Poll: When it comes to Member Supported Radio:

"Member Supported" and "Government Subsidized" is more like it.

Yes... and?

Government Subsidies = Bad Thing(tm)

Got no problem with "Member Supported". I'd give money to some PBS stuff if they didn't suck at the government teet.

(Although they did bring us the Red Green show, so I did give directly to Red Green, that show rules...)

*shrugs*
I'd rather they give money to public broadcasting than many other things they could be giving money to.

You might, and I might, and we can do that if we decide to. why force people who find no value in it to foot the bill, though?

whenever possible, i think the gov't should either privatize services, or to pay for them by their usage. for example, the highway system and toll roads in particular should be paid for by the people who use them. hike the gas tax and get rid of the income tax hit. there's no sense in someone who doesn't even own a car to pay for the highway system. same with public radio.

The underlying principle of the government seizing money from some and giving it to others is fundamentally immoral, regardless of how "good" what they are funding is perceived to be.

If public broadcasting cannot exist without government subsidies it means one of two things:

1. There really isn't a market for it (i.e. not enough people like it enough to support it)
2. They are inefficient with what money they do raise.

Now, #1 might be affected by the fact that the government taxes us all enormously. If people didn't have in excess of 40% of their income taken by the government, I wonder how many people would give more the public broadcasting?

"The underlying principle of the government seizing money from some and giving it to others is fundamentally immoral, regardless of how "good" what they are funding is perceived to be."

So, are you for absoutly nothing being funded by the government? How about the schools? fire/police, military?

I'm not being retorical, I'm actually curious about your answer here.

The government's sole function is to preserve justice. Our founding father's created a government with very limited powers (Article 1, Section 8 and the 9th and 10th Amendments of the United States Constitution). It lays out a government which is mainly tasked with providing a judicial system, providing for the nation defense (army/navy) and being the international interface to the country.

Point to anywhere in the US Constitution the federal government has the power to get involved with education, fire/police, welfare, social services, retirement (social security), and, yes, even public radio.

Government is, at best, a necessary evil. This country had the smallest most effective government during it's years of unprecedented growth which has been unparalleled in the history of man. Now we are on a decline and we have a government no better than the socialist governments of Europe.

Some people think they have a right to certain things (education, public radio, a "fair and decent" wage, or even a job). They think that wealth is to be distributed and not earned. To all of them, I offer the simple quote:

"A right does not include the material implementation of that right by other men; it includes only the right to earn that implementation by one's own efforts." - Ayn Rand, "Man's Rights"

Consider, the right to free speech includes only the right to express your ideas, thoughts, views, and beliefs. It does not include the right to have someone provide you with a printing press, web page, lecture hall or radio station through which to express your ideas.

Government has to exist, yes. But only in a very limited form. Judicial, military, and diplomacy are really the only functions, and I think we can all agree it shouldn't take 2 trillion dollars to provide those functions.

Anyways, this is probably longer and a little broader than what you were asking. Drop me a FM if you wish to chat in more detail.

I really think on principal you should stop using government funded roads, all drugs and inventions developed with government funds or created by people with public school educations. Don't watch any TV or radio as they are government licenced. Also you should stop using the governement created internet. Do that and I'll take you seriously. Till then...

Unfortunately I live in a world where government is forced upon me. When one is confronted with a situation where there is no possibility of right choices, one can only choose the lesser evil. I like my life, and rather than commit suicide I am forced to accept certain government created things. It does not mean I accept, agree with them or grant moral validity; I am simply forced into using them under threat of death.

Roads by the way are funded by gasoline taxes and thus are a form of user fees. I don't drive, I don't pay for the roads. That's fair. I don't listen to public radio, but I still pay for it in the form of taxes. That's not fair.

Also, I think on principle, you should not complain if someone breaks into your house and steals your property. Next time someone raises your taxes to fund something you disagree with you should just smile gladly and not complain. Do that and I'll take YOU seriously.

yeah, a whole 10% (I don't think it's even that much)


Personaly, I'd like to see more money going that direction...

You mean you'd like to see more of other people's money going that direction regardless of whether or not they like/support public radio.

I support a member supported radio station that I never get to hear...and don't support the ones I do listen to. But. Darnit. XPN puts out neat CDs! I like being in the CD club! :)

I wish I could give lots of maney to lots of people, but I just don't have the means. my parents who tithe to the church would rather give them all the money we have even though that means that at some times we wore paper pants. they were of the opinion that doing so would make them good christians and in some kind of kharma-like way it would all come back to them... well they are still fucking poor. I'm not saying be greedy... I'm just saying I can't. you know?

believe me, if i had money, i'd pledge to the good public radio *and* the good public tv stations. unfortunately, i tend to be poor and/or unemployed more often than not. but if you, like me, can't afford to support those stations monetarily but would still like to help them out, you can always see about volunteering to help out for fund drives. i've done it for wfuv before (i'm actually going up this weekend to do it again), and it's a lot of fun.

I thought that said, "I have negative monkeys" at first....

heehee!!!!

All these really disgruntled and pissed off monkey sulking around your house.
:D

heee! me too!

I've been a member of FUV for over ten years. When I won on Jeopardy the first extra spending I did was to become a member. I'm at FUV right now taking pledges. Call me at 718-817-8111

I did! I did call you!!!

I never knew you were on Jeopardy!, much less a Jeopardy! champion... Dude... that rocks!

Dude. You must see the video. Gordon kicks serious Lutheran clown ass.

Of all the things I miss about living in Minnesota, the one I miss most is MPR. What I like about Chicago Public Radio, I love (This American Life, The Writer's Block Party), but there's far too much I don't like (Freaking Jazz from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m., essentially not being able to listen to news and information programming during the weekend because they're playing music, pledge drives every. bloody. six. weeks., etc.)

Yeah, I love WFCR.... but they have FAR too much classical music on it on the weekends and during the day.... nothing but freakin classical.
:-/

luckily they get into interesting stuff during my drive home.

One of the main bonuses (at least radio wise) about living in southeast Vermont was that I got my choice of WFCR out of Mass, Vermont Public Radio and New Hampshire public radio. All three had different programming, so there was always either talk or classical to listen to

"Freaking" Jazz? What kind of Jazz *is* that, anyway? *wink*

I live in Iowa right now, but I'm still giving to MPR--they generate a lot of the syndicated programming that I like best. When I go visit my folks, I get up early so I can hear the morning show. I miss Dale and Jim Ed!

i WORK for member supported radio--twice over, in fact! NHPR and WUNH. so there. :-p

well, lessee... i work for Public Television/Radio (PBS Affiliate), and let me tell ya, the $$ ain't rollin' in, so that in and of itself is my contribution.
i also listen to wber ( http://wber.monroe.edu ), and I did donate when they were raising funds for a new antenna and such. i listen, i participate, i even give 'em crap and feed the Friday AM crew (when i get up early enough). So, there's my contribution :)

Ditto on that. Everyone who went to the $30 Fruvous show at Milestones (well, if you were under 21 and bought your tickets through Ticketba$tard, you paid $30) helped pay for WBER's antenna. I made a meager donation beyond that... oh yeah... Fruvous chipped in what... $1,000 for it too? IIRC, it was their pay for the night's performance, so that was really cool too.

The Fruvous House Party supported WXPN

Oh, yeah, that was an XPN fundraiser. I think I forgot that part in my chocolate-covered espresso bean haze.