Rep. Markey, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Kids, to House Republicans: 'Don't Starve Big Bird'
REP. MARKEY, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, KIDS, TO HOUSE REPUBLICANS: DON'T STARVE BIG BIRD'
Lawmakers, Families Call For Restoration of $100 Million for Public Broadcasting
Representative Markey, the ranking member on the House Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and the Internet, was joined by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), U.S.
Representatives John Dingell (D-MI), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Anna G. Eshoo (DCA),
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Clifford the Big Red Dog and other PBS
characters, Action for Children's Television, Children NOW, and the National Parent Teacher's
Association on Capitol Hill in a rally to against a Republican proposal to cut $100 million of funding for
local and national public television and radio broadcasting programming.
"We are here today to send a message to Republican leaders: Don't starve Big Bird," said Rep. Markey,
speaking to children, and parents waving signs with message for Congress C is for Cookie not for Cuts'
My Mom watches NPR.' Rep. Markey went on to address the crowd, "Public broadcasting remains an
electronic oasis for learning in what has been called the vast wasteland of commercial television. For the
cost of less than $2 per year per person what parents and kids get from public TV is an incredible bargain.
The question is not, "Can we afford it?" but rather, "Can we afford to lose it?"
Peggy Charren, long-time advocate of public broadcasting spoke to the rally of lawmakers, children and
PBS characters said, "The Ready to Learn Service is one of the most creative pieces of legislation
Congress ever passed. To do away with it would undermine the future of millions of American
Children."
Charren and other supporters of quality children's programming joined the Members of Congress in
accepting a petition, signed by over 1 million Americans, pleading with Congress to reverse the proposed
cuts. The petition, organized by Moveon.org, brought the voices of children and families from across the
country to the Capitol. Dina Mishra, one of the millions of voiced brought to Congress through the
petition wrote, 'Sesame Street teaches good values, strong learning skills, and most importantly, instills
children with a love of learning and an inquisitiveness that proves valuable their whole lives long. NPR
does the same for adults! please save them both!'
These CPB cuts come on top of a controversy over the political balance of public broadcasting.
Ken Tomlinson, the CPB Chairman, has come under recent criticism for his campaign to inject
partisanship and conservative viewpoints into PBS programming. Today Representative Markey called
for Tomlinson's resignation, "Mr. Tomlinson has let his zeal for imposing his own view of "political
balance" on public broadcasting interfere with his core mission - to protect the nation's premier
children's television network from funding cuts. He should resign."
Moveon.org, National PTA, Free Press, Common Cause, the United Church of Christ, American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, National Institute on Media and the Family are just a few
of the organizations urging Congress to restore funding for PBS. According to the non-partisan Roper
polling firm, Americans believe that PBS is the best use of tax dollars, only outranked by military defense
spending. The poll results also show that the majority of Americans believe the federal funding that PBS
currently receives is "too little." But last week the House Appropriations Committee approved drastic cuts
in programs for public broadcasting.
For more information on the petition check out http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/ for
information about Representative Markey's work to preserve children's television check out
http://www.house.gov/markey/.
http://www.house.gov/markey/Issues/iss_telecom_pr050621.pdf