Wednesday, March 30, 2011

NPR

I am writing this to urge you to contact your Senators and ask them not to vote in favor of prohibiting Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content.   I also hope that if you are representative in Congress is one of the ones listed below that you will write to them about your displeasure at their vote in favor of HR 1076.  Here are the Members of the House of Representatives (mostly Republicans) who voted in favor of this bill:

Adams
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Barletta
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Bass (NH)
Benishek
Berg
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Bonner
Bono Mack
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brooks
Broun (GA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Buerkle
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canseco
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cole
Conaway
Cravaack
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Denham
Dent
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Dreier
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Emerson
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Flake
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Gardner
Garrett
Gerlach
Gibbs
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Grimm
Guinta
Guthrie
Hall
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Heck
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Herrera Beutler
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (IL)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Kelly
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Lamborn
Lance
Landry
Lankford
Latham
Latta
Lewis (CA)
LoBiondo
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
Marino
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McCotter
McHenry
McKeon
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
Meehan
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Myrick
Neugebauer
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Paul
Paulsen
Pearce
Petri
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Quayle
Reed
Rehberg
Renacci
Ribble
Rigell
Rivera
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross (FL)
Royce
Runyan
Ryan (WI)
Scalise
Schilling
Schmidt
Schock
Schweikert
Scott (SC)
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stearns
Stivers
Stutzman
Sullivan
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Walberg
Walden
Walsh (IL)
Webster
West
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Yoder
Young (FL)
Young (IN)

NPR is a wonderful source of news and in several instances has been a life-saving source of information. I have lived though three hurricanes while living in the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico. During each of these natural disasters, it was NPR radio stations that kept citizens informed about issues involving the storms. The NPR stations were most often the only radio station operating during the storms and in the aftermath. It was the NPR stations that we depended on for the vital information necessary to survive these disasters. Without electricity, we were forced to rely on battery-powered radios. Public Radio stations were the only source of information during these tragedies. Without federal funding, these radio stations would be hard pressed to provide that vital information.

Furthermore, as an educator, I spend the majority of my time working to enrich the lives of my students. I teach both high school and college, and due to my busy schedule, my main news source is often the local public radio stations. Public Radio keeps me informed of the vital issues of the day. I listen to it each morning and afternoon on my way to and from school. Without that morning and afternoon commute listening to my public radio station, the time and effort I put into educating my students would be diminished. Therefore, I feel that public radio serves as a vital part of my job. As a teacher, I know the importance of keeping informed about the national and international news. Public radio allows me to keep informed for my students.

I feel that the federal funding received by public radio stations is far too vital to be cut or eliminated. Public radio serves an important part of the news and information available in America, especially rural America, and it would be a travesty if their budget were cut.

Thank you for reading.

3 comments:

Jacob Woods said...

Instead of cutting why doesn't the government steal from CNN, FOXnews, MSNBC, Glenn Beck, and Oprah Winfrey? how about Bill Gates?

Don't answer that I already know the answer.

But hopefully it doesn't get cut! Thanks for the important information!

drew said...

NPR is a liberal tool. Period. Well, I am gay but not liberal and I don't want my tax money spent on this. My tax money is not spent on CNN, Fox, MSNBC or Oprah.. They pay for themselves. Lets let NPR do the same. They don't attract enough people willing to pay for their content because it is so slanted.. Why is it that every attempt at a liberal radio program has failed to attract enough listenership while the conservatives rule? Interesting isn't is?

Joe said...

Jacob, I hope their budget doesn't get cut either. They are a great source of information.

Drew, we will just have to agree to disagree. I have this argument with my mother all the time because she says the same thing. They may be liberal in a few areas, but as a whole, I think they are very fair in their reporting. At least they try to be fair and balanced. I can't say the same for CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News. Like I said, we will have to agree to disagree on this matter.