[NeedKarma]

If you think that corporations and their trusts that give grants to PBS don't control content, you are being extremely naive.

Elliot

That's exactly what I am saying.

[inthebox]

hahah the war and religion budget. almost 1/3rd of the KAtrina dollars from the BUSH ADMINISGTRATION went to religious institutions... lets break a lot of things down to see what is going on

Is this the source?


Faith rebuilds house and soul - USATODAY.com



And what have you, mario3, done ?



Grace and Peace

[Mario3]

What does that mean inthebox? My tax dollars went there... what? Did you know that? You didn't know this? You think the government was spending the money it grew on trees? Go back to school

[inthebox]

MArio3:

Site your source that "1/3 of Katrina dollars went to religious institutions".

If you read the linked article, they don't cite the government as a source of funds.
But the proof is on the table on the left side. 53266 houses improved.
Note also that USA TODAY is a liberal newspaper and that these efforts were made by charitable organizations, represented by a multitude of faiths.



Grace and Peace

[Choux]

Lots of young immigrants get their start learning English from public television.. . not to mention how well children react to the teaching programs, both language and values.

It broadcasts fine programs bought to us from England... drama... that is not produced in America... quality actors in quality pieces.

I would think that Bush is just posturing at this point because his administration has been such a failure, and he has not given the Christian base much of anything to satisfy their irrational views on many subjects... such as public broadcasting... lies about the main streem media which is actually on the conservative side, not liberal at all.

Bush's poll numbers are at 25%... he is just flailing around at the present time... living in his own fantasy world where he is not a lame duck President unwilling to take steps to wind up the Iraq War, his PERSONAL WAR OF ADVENTURISM, his great shame, as he went into the war not knowing Muslim culture and mismanaging the war and occupation per HIS OWN STATEMENT.

[tomder55]

Choux

If the programing is as valuable as you claim (and I agree with you on the content you mentioned ) then it should be sustainable in the open market. You will notice that many of the programs you mention are underwritten by corporate sponsorship anyway . Why does it then need tax payer subsidy ?

[ETWolverine]

[QUOTE=Choux]Lots of young immigrants get their start learning English from public television.. . not to mention how well children react to the teaching programs, both language and values. {/quotes}

Fine. Let those programs air on Nickelodion, the Cartoon Network, FOX Kids, NBC Family, Disney Channel, and other kids networks. Why do they have to be paid for by my tax dollars?

It broadcasts fine programs bought to us from England... drama... that is not produced in America... quality actors in quality pieces.

There's BBC America and BBC World which both do exactly the same thing. As does A&E. Again, why do we need a tax-dollar funded station for that purpose?

I would think that Bush is just posturing at this point because his administration has been such a failure, and he has not given the Christian base much of anything to satisfy their irrational views on many subjects... such as public broadcasting... lies about the main streem media which is actually on the conservative side, not liberal at all.

Huh? I'm trying to make sense of how cutting funding for PBS has anything to do with Chritianity. I am again getting the feeling that the only one being irrational here is you, Chou.

Bush's poll numbers are at 25%...

Here are Bush's job approval ratings since June 1, 2007.


,, Dates,, Approval %

CBS/New York Times... 7/20-22/07... 30
ABC/Washington Post... 7/18-21/07... 33
FOX/Opinion Dynamics RV... 7/17-18/07... 32
CBS/New York Times... 7/9-17/07... 29
Gallup... 7/12-15/07... 31
Newsweek... 7/11-12/07... 29
AP-Ipsos... 7/9-11/07... 33
USA Today/Gallup... 7/6-8/07... 29
Newsweek... 7/2-3/07... 26
CBS... 6/26-28/07... 27
FOX/Opinion Dynamics RV... 6/26-27/07... 31
CNN/Opinion Research Corp... 6/22-24/07... 32
Newsweek... 6/18-19/07... 26
Gallup... 6/11-14/07... 32
NBC/Wall Street Journal... 6/8-11/07... 29
Quinnipiac RV... 6/5-11/07... 28
L.A. Times/Bloomberg ... 6/7-10/07... 34
FOX/Opinion Dynamics RV... 6/5-6/07... 34
AP-Ipsos... 6/4-6/07... 32
USA Today/Gallup... 6/1-3/07... 32

Average approval rating since June 1, 2007 = 30.45%

In addition, Bush's favorability poll numbers, as polled by Gallup on 7/12-15/2007 showed his favorability numbers at 37% and on 6/1-3/07 at 40%. An NBC News/WSJ poll dated 6/8-11/07 showed a favorability rating of 32%.

So where are you getting your 25% figure from? Or were you just making it up?

Also, you should probably keep in mind that the Democrat-controlled Congress' approval ratings are even lower than Bush's... an average of 26.75% for 12 polls taken since June 1, 2007. Zogby actually has Congress' approval ratings at 14% on 7/12-14/07. This would seem to indicate that NOBODY likes Congress, except perhaps, their own parents. Maybe.

he is just flailing around at the present time... living in his own fantasy world where he is not a lame duck President unwilling to take steps to wind up the Iraq War, his PERSONAL WAR OF ADVENTURISM, his great shame, as he went into the war not knowing Muslim culture and mismanaging the war and occupation per HIS OWN STATEMENT.

Ummm. There is only one person I see flailing around here, and it ain't Bush.

Why don't you try some of that logical thinking and fact-finding you are so proud of, instead of the emotional responses caused by Bush Derangement Syndrome.

Elliot

[Mario3]

Nah no one likes Bush, the one who thinks he is the king of America. Remember how the first elections America was messed because our votes came in a staggering different numbers in recounts? That was a joke and sort of embarrassing for us in the new millennium. What makes you think the polls are right or not? They are rigged just as they were rigged to get bush to come in and make a select few more money. In the first place, this is a fact that he was not the elected president, like the first time around I mean, but he was just selected. If someone can come into power like that - anything is possible - this is all fake, most americans don't like Bushy... but he does make a great target for comedy

[NeedKarma]

So where are you getting your 25% figure from? Or were you just making it up?

The National Economy

71% of Americans Disapprove of the Way
George W. Bush is Handling His Job as President

A total of 71% of Americans say they disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.
Among all Americans, 25% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 71% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 23% approve and 73% disapprove.
Among Americans registered to vote, 27% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 70% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 23% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 72% disapprove.
This is the highest level of disapproval and lowest level of approval for the Bush presidency recorded in monthly surveys by the American Research Group.
The results presented here are based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews conducted among a nationwide random sample of adults 18 years and older. The interviews were completed July 18 through 21, 2007. The theoretical margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.
Overall, 25% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 71% disapprove, and 4% are undecided.

[ETWolverine]

Nah no one likes Bush, the one who thinks he is the king of America. Remember how the first elections America was messed because our votes came in a staggering different numbers in recounts? That was a joke and sort of embarrassing for us in the new millenium. what makes you think the polls are right or not? they are rigged just as they were rigged to get bush to come in and make a select few more money. In the first place, this is a fact that he was not the elected president, like the first time around i mean, but he was just selected. If someone can come into power like that - anything is possible - this is all fake, most americans don't like Bushy...but he does make a great target for comedy

Mario, let's examine this statement and see if it makes any sense whatsoever.

First, according to you, Bush is rigging the polls... but is still only getting 30% approval ratings. If he was rigging polls, don't you think he'd be rigging them to show that a majority approve of him?

Second, exactly how does one rig polls being performed by that many different polling organizations... most of whom are critical of Bush? Somehow, Bush arranged for the rigging of all the polls done by Ipsos, CBS, the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, Quinippiac, Zogby, CNN, Bloomberg, the LA Times, Newsweek and Gallup. He somehow has the power and influence to rig those polls... but he can only rig them enough to show him with a 30% approval rating. Does that make sense to you? Because it sure doesn't make any sense to me.

Third, I'm not quite sure how rigging poll numbers has anything to do with "making money for a select few." I deal with economic and financial issues every day of the work week, since it's my job. But I don't have a clue as to how that works. How do poll numbers that show Bush with a 30% approval rating translate into a select few people getting rich? Please explain the mechanism of this to me in detail. Because, despite over a decade of training and direct experience in this subject, I have no idea of the economic formulas that turn poor poll numbers into more money for rich people. Or even good poll numbers. This doesn't make much sense to me either.

Finally, based on your comments above, Bush is a genius at manipulating people and poll numbers... but he's an idiot who makes good comedy. So which is it? It can't be both. You can't be a genius manipulator AND an idiotic hick at the same time. Please make up your mind as to whih one Bush is, and get beck to me when you decide.

Elliot

[ETWolverine]

The National Economy

71% of Americans Disapprove of the Way
George W. Bush is Handling His Job as President

A total of 71% of Americans say they disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.
Among all Americans, 25% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 71% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 23% approve and 73% disapprove.
Among Americans registered to vote, 27% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 70% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 23% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 72% disapprove.
This is the highest level of disapproval and lowest level of approval for the Bush presidency recorded in monthly surveys by the American Research Group.
The results presented here are based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews conducted among a nationwide random sample of adults 18 years and older. The interviews were completed July 18 through 21, 2007. The theoretical margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.
Overall, 25% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 71% disapprove, and 4% are undecided.

Thanks. I wonder why Polling Report didn't include this poll on their site. They are pretty good about including every major poll and more than a few of the minor ones. That's why I like their site, I can get everything all at once. They are probably just a day behind in posting the poll.

Even with this latest number, Bush's average approval rating since June 1, 2007 is 30.19%.

Thanks for the source, Karma.

[Emland]

I think it is funny how so many people say that Bush is an incompetent boob that everyone hates and distrusts then go on to accuse him of vast conspiracies that only the most brilliant could pull off.

[tomder55]

Mario , I don't wish to go off tangent on this thread but if you post your contentions about the 2000 election I will prove that Bush won the election in Fla. ;that it was unnnecessary and a mistake for SCOTUS to intervene . Without court intervention Bush still would've been President . For now ;suffice it to say that The Miami Herald and USA Today did a full recount independent of the events and reported George W. Bush would have widened his 537-vote victory to a 1,665-vote margin if the recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court would have been allowed to continue.

Edit
Now that I wrote this I hope I can address it before my vacation... if not remind me and I will dig up my notes from the period .

[Mario3]

No according to you Bush is rigging the polls…I never said he rigged them, but you just did. I only said they were rigged, but did not say that bush physically did this all with his two hands. This is called a strawman fallacy right? Hahah you think you can pull that manipulative fox news crap on me? Are you working for Fox news? Nice try. A strawman fallacy is when you take someone else's argument and change it to make it seem weaker and you don't even represent it accurately... and then you attack it (you attack the strawman you built). The polls are organized to look like he at least has some love his way. And yeah you’re right because maybe he just wants to make an exit after going to war and making a few bucks for him and the few who are getting something out of this. Just like the useless Rumsfeld??
About how polls start coming out the same from different organizations. You need to think outside the Fox news box. It doesn’t matter if there are different names and different kinds of media involved, just look at how many different publications Conrad black owend or the types of media. Also if you have studied political science in school, you will learn that most news stations copy what bigger news stations do to make money, especially when Kings like Bush have made the news a business. They’re trying to survive…even PBS will be thrown in the boat. So, polls are done to please businessmen and advertisers... and the best thing for businessmen is for USA to be at war. You know you can be fired if you go against what your editor or boss says in a news station? Hahaha that’s news for you these days – news controlled by the right.

And I can’t believe how much you manipulte everyone. You are the best at this… you claim that I said, QUOTE: “bush is a genius manipulator and an idiot hick at the same time”
Then you tell me to make up my mind because I can’t put those two together? Hahahah you are weaker than I thought and don’t believe in the craap you spurt out. I never called him a hick, but you did a few times... I'm not racist. And I don't think white-christian americans like people calling them hicks... it's a stereotype. So cut it out.
I also never said he was a genius. You assumed that because you want to get away from the fact about what happened with our votes during the first time Bush got SELECTED (not elected). You try and make it seem like I am saying Bush did this all by himself (because you keep lying to everyone and saying that I am calling him a genius for doing this). Nah I think he didn’t do this with a magic wand all 100 percent by himself, if that is what your brain needs to hear in order to get things straight. I don’t think anyone thought that I was saying “bush broke into the system and did this all alone…what a smarty!” – But I am a saying what is already known… the sad situation with the first American polls that got Bush being President. It’s okay it’s hard to hear that that happened in the new millennium in a democratic country. Sorry Wolfy.

[tomder55]

Never mind . You would never understand. Perhaps after my vacation I will present the facts.

[inthebox]

House protects public broadcasting - CNN.com

Iin a time when our nations writing and reading scores are at all time lows, Bush wants to eliminate a broadcasting company that teaches kids just how to do that.

NK :

Are you implying that President Bush is responsible for the " nations writing and reading scores are at all time lows?"

Just like he is responsible for Katrina, or 9/11 etc...


Why is it that when things don't go the way people think they should, the first person to be blamed is the President and not themselves?

If my kids can't read, its my fault as a parent, then maybe the teachers. Fortunately they can read very well - thank you very much. And they did not learn how to read or write watching TV.

Where does it say that the President is the "teacher in chief?"






Grace and Peace

[NeedKarma]

NK :

Are you implying that President Bush is responsible for the " nations writing and reading scores are at all time lows?"

Sorry if it wasn't clear to you (and I'm not sure how you made that leap). Of course he has no responsibility at all for the low scores. But they do exist and cutting a program or partial support system for education can only exacerbate the problem.

[Mario3]

Karma... the leap is a strawman fallacy. Its used to benefit him and to make a week interpretation of your argument so that he can better attack it

[ETWolverine]

No according to you Bush is rigging the polls…I never said he rigged them, but you just did. I only said they were rigged, but did not say that bush physically did this all with his two hands. This is called a strawman fallacy right? Hahah you think you can pull that manipulative fox news crap on me? Are you working for Fox news? Nice try. A strawman fallacy is when you take someone else's argument and change it to make it seem weaker and you don't even represent it accurately...and then you attack it (you attack the strawman you built). the polls are organized to look like he at least has some love his way. And yeah you’re right because maybe he just wants to make an exit after going to war and making a few bucks for him and the few who are getting something out of this. Just like the useless Rumsfeld????
About how polls start coming out the same from different organizations. You need to think outside the Fox news box. It doesn’t matter if there are different names and different kinds of media involved, just look at how many different publications Conrad black owend or the types of media. Also if you have studied political science in school, you will learn that most news stations copy what bigger news stations do to make money, especially when Kings like Bush have made the news a business. They’re trying to survive…even PBS will be thrown in the boat. So, polls are done to please businessmen and advertisers...and the best thing for businessmen is for USA to be at war. You know you can be fired if you go against what your editor or boss says in a news station? Hahaha that’s news for you these days – news controlled by the right.

and I can’t believe how much you manipulte everyone. You are the best at this… you claim that I said, QUOTE: “bush is a genius manipulator and an idiot hick at the same time”
Then you tell me to make up my mind because I can’t put those two together? Hahahah you are weaker than I thought and don’t believe in the craap you spurt out. I never called him a hick, but you did a few times...I'm not racist. And I dont think white-christian americans like people calling them hicks...it's a stereotype. so cut it out.
I also never said he was a genius. You assumed that because you want to get away from the fact about what happened with our votes during the first time Bush got SELECTED (not elected). You try and make it seem like I am saying Bush did this all by himself (because you keep lying to everyone and saying that I am calling him a genius for doing this). Nah I think he didn’t do this with a magic wand all 100 percent by himself, if that is what your brain needs to hear in order to get things straight. I don’t think anyone thought that I was saying “bush broke into the system and did this all alone…what a smarty!” – But I am a saying what is already known… the sad situation with the first American polls that got Bush being President. It’s okay it’s hard to hear that that happened in the new millennium in a democratic country. Sorry Wolfy.

So... Bush didn't manipulate the polls, someone else did it for him. On his behalf. For his benefit. But he still only got a 30% approval rating. Then whoever is doing the manipulating isn't all that good at it, are they. Frankly, if I were doing the rigging of Bush's polls, I'd probably try to get him at least a 50% approval rating, if not more. Who deliberately gives the guy they are supporting low approval ratings? If Bush arranged it himself, he must be incredibly smart to be able to arrange for someone to manipulate the polls, and pretty stupid if he only gave himself a 30% approval rating. And if he didn't arrange for it himself, then whoever did manipulate the polls sure as heck doesn't like Bush... he only gave him a 30% approval rating. It still doesn't make any sense to me. Does it make any sense to you?

And if all the polls are coming out roughly the same, perhaps it is because they are accurate and they are all saying the same thing. They are all polling the general population and are all picking up on the same opinions of Bush from the general population. If 20 polls are being taken of the same general population around the same time asking the same question, I would expect them all to have similar outsomes to each other. That is what polls are supposed to do... accurately measure the moods and opinions of the general population. So the idea that if polls are all coming out the same they must be rigged is... well, I'm not sure what it is, but it isn't logical.

And you still haven't explained to me your statement that the polls have been rigged in order to make certain people rich. How does that work?

Finally, on the subject of media bias, here are afew facts for you to think over.

In Press Bias and Politics: How the Media Frame Controversial Issues by Jim A. Kuypers (2002), of 116 mainstream newspapers studied by Kupyers (including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle) it was found that the mainstream print press in America operate within a narrow range of liberal beliefs. Those who expressed points of view further to the left were generally ignored, whereas those who expressed moderate or conservative points of view were often actively denigrated or labeled as holding a minority point of view. In short, if a political leader, regardless of party, spoke within the press-supported range of acceptable discourse, he or she would receive positive press coverage. If a politician, again regardless of party, were to speak outside of this range, he or she would receive negative press or be ignored. Kuypers also found that the liberal points of view expressed in editorial and opinion pages were found in hard news coverage of the same issues. Although focusing primarily on the issues of race and homosexuality, Kuypers found that the press injected opinion into its news coverage of other issues such as welfare reform, environmental protection, and gun control; in all cases favoring a liberal point of view.

In 1982, 85 percent of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism students identified themselves as liberal, versus 11 percent conservative" (Lichter, Rothman, and Lichter 1986).

John Lott and Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute study the coverage of economic news by looking at a panel of 389 U.S. newspapers from 1991 to 2004, and from 1985 to 2004 for a subsample comprising the top 10 newspapers and the Associated Press. For each release of official data about a set of economic indicators, the authors analyze how newspapers decide to report on them, as reflected by the tone of the related headlines. The idea is to check whether newspapers display some kind of partisan bias, by giving more positive or negative coverage to the same economic figure, as a function of the political affiliation of the incumbent President. Controlling for the economic data being released, the authors find that there are between 9.6 and 14.7 percent fewer positive stories when the incumbent President is a Republican.

Just some things to think about.

Elliot

[inthebox]

Sorry if it wasn't clear to you (and I'm not sure how you made that leap). Of course he has no responsibilty at all for the low scores. But they do exist and cutting a program or partial support system for education can only exacerbate the problem.

How do you support your last sentence?



REPORT: INCREASED SCHOOL FUNDING FAILS TO BOOST TEST SCORES


"A key finding of the report shows there is no immediate evident correlation between conventional measures of education inputs, such as expenditures per pupil and teacher salaries, and educational outputs, such as average scores on standardized tests.

ALEC is the nation’s largest bipartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators. ...


Washington, Iowa, and Wisconsin achieved among the highest standardized test scores in the nation, yet Iowa and Wisconsin ranked near the bottom on percentage of funds received from the federal government, Washington and Iowa ranked in the lower half of states with respect to per pupil expenditures, and Iowa was ranked in the lower half of states with respect to average teacher salaries. "


The problem is how is tax money being spent effectively?

Show me how PBS increases national reading writing or any other standardized test score.

My argument is that
#1] just throwing money, that comes from hardworking taxpayors, at education does not necessarily improve it.
#2] It is not bad to cut government funds to pbs, because it won't effect education
#3] you threw in reading, writing, pbs, and government funding into the opening question




Grace and Peace