Three Years Running, Trump’s Budget Axes Public Television, Radio
Today we learn that, for the third consecutive year, the Trump administration has proposed the elimination of federal funding for public television and radio. It’s hard to know what to make of this. It’s possible that the president understands that his base doesn’t care too much for public television. It’s also reasonable to assume that Trump doesn’t stand to gain by programming that provides Americans an education in history.
If you were Trump, I doubt you would want your voters to know a great deal about PBS’s most popular shows: “The Story of Fascism in Europe” and “Nixon.”
It is via programming like this that we learn that would-be fascists routinely control the press, invent terrifying enemies, develop a thug caste, equate dissent with treason and suspend the rule of law.
Those outside the U.S. may not know that we actually had a president who obstructed justice and attempted to excuse it by explaining to the American people, “When the president does it, that means that it’s not illegal.” 
It didn’t end well. He resigned in disgrace to avoid the fate suffered by his attorney general, John Mitchell, who was sentenced to 2.5 – 8 years in prison for obstruction and perjury. Mug shot at right. (He may have gone down anyway, as the fashion police might have gotten him for tucking his tie into his pants.)
In any case, let me add that none of this fairly recent U.S. history is deterring the current U.S. AG William Barr, who said yesterday that if the president feels a proceeding is unfounded, “the president does not have to sit there constitutionally and allow it to run its course. The president could terminate the proceeding and it would not be a corrupt intent because he was being falsely accused.”
Barr may be well advised to check out some of the programming on public television; it may inform his actions and help him avoid a long stretch in the slammer.
Craig,
Let me see if I understand you correctly, are you really saying that PBS should be funded by tax dollars as a sort of official Left Wing propaganda machine or meeting place for “Never-Trumpers?”
If that’s the case, why should the tax payer fund partisan political propaganda?
As I understand PBS, it was conceived at a time when the only content available to the American people was through a limited number of commercial networks and affiliates.
The advent of cable, digital, and social media platforms has superseded the need for PBS.
Don’t get me wrong, I like PBS, but reducing government funding wouldn’t prevent PBS continuing as a television program distributor or producer.
The rest of your diatribe appears to be a sort of disconnected general rant justifying a distorted treatise on “Obstruction of Justice”.
The Constitution provides mechanism’s for remedying incorrect, obsolete or even correct decisions by an Attorney-General or even a President.
The Constitution does not provide any remedy for rabid delusional political activist who refuse to accept the results of an election because they didn’t win!
US Attorney-General William Barr is a an exceedingly distinguished jurist and very experienced public official.
He rendered his opinion of the effect of the content of the long awaited Mueller Report prior to releasing the report in full (with minor redaction’s required by due process)as a service to Congress and the American public.
The response by Some Democrat House members and Senators has been unparalleled in modern times for offensiveness and puerile behavior.
The “never Trump” media has been even more disgraceful. Like thwarted children throwing a tantrum, these politicians and their media jackals attacked and mocked the Attorney-General for not agreeing with their own biased and distorted interpretation.
Disagreeing with Barr’s interpretation, doesn’t make Barr a liar!
What they can’t realize is the American people don’t care. They accept the obvious broad truth of the report, and have moved on.
Unfortunately, for some Democrats, most of the leftist media and the more rabid never-Trumpers, this is just one more defeat and a crushing blow to credibility.
It’s hard to accept reality, but throwing a tantrum and pretending that they were right all along, only makes their position worse.
Some Democrat campaign officials, candidates,politicians FBI and intelligence agency officials may have real reason to fear the Attorney-General and a vengeful President as their own illegal behavior and actions come under scrutiny.
None of this will help make Americans more prosperous or resolve the real problems facing the US nationally and internationally.
The American people are quite rightly fed up with Congress and media preoccupation with matters which they see as petty distractions from the issues affecting their daily lives.
The broad truth is obvious;
Q) Did “Russian” operatives attempt to influence the 2016 US election ?
A) The answer is almost certainly affirmative. Was their any collusion or effective conspiracy, by the Trump campaign, the answer is negative.
Q) Was the “Russian” action effective ?
A) Largely Negative. The interference had little or marginal on voters. Most of the subsequent damage was done by hysterical Americans and media.
Q) Did the Mueller Report any Criminal actions by the President or the campaign.
A) Negative. The report revealed an inexperienced, non lawyer, first time President reacting in a manner without understanding the complexity of his office, but accepting advice and acting according to law and the Constitution.
Even taking Mueller’s reading of the President’s mood at the most sinister interpretation, the worst that can be assumed is the President may have believed he should have the power to end what he saw as an unjustified fiasco, but eventually realized the limitations and yielded to advice.
In conclusion, their was no “collusion” nor any “Obstruction of Justice”.
Was the President’s behavior perfect throughout and flawless? Certainly not ! But not being perfect and a legal expert, is neither criminal not “fascist”.
Was Mueller’s conduct of the inquiry flawless and perfect? certainly not ! At times he was over zealous and acted highhandedly creating unnecessary sensational speculation and high drama.
He can be excused his mistakes as being caught up in a media feeding frenzy and was originally charged with a poorly constructed commission.
In general, Mueller was always going to find constructing his report difficult and his conclusions were always going to contain inevitable ambiguities and be open to speculation and interpretation.
IMHO, the American people want both sides to move on. They want to put the whole episode behind them and both democrats and the President to focus on more relevant issues.
It will be a catastrophic mistake for leftists and Democrats to continue remaining addicted to sensationalist “never-Trump” impeachment nonsense, just as the electorate will not thank vengeful republicans or the President pursuing those in the Clinton campaign, FBI etc for their misdeeds.
Craig, for the sake of your sanity and angst, don’t you think it’s time you also moved on? Destroying the President, means destroying the policies that are proving so effective in bringing about an era of tremendous prosperity and hope for so many of your fellow Americans.
It’s unfortunate, I agree that Donald Trump isn’t a little more ,…well..Presidential, but much as his brash and even crude public persona may be annoying, is it really worth destroying America’s best chance of restructuring a this crucial time in history?
Churchill loathed Field-Marshal Viscount Bernard Montgomery, a man whose friends admitted was irritating, tactless, arrogant, rude, invent his own “truth” and boastful.
However, Churchill also realized he was a brilliant general who had to be “managed” and cooperated with to win the war. Churchill put up with Montgomery and worked hard to bring out the best in him, despite his personal dislike, for the good of the nation.
The Democrats should perhaps consider the lesson.