During last week's debate Mitt Romney pledged to cut all funding for PBS, including Big Bird. Although Romney pitched the cuts as a deficit reduction measure, all funding for PBS accounts for less than 1/100 of 1% of the budget. Funding for public broadcasting has been under attack from the right for decades. In this clip from 1969, the late Fred Rogers -- the creator of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" -- gives an impassioned defense of federal fu ...

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During last week's debate Mitt Romney pledged to cut all funding for PBS, including Big Bird. Although Romney pitched the cuts as a deficit reduction measure, all funding for PBS accounts for less than 1/100 of 1% of the budget. Funding for public broadcasting has been under attack from the right for decades. In this clip from 1969, the late Fred Rogers -- the creator of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" -- gives an impassioned defense of federal funding for PBS. At the time President Nixon wanted to cut a federal grant to PBS in half. Rogers explains how his show differs from for-profit cartoons directed at children: I give an expression of care, every day to each child to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, "You've made this day a special day by just your being you. There's no person in the world like you, and I like you just the way you are.'

Authors Bio:

OpedNews volunteer from 2005 to 2013.

Amanda Lang was a wonderful member of the Opednews team, and the first volunteer editor, for a good number of years being a senior editor. She passed away summer 2014.