Juan Williams and my #1 Pet Peeve

http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/juan-williams-and-my-1-pet-peeve

National Public Radio fired Juan Williams because he admitted on Fox television to becoming nervous when he sees Muslims on airplanes.

Congressional Republicans have responded to the firing by threatening to end NPR's federal funding.

Are the Republicans doing this because they're principled defenders of the Constitution, and the taxpayer, or simply to exploit an emotional partisan issue thick with anti-Muslim bigotry?

We agree that NPR should be de-funded, but not because they fired Juan Williams. If NPR was privately-funded their editorial and staffing decisions wouldn't be any of my business. Instead, I would simply be a consumer, free to listen, or not listen to NPR. But . . .

Thanks to the busy-body know-it-all politicians in Congress, everything NPR does IS my business, because I'm taxed to subsidize NPR, and so are you. This is my #1 pet peeve . . .

I hate being forced to pay for other people's "viewpoints," "journalism," or "art."

The real reason to stop giving NPR tax money isn't because Juan Williams was fired, or because the Democrats are "soft on Islam," or too "politically correct." We should do it because it's wrong, both morally and Constitutionally.

That's why I sent this letter to Congress . . .

I know that some GOP hacks are demanding the de-funding of NPR because of a politically-incorrect remark from Juan Williams. I, too urge you to support the de-funding of NPR, but you should do more . . .

Cut off the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting including PBS. Please also stop funding the National Endowments for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.

I know that these programs are just a tiny part of the federal budget. That's not the point.

If someone pointed a gun at you and demanded just one penny from you to pay for things you don't believe in, wouldn't you resent it? Well, that's how I feel about NPR, CfPB, PBS, and the arts and humanities programs. These programs . . .

* Violate the First Amendment by forcing me to subsidize other people's speech
* Violate the Ninth Amendment by attacking my freedom of conscience
* Violate the Tenth Amendment because these subsidies aren't authorized by the Constitution.

All federal funding of speech and the arts should be terminated IMMEDIATELY.

END LETTER

You have permission to borrow from or copy this letter, and you can send it to your Representative and Senators through DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System.

James Wilson
Assistant Communications Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.