“I like PBS. I’d like my grandkids to be able to watch PBS,” the presumptive GOP nominee said. “But I’m not willing to borrow money from China and make my kids have to pay the interest on that, and my grandkids, over generations, as opposed to saying to PBS, look, you’re going to have to raise more money from charitable contributions or from advertising.”
I listen to Minnesota Public Radio, because The Current is brilliant and the best radio station in the country. And know what? I donate to them. Because I want them to keep doing what they do.
People will throw money at you if you give them what they want. During their membership drives, MPR says they get more than 60% of their income comes from donations (I don’t remember the exact number, but it’s a surprisingly high proportion). I think PBS viewers would chip in if they felt their beloved station was really in peril. But we all know PBS will go on, the government has their back, and my taxes are paying for it so why should I double down on my payment to them?
Caveat: I doubt that cutting PBS or NASA or any of these penny-ante bits of the government will help solve our budget problems. Cutting Medicare, Social Security and Defense is where the big savings are at that can actually pull us out of our hole, but I’ll take what I can get.
Except NASA. Keep your grubby little paws off NASA.
Not So Fast 