Just as George Orwell’s book 1984 accurately predicted would become of the world if someone like Donald Trump was ever put into a position of power, PBS is now offering a glimpse of what will happen if Trump follows through with his threats to gut the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Last fiscal year, CPB received $445 million in federal funding, which sounds like a lot but really isn’t when it comes to government spending. It ultimately costs each individual taxpayer about $1 per year, and would likely cost them even less if folks like Donald Trump and his fellow billionaire cabinet members paid their fair share in taxes. The money funds things like PBS, NPR, and other public media services, including Sesame Street. So, of course, Trump wants to take it all away.
But Sesame Street is fighting back. In an ominous new video, beloved Elmo sits in a nondescript room as an unseen man delivers the heartbreaking news that he is being laid off from his job on the world’s most famous street.
“Elmo, the Trump administration is getting all arts and education funding from the new Congressional budget,” the man says.
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Understandably, Elmo doesn’t take the news well.
“Elmo’s been working at Sesame Street for 32 years,” he says. “Elmo hasn’t been unemployed since the ’80s!” Then he adds, sadly, “Elmo’s only real talent is being Elmo.”
The Internet doesn’t appear to be taking the news well either:
Me after watching that Elmo video https://t.co/a8ifSeSlLj
— ?? (@henriqueitsover) March 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/MuslimIQ/status/844140166994366465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fhollywoodlife.com%2F2017%2F03%2F21%2Felmo-fired-video-gets-laid-off-trump-cuts-pbs-funding%2F
https://twitter.com/MisterSkelling/status/844066656678629376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fhollywoodlife.com%2F2017%2F03%2F21%2Felmo-fired-video-gets-laid-off-trump-cuts-pbs-funding%2F
Save and Keep ELMO and get rid of @POTUS – Elmo gives so much more to the world.
— Sandra Azocar (@sandraiaz) March 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/kemontegut3/status/844016237596282881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fhollywoodlife.com%2F2017%2F03%2F21%2Felmo-fired-video-gets-laid-off-trump-cuts-pbs-funding%2F
In a statement, Patricia Harrison, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said that Trump’s budget decision would result in “the collapse of the public media system.” She added that “there is no viable substitute for federal funding that ensures Americans have universal access to public media’s educational and informational programming and services.”
Watch the tragic video below (you may need to click the speaker icon to turn on sound)…
mhoffman953
Elmo needs to stop living on public assistance. PBS should get private donations and not my tax dollars. Over 2 billion is donated in every recent Presidential election, maybe those big donors and special interests should put their money toward things like this instead of political candidates
rtripboy
If you had read the story you would know it’s your tax dollar. Not you’re tax dollars. That’s right public broadcasting costs you just $1 per year. Just how cheap are you?
mhoffman953
@rtripboy That’s a very misleading statistic. You’re taking the total cost of funding PBS every year (which is $445 million) and dividing it among the total number of Americans (even babies who don’t pay taxes) to get that number. $445 million every year is wasteful spending for Sesame Street when that money could be used to rebuild infrastructure. In a 10 year period, that’s nearly 5 billion dollars spent on PBS. It’s not an issue of being cheap, it’s an issue of tax dollars going for more important matters. There are better usages for these funds.
David Bolton
@mhoffman: Sesame Street has taught entire generations of Americans how to read, write, count, appreciate foreign cultures, music, art, and about life lessons such as dealing with death, illness, discrimination, mental health, team building and so on.
Your comment about how “PBS costs $445M annually [therefore over 10 years it costs $5B]” is woefully short-sighted, since socially functional human beings are THE most important component of “infrastructure.”
In short, you’re an idiot.
mhoffman953
@DavidBolton So you rather that $445 million / year go into television and not actual schools? Sesame Street already makes a ton of money from corporate sponsorship and would survive without tax dollars. Elmo and Big Bird are licensed everywhere and make way more money than what the government gives them through these licenses. PBS and NPR are at levels where they can survive on their own without government funding. Without government funding, these things wouldn’t go away. They may have needed government funding during their inception but not at this point. Whoever said they want Sesame Street canceled? I never said that
shelleybear
“So you rather that $445 million / year go into television and not actual schools? ”
That is the stupidest comment I have ever read.
You know Trumperkink is also gutting public school programs?
Right?
You ARE as stupid as you seem to be.
mhoffman953
@shelleybear Not entirely true. There has been a proposed $1.4 billion with $250 million going to private schools, $168 million going to charter schools, and the rest being used to expand programs letting parents send their children to public schools outside their local district for parents who want their children to attend a better quality school.
But to get back on topic, why does PBS and NPR need our tax dollars when they account for such little of their budget (meaning they make way more money than we give them)? Sesame Street can survive on its own through corporate sponsorship, private donors, and licensing which it already does. The tax money could be put toward better use elsewhere in this country is my point so that the country doesn’t have a deficit year after year.
If you feel its essential that we give PBS and NPR our tax dollars, why don’t we give them more money then? How much do you feel we should give them? Should we double or triple what we already give?
So far you and the others haven’t presented a compelling case other than simply resorting to childish insults of calling me an idiot.
Chris
Some years ago, a zoo had a brilliant series of adverts where they laid off their animals due to budget cuts. Each animal went into the zoo keeper’s office for a one-on-one telling it had to be fired. The ads were brilliant and the ensuing outcry resulted in the zoo’s budget being brought back up. This seems like a take-off on that idea.
BriBri
I guess he got caught banging Miss Piggy.
BriBri
Did he get caught banging Miss Piggy?
oaksong
@mhoffman If Trump cut his golfing vacations we could pay PBS and delete the national debt.
natekerchel
I know shelleybear. But I like to see how far he will go in trying to defend the indefensible. In his favor – he is not generally rude like the usual trump apologists e.g Mo Bro. I think he actually believes the things he says.
natekerchel
Again mhoffman? – we starting that debate again? The hallmark of a civilised society is that we provide certain universal services paid for from general taxation. Of course if the Anti-President and his friends stopped avoiding paying their full share of taxes then there would be a bigger amount to share. How much does it cost to build and maintain one single nuclear warhead – or ten of them? We don’t need that number to deter any would be aggressor. Yet he wants to build even more. So let’s cut public broadcasting – it’s one of the ‘enemies’ of the right wing notion of ‘self-reliance’. There is no ethical basis to this man’s agenda. Empathy and sympathy seem not to be in his, admitttedly already limited, dictionary. Tell him to take a collection at the next cabinet meeting – his billionaire friends can pay for this service.
shelleybear
Trying to get some sense out of mhoffman?
Better to try damming the ocean.
Ogre Magi
Don’t get me wrong, I do not Trump.
But Elmo has to be the annoying Muppet of all time
He can’t hold a candle to Kermit, Ms.Piggy or cookie monster