Romney, If You're Serious About Deficit Reduction, Leave Big Bird Alone

thenation.com — When Mitt Romney said he’d reduce the federal budget deficit in last Wednesday’s debate, PBS was one of only two programs he mentioned cutting by name. Romney has gone after PBS before, touting its elimination as a “major” potential savings for the American people. There’s an annual $445 million congressional subsidy to public broadcasting that might seem to support Romney’s claim—until you realize that it represents approximately one hundredth of one percent of the entire federal budget. So why does Romney speak as if Big Bird were one of the top two obstacles to national solvency?  The reason is simple: he hopes to score a few easy political points. By eliminating funding to PBS, Romney and the Republicans could indeed win some support from radical conservatives, but tens of millions of Americans will lose out, especially poor children struggling to get access to a good education.

more »