There are no absolutes in life. Saying that every person at National Public Radio (NPR) is a liberal or a shill for the Democratic Party is simply not true. In any organization, those at the top set the agenda. Though many will point to the Juan Williams firing several months ago, or perhaps the head of NPR’s fund-raising arm, Ron Schiller, resigning after being caught on video making disparaging remarks about the Republican Party and the tea-party to two men posing as members of an Islamic civic group, but in reality NPR’s liberal bent can be traced far back into the past.
Today, National Public Radio’s president and chief executive, Vivian Schiller (no relation to Ron Schiller,) resigned. It’s sad to say that those fair and unbiased people at NPR will now carry the stain of a few bad apples, but it’s also a choice. Not too many folks in the journalistic world could honestly say that NPR’s strong left leanings weren’t well known. Certainly those who chose to work there made their own beds and the explosion of negative publicity will settle upon them like radioactive fallout. The public will decide whether to hold them responsible for their choice or not.
If there was any question as to whether funding for NPR would be cut, it’s no longer in question. But why has it taken this long to stop public funding of an organization with a clear bias towards one political party? Personally, I say shame on the Republican Party. They knew taxpayer money was going to promote the interests of one political party. If NPR was slanted towards the Republican Party, it wouldn’t make it any more palatable. Taxpayers come in all flavors, Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian and Independent. Why should any taxpayer have their hard earned tax dollars go to promote a political ideology in opposition to their own beliefs? It’s no different than taking union dues and directing it to one political party or another. Yet, the Republican Party sat back, even when they controlled Congress, and continued the funding of NPR. Perhaps it’s time to burn my Republican Party card.
Our country has been ruled by either the Democrats or Republicans for a century now. There hasn’t been a Bull Moose Party since the days of Teddy Roosevelt. The smatterings of far left and far right parties have never had a strong foothold in America. Our future has always been controlled by either a bunch of Elephants or Donkeys; but has either really served us? When a political party becomes comfortable with their slice of the power pie they become lazy or corrupt or both. Am I insinuating that there aren’t any members of either party that are dedicated public servants? Absolutely not. However the culture of the two-party system hasn’t served us well. The Democrats funded NPR to further their agenda and the Republicans turned a blind eye. Ask any long-term Republican member of either the Senate or the House and I’m sure they’d say, “In the grand scheme of things, the money spent on NPR was a drop in the bucket.” They don’t get it. When our taxes are spent inappropriately it doesn’t matter if it’s a billion dollars or twenty cents. When did they lose their perspective of right or wrong?
Political parties start as political movements, and as they gain power they organize, raise funds and field candidates. In the beginning these movements start with a purity of purpose that gets lost amidst the flood of cash and power. Could the Tea Party be the next big player in American politics? They’ve certainly shown the strength of their movement. Yet I can’t help but imagine that someday, down the road, they’ll look just like the Democrats or Republicans. Pretty damn depressing. I pray I’m wrong.
Every member of the Republican Party that looked the other way while tax dollars went to NPR owes me and every other Conservative a refund. Since we know that’ll never happen, they better clean up their act or they’ll find their support dwindling away faster than our tax dollars.
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