As North Carolina continues to struggle with one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, many families are finding ways to trim their household budget. But how many of you would think that adding an expensive cable channel that nobody watches would count as tightening your budget?
Representative Ray Rapp does.
Rapp (D-Haywood), along with Reps. Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg), Marian McLawhorn (D-Pitt) and Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland), recently introduced House Bill 1010, which would spend $10.5 million of your tax dollars to subsidize UNC-TV – North Carolina’s little-watched public television station. And they want to make this a recurring commitment.
Ironically, Representative Rapp’s website claims the state should tighten their budget, just like “every family in North Carolina.”[1] Is that what you call “budget-tightening” Rep. Rapp?
Funding a TV station is nowhere near any reasonable person’s idea of a vital function of state government. Such matters are more appropriately left to the private sector, where consumer needs and desires will be served diligently. In this manner, citizens will be made better off by voluntarily choosing to watch TV stations, not having money siphoned from their pockets every year to support and enlarge a growing state bureaucracy.
Because it tries to give away millions of your tax dollars on a frivolous program like a TV station, HB1010 is the first winner of 2012 “Bad Bill of the Week”.
How in the world can you post with a straight face this week, when the Speaker of the House is using wikipedia and UK law to support giving a “golden parachute” of taxpayer money to two former staffers.
Publius,
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Publius,
It’s called Bad Bill of the Week. This is a bad bill.
Publius,
Yeah, just like the Fannie Mae executives who walked away with tens of millions in bonuses while the “quasi private-government corporation” was collapsing around them from bad loans! Oh yes, did you forget, those foremer executives are all DEMOCRATs and many are in the current administration. . . as we can see . . . nothing has changed. At least Republicans fire their wrong doers, not promote them.
no it just shows that you never critize a republican
Looks like someone has a relative working there. I wish you would look at state employees-how many are actually earning their paychecks and how many are sitting on their ass playing on the computer, not doing the job they’re getting paid for.
I think you all got this one wrong. UNC-TV is watched by many in our state who can NOT afford cable tv!
Looking at TV ?????? Then quit and go get a job.
So all of the other TV stations in the state pay taxes that are used to fund a competitor – and one that does NOT pay taxes?
NC does not have any business wasting our tax dollars on any tv channel..that is a frivilous waste of money that the state needs to use for more solicitation of bringing businesses to NC with JOBS…wasteful spending can continue when people are back to work and have monehy to throw away..(never).. Let’s hear a proposal that makes sense in this very weak economy..
Normally I support government action in proping up failing programs which benifit citizens. But in this case, it’s wasteful spending which could be directed at job created incentives to bring business to out state.
I support NC Public TV with an annual gift. HOWEVER, I believe the State government should STAY OUT of this! Let corporations and donors support Public TV. If it can’t stand on its own, then so be it!