He may have a point; federally run operations do tend to be much less efficient than their counterparts in the private sector. But if efficiency is the problem, the solution is not to kill CPB but to try to make it more efficient. The Republican over-eagerness to eliminate funding betrays their ideological motives.
And these motives did make an appearance during the hearings. Robert Knight of the Family Research Council blasted CPB for being "at war with the family for over two decades," citing the absence of two-parent families on Sesame Street as evidence.
He also said, "If you really cared about children's education, you would try to find ways of preserving family time," instead of using the television as a babysitter. Maybe Sesame Street can be used as a babysitter, but I would much rather have Cookie Monster looking after my kids than Geraldo.
And Jim Warner of the National Rifle Association (NRA) complained that CPB did not adequately represent NRA views in their programming. Perhaps he would feel better if the producers gave Mister Rogers an AK-47 and a show on household security.
Other witnesses argued that CPB is elitist, taking money away from all Americans and providing entertainment for a few upper class liberals. CPB's subsidy was portrayed as some sort of regressive tax, an example of the liberal tyranny over honest, hard-working Americans. But canceling CPB's funding is not a victory for the average American; it is a blow to those who need the resources most.
While a large segment of public broadcasting's audience is educated and affluent, lower income individuals make extensive use of it as well. CPB President Richard Carstone testified that 76 percent of his listeners do not have a college degree. And CPB's programs are particularly important for these poorer families, where educational opportunities are already bleak.
During the hearings, the Republican members of Congress demonstrated their utter lack of understanding of social conditions in our country. Many argued that CPB was redundant, that quality news and educational programs can be found elsewhere on CNN, C-SPAN, Nickelodian, and the Discovery Channel.
What they don't seem to grasp is that all of these services are offered on cable, a service to which 40 percent of American households do not subscribe. Many of them cannot afford it.
Such a possibility did not even occur to the Republicans, indicating how out of touch they are with the reality of American life. This is a step beyond their usual foolishness regarding social issues. In the debate over welfare, the poor don't count as constituents. During the CPB hearings, they didn't even exist.