Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support this rule, H. Res. 174, and the underlying bill, my legislation, H.R. 1076, to prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content. It is time for American citizens to stop funding an organization that can stand on its own feet. Long before any of the recent news stories on videos or the Juan Williams fiasco, I sponsored legislation in Congress to pull the plug on taxpayer funding for NPR. I enjoy some programs on NPR, but I have long believed that it can stand on its own. The point at issue is not the quality or content of programming on NPR. The point is not the degree to which Americans support the arts, radio, news, and educational programs. The point today is whether government programs and services that can be funded privately or that are otherwise available in the private sector should receive taxpayer funding. Apart from constitutional concerns, as a country we no longer have this luxury anymore. With the national debt over $13 trillion, the government simply can't continue to fund nonessential services. Let me add that no one can really argue that these programs will disappear if Americans are no longer forced to subsidize them with Federal tax dollars. NPR can survive on its own. This bill will accomplish three things: One, it will prohibit direct funding of NPR.…”