Public Broadcasting

I used to get all concerned when it appeared that Public Broadcasting would lose some free money from Congress.

Now, I read that the House voted to restore $100 million for public television and radio broadcasting next year, reversing a plan to cut spending deeply. Supporters in the House beat back charges that "Big Bird is a billionaire." Opponents argued that the widely marketed children's television character didn't need federal money.

Oh, incidentally, they agreed to fork over the cash just as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that Patricia Harrison, former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, is its new president.

I read this. I didn't get it from PBS on TV or the radio. I guess the powers in Washington prefer voters who get a steady diet of pre-digested TV or radio, from producers who don't have to worry about ratings.

This note was brought to you by the letters G (for Government and Graft) and B (for Billions and Bribery), and the number "8" (which, laid sideways, is the PBS budget: infinity).