Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 24, 1995 TAG: 9501240076
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LEE D. FITZGERALD
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
His reference to public broadcasting as a ``sandbox for the rich,'' not to be paid for by ``poor workers'' shouldn't surprise anyone. I'm told by one who knows him that Speaker Gingrich sees this, as well as the fine arts and most of the performing arts, as ``a lot of crap.''
I do find his assumption that only the rich give ear or eye to the public stations rather insulting to the rest of us. I'm sure there's more than one man working with his name on his shirt listening to the Tappit Brothers ``Car Talk'' every Saturday morning.
I don't think we have enough wealthy people in Virginia to fill the auditoriums the way they fill any time Garrison Keillor comes to town. I know I hear some of us very middle-class people participating in ``The Michael Feldman Show'' or ``What do you know?'' (Or is it ``Whadayano?'')
Who is he to say that those of us who really need our Social Security checks are too stupid to enjoy opera, classical music or nature shows?
As for public television, oh goodness, let me count the ways. There's so much more there for children, really decent programs, than just ``Sesame Street.'' There's ``Reading Rainbow,'' ``Mr. Rogers,'' ``Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' and so forth. And then there's ``Masterpiece Theatre,'' ``Mystery,'' ``The Boston Pops,'' ``Mr. Herriot and his creatures, great and small.'' I know many a waitress and store clerk who never missed an episode of ``Upstairs, Downstairs.'' Find me the equal of ``I, Claudius'' on any commercial network or cable. (Or, for that matter, ``Cookin' Cheap!'')
The point is, it's all there, something for everyone. We can all avail ourselves of it, if and as we wish.
What Gingrich refuses to put on his cold-cuts platter are those luxuries we pay for but cannot avail ourselves of. There are more of those ``poor workers with three kids'' than there are members of Congress. And even though they're footing the bills, they have no access to the total health care that Gingrich enjoys. Poor workers are paying for his health plan, but cannot feed their children and buy health care as well.
Washington's non-congressional worker doesn't have access to the private parking lot reserved at National Airport exclusively for members of Congress. Speaking of parking, there is more private, guarded parking for congressional staffers than there are parking meters in all the rest of Washington. (Why not privatize that?)
Poor workers pay for a barber for Congress that they may not use. Poor workers pay for a very well-equipped congressional health spa which is closed to them. I understand poor workers pay for military aides that trot after these congressmen with a satchel full of local currency for tips, etc., when the Exalted Ones go junketing abroad.
Poor worker is, in effect, also paying for all those frequent-flyer miles these politicians then pocket for their own private travel, rather than turn it in to defray the costs of additional congressional business travel.
The main complaint conservatives have is that public broadcasting and television are "liberal." The day Carmody's article ran, I turned to the television schedule. That evening contained: the painfully moderate ``MacNeil/Lehrer Report;'' ``Washington Week in Review,'' which jabs both sides of the aisle with equal glee; ``Wall Street Week,'' a conservative show; ``Blue Ridge Nightline,'' probably a moderate to liberal show (I don't know since I haven't watched it much); ``Victory at Sea,'' a great favorite among conservative hawks; Louis Rukeyser's ``Money Guide,'' definitely conservative; and ``Charlie Rose.''
In other words, if one closely follows either public broadcasting or public television, it does contain a lot of moderate (neutral) and conservative viewpoints, and yes, some liberals. In other words, those who listen to PBS hear both sides of the argument.
If Gingrich wants to do something for poor workers, he should not begrudge us poor slobs the pitifully few things coming directly to us from our taxes that we can choose to enjoy or ignore for ourselves.
Gingrich's point of view smacks loudly of censorship. No one should ever lose track of two facts:
Extreme conservatism eventually becomes fascism. The first step always taken by totalitarians is to muzzle the press and all avenues of the free flow of information.
Lee D. Fitzgerald of Fincastle is co-owner of a public-relations business.
by CNB