Save NPR Funding!

James A. Bacon

13 years ago

The wolves are circling NPR, the supposed bug-a-boo of liberal bias.

The conservatives are building momentum, in one form or another, to cut the influential radio, television and Internet system that provides badly-needed news, analysis and foreign reporting when market-driven news sources have chopped away most of their assets in pursuit of ever-dwindling net income (or so they say).

Here in Virginia, Gov. Robert McDonnell, a staunch right-winger, wants to stop $4.2 million in state funding the Virginia’s NPR stations. The Republican-led House of Representatives wants to cut far more across the nation. Rationale for the cuts runs the right wing gamut from U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor who complains that NPR is “too liberal” to James A, Bacon Jr., who says that the 30-plus-year-old government funding model is dogmatically wrong although he likes NPR and is willing to kick in a few bucks of his own dough as NPR struggles to come up with a new business model. (THANK YOU, Jim!).

To set the stage for de-fanging NPR, the right-wing uses its omnibus financial crisis — the concept that government spending is way out of control and we have to take extraordinary measures to stem it. There is some truth here but the timing is suspect. The campaign started just about on the day that Barack Obama was inaugurated as president. His predecessor blew out federal spending through two wars, tax cuts for the rich, Medicare prescription plan changes after Bill Clinton contained it. Using the scare tactics of a debt Armageddon, the right wing is swiftly moving in various, seemingly pre-planned ways (Cantor here, Bacon there) to get rid of NPR once and for all.

Not that NPR hasn’t screwed up. The firing of Juan Williams was completely out of line and and NPR executive stupidly fell victim to a ham-handed covert ruse by a right-wing video outfit (highly suspect itself). About 29 year ago, I co-broke a story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about how the president of WCVE — Richmond’s public tv station — was self-dealing by using public money to buy tv remote equipment that was quickly amortized and then used by the president’s private, for-profit company to make commercials and broadcast basketball games.

In Virginia, the current financial crisis model doesn’t exactly hold water. True the state of billions in the hole for roads, education and other critical needs. But that’s the fault of the General Assembly, not state NPR stations. Last year, McDonnell seemed to pull a rabbit out of the hat by coming in with a budget surplus, but he did so by playing accounting tricks with the state retirement system. As far as roads, poof, suddenly there was an extra billion lying around left by Democratic Gov. Time Kaine for a rainy day.

So, just how bad is Virginia’s fiscal crisis anyway? Let’s look at ways we can find the $4.2 million to save NPR funding. Consider these:

The Washington Post has reported that as the state is crimping on funding help for education and the mentally ill, the General Assembly renewed a $45 million annual provision for two big utilities, Dominion and Appalachian Power, to buy coal mined in Virginia. The measure has been on the books since 1999and gives tax credits worth $3 per ton for Old Dominion coal. Why is this government welfare needed? Metallurgical coal which the state produces now fetches $200 a metric done at the mine. Global demand for Central Appalachian met coal is so strong that Norfolk Southern railroad is scrambling to come up with 2,500 new hopper cars and collier are backed up at anchor in Hampton Roads. Why does coal need help?

One thing I heard on NPR. Amazon.com doesn’t pay state sales taxes. Here’s a company that brings in more than $35 billion in revenues by selling goods over the Net. Virginia should think about getting its share. Back in the early Net days, people like then-governor George Allen, anxious to embrace the “digital Dominion,” fought taxing the Net. Well, that was then. Amazon.com ain’t exactly a start-up any more,.

The gas tax. We pay among the lowest of any state in the country. This is the simplest solution.

So there you have it. Finding $4.2 million to save NPR funding shouldn’t be that hard, just as it shouldn’t be to ease the pain for the sick and students who need an education. It’s time to get past the financial-crisis panic mentality and the worry-mongers.

Peter Galuszka