kyl, Tom_Coburn
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Barack Obama Watch: Why Wasn’t William Ayers Prosecuted?
William Ayers, Tom Coburn and Barack Obama
Remember that Barack Obama compared Weather Underground Bomber William Ayers to Senator Tom Coburn. Now, questions are arising why Ayers and his radical bomber wife, Bernardine Dohrn were never prosecuted for their crimes (via Hugh Hewitt).Answer: Deep Throat AKA FBI Agent Mark Felt
If everyone knows that William Ayers and his comrades in the Weather Underground were planning to set bombs to murder innocent people, why didn’t they do time?
Because the investigation against them was muffed thanks to the illegal activities of the Washington Post’s favorite Watergate answer man himself, Mark Felt — aka Deep Throat.
In 1972-73, FBI official Felt and his colleague Edward S. Miller authorized nine illegal break-ins at the homes of Weather Underground members. When the black bag jobs became public, the federal government decided it couldn’t prosecute the alleged terrorists. Indicted during the Carter Administration, Felt and Miller were tried in 1980 in Washington. Ever the patriot, former President Nixon voluntarily testified on the defendants’ behalf, but they were convicted anyway and pardoned by President Reagan in March 1981.
More on Barack Obama’s friends William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn over at Power Line with audio of them continuing to rant against the United States.
Old Weather Underground radicals never fade away, now do they? They are either NEVER prosecuted or are PARDONED by Bill Clinton.
Now, will the press ask Barack Obama on why he has NOT repudiated his association with the bomb making LEFTIST radicals?Previous:
Hillary Clinton Up By 11 Points on Eve of Pennsylvania Primary?
Barack Obama Watch: Comparing Bill Ayers and Tom Coburn
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Hillary Clinton Up By 11 Points on Eve of Pennsylvania Primary?
US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) takes the stage after her husband, former President Bill Clinton (L), to address a crowd of supporters in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 21, 2008.
Matt Drudge had the poop earlier in the day that Hillary is up big in Pennsylvania.Controlled excitement is building inside of Clinton’s inner circle as closely guarded internal polling shows the former first lady with an 11-point lead in Pennsylvania!
Clinton is polling near to nearly 2 to 1 over Obama in many regions of the state, a top insider explained to the DRUDGE REPORT.
A strong coalition of middle-class and religious voters has all but secured a Clinton victory Tuesday, with headline-making margins, the campaign believes.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of how much,” a senior campaign source said Monday morning.
When pressed if the dramatic internal polling numbers could somehow be flawed in a state as demographically complex as Pennsylvania, and with new voter registration surging to unseen levels, the campaign insider held firm.
“Senator Obama would be wise not to unpack his bags quite yet.”
With less than 24 hours to go until the beginning of the end of primary season voting, Obama has handedly captured Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but has failed to dominate suburban sprawl, the campaign’s polling reveals.
An 11-point victory in Pennsylvania for Clinton would expand on margins scored in Ohio.
Clinton will quickly move to feverishly focus on Indiana starting Tuesday night, hoping to somehow convince superdelegates that she not only has superior stamina but has crucial swing state appeal.
Without superdelegate intervention, Clinton still faces impossible math to nomination.
And, Flap has been wondering why is Hillary up so much?
Hillary is being outspent, out campaign advertised and has high negative polling.
Could it be Pennsylvania voters have learned how RADICAL Barack Obama REALLY is? Did the recent revelation of Obama’s association with left-wing, anti-Vietnam War, Weather Underground bomber William Ayers and Obama’s comparison of Ayers with Dr. and Senator Tom Coburn have something to do with Obama’s fall?
Probably.
William Ayers, Tom Coburn and Barack Obama
Listen to John McCain on ABC national television yesterday criticizing the Obama-William Ayers relationship:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZH4DXjxPb2k[/youtube]
The bloom has come off of the Obama rose and the question for tomorrow and Pennsylvanians is how much?
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Barack Obama Watch: Comparing Bill Ayers and Tom Coburn
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Barack Obama Watch: Comparing Bill Ayers and Tom Coburn
Bill Ayers, Tom Coburn and Barack Obama
Did Barack Obama REALLY compare Weather Underground bomber Bill Ayers and Oklahoma United States Senator Tom Coburn?
Yes, he did……..