It’s time to end taxpayer funding of public radio

On Oct. 20, National Public Radio fired longtime liberal news analyst Juan Williams as a result of comments he made on Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Specifically, Williams told Bill O’Reilly: “Political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don’t address reality … I mean, look, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

You know what, Juan? Sometimes I get nervous, too. In fact, a majority of people do.

Regardless, Williams was fired for purely political reasons. NPR has become a mouthpiece for President Obama’s liberal agenda and has taken to following his lead in exercising excessive political correctness. The fact of the matter is Williams was let go because he broke ranks with NPR’s agenda.

In this day and age of satellite radio and digital television, it pains me to think we still have government-funded television and radio. Why does this country need public radio? Why can’t NPR operate like any other radio station and survive off advertising revenue?

As O’Reilly wrote in an op-ed for the New York Post, given our fiscal crisis, it’s time to end the NPR gravy train. O’Reilly pointed out that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the parent company of NPR and PBS, is set to receive $420 million in taxpayer dollars this year alone. That money doesn’t even account for the millions more in federal grants NPR receives from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The network also receives donations from liberals, such as George Soros, who recently donated $1.8 million to “ensure that it covers legislatures in all 50 states.” Well, thank God for Mr. Soros. And we wonder why NPR’s coverage is liberal-leaning?

Our congressman, Pete King, has been very outspoken on the matter and has called for Congress to cease all federal funding to NPR and its parent company. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado, has introduced legislation to end taxpayer funding of NPR and save $450 million a year. Until now, the legislation has been ignored.

At the very least, it’s time for Congress to begin an extensive investigation into NPR and how it receives its funding.

There has also been speculation as to whether Williams’s removal was related to his recently signing a contract to become an analyst for Fox News, a more conservative and “balanced” media network. Williams said that his dismissal from NPR “was a political tactic designed to hurt me for working at Fox.” As a fellow Fox contributor, I say, welcome aboard, Juan. We’re happy to have you.

By the time you read this, I expect that our new governor, Andrew Cuomo, will be celebrating his victory. But make no mistake about it — the celebration will be short-lived.

Governor-elect Cuomo has a historic opportunity — a necessity — to change the direction of government in New York state. To be very candid, over the past 20 years, the state has spent too much, taxed too much and been much too political. In order for the new governor to be successful — and I certainly hope he will be — he faces a formidable challenge: the entrenched union bosses. The teachers’, public employees’ and health care workers’ unions, and the elite special-interest groups such as the New York Racing Association, all have for too long coerced, bribed and bullied both parties into pension programs and salary packages that far outstripped the ability of the state to pay.

The hole is now so deep that it will take more than four years to dig our way out, but dig we must. To once again quote former Gov. Hugh Carey in his first State of the State address after taking office, “The days of wine and roses are over.”

Cuomo has indicated that he won’t be bullied. In order for him to be successful, all of our elected officials and the citizens of New York must rally behind him. These will be difficult and challenging financial times, but I believe that Cuomo can and will stand up for what is right.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.