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James Cargas Will Spare the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from Indiscriminate Cuts by Mitt Romney and John Culberson

HOUSTON (October 22, 2012):  Incumbent Tea Party Congressman John Culberson has a long record of indiscriminately cutting government programs in the name of federal deficit reduction.[1]  This includes voting against the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the organization responsible for the production of Sesame Street and its educational and lovable characters like Big Bird.

Even if the entire CPB budget of $444 million were eliminated, those “savings” would only represent 0.04% of the federal government’s $1.1 trillion deficit.[2]  “The real cost to millions of children from cutting just Sesame Street alone would be astronomical,” Congressional District 7 candidate James Cargas pointed out.  “The government’s return on this small investment is enormous,” he continued.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting relies on federal funding to support 1,300 independently-operated television and radio stations across the country.  The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) are the two main recipients of CPB funding.  They provide educational, objective, and entertaining programs for millions of Americans, free of charge.

Houston’s own NPR station, KUHF, receives 5 percent of its funding from the CPB, while Houston PBS Channel 8 receives 15 percent. With the rest of their budgets comprising of donations, any cut in federal funding jeopardizes the priceless service they provide to our local community.

In a time when our country is increasingly polarized and divided, the objective and balanced programming provided by these stations is more important than ever. Americans recognize the value of public broadcasting, and have named PBS the nation’s most-trusted institution for seven straight years.

James Cargas understands that Houstonians of all ages value the services and programming that NPR and PBS provide. “We can’t let the Tea Party Republicans defund the programs that help educate our children and inform our city,” Cargas said.  There are plenty of other outdated tax breaks and wasteful spending that can be cut.  “Killing Big Bird serves no fiscal or educational purpose,” Cargas concluded, “it’s cold and heartless.”

Houston Deserves Better!

James Cargas offers substantial public service experience. He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a deputy press secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a law clerk, Clinton White House as an aide, and U.S. Department of Energy under Secretary Bill Richardson as a political appointee. He is currently the Senior Assistant City Attorney for Energy for the City of Houston. James and his wife, Dr. Dorina Papageorgiou, a neuroscientist are members of the Greek Orthodox Annunciation Cathedral.

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PRESS ADVISORY

Big Bird Comes to Houston to Support Cargas for Congress and Save His Friends

HOUSTON (October 22, 2012): Frantic about being targeted by Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney and Tea Party Congressman John Culberson, Big Bird will fly into Houston for the beginning of early voting to chirp about what would happen to all of his friends on Sesame Street, and millions of boys and girls across America if federal funding were taken away.

Big Bird will be at the following early voting locations:

Monday, October 22, 2012
Neartown: Metropolitan Multi-Service Center  8:00am-11:00pm
1475 W Gray, 77019
Southwest Houston: Bayland Park Community Center 2:30-4:30pm
 Bissonnet (near Hillcroft), 77074
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Neartown: Metropolitan Multi-Service Center   8:00am-3:30pm
1475 W Gray, 77019

 

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[1]              See e.g., Roll Call Vote #235 (Dec. 16, 2011), Roll Call Vote #192 (Mar. 17, 2011), Roll Call Vote #36 (Feb. 19, 2011), and Roll Call Vote #305 (June 23, 2005).
[2]              Loren Steffy, “Slashing Big Bird is just chicken feed for fiscal woes,” Houston Chronicle (Oct. 4, 2012).

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