Republicans Come to Their Senses on PBS Funding

People for the American Way (PFAW), report that Republicans in the House of Representatives came to their senses yesterday and restored the proposed 100 million dollars to the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. PFAW had these observations in their email newsletter:

Big Bird Lives to See Another Day!

...Democrats and Republicans banded together to overwhelmingly restore $100 million in funding to the CPB by a vote of 284 to 140.

While this will undoubtedly help secure the financial future of independent public broadcasting, its political future is still very much in doubt. Ken Tomlinson, head of the CPB, continues his efforts to turn it into a mouthpiece of the Republican Party. And today his right wing agenda advanced one step further when he succeeded in getting Patricia Harrison, formerly a co-chair of the Republican National Committee, named as president and chief executive of the CPB.

It would appear we are close enough now to the 2006 Congressional elections for politicians to start paying attention to the public at large. Afterall, what Republican wants to run in 2006 against an opponent who can claim the Republican killed Big Bird? Tens of millions of moms and their children depend on PBS for wholesome healthy educational programming not found on commercial media.