National Public Radio has been ragging Mitt Romney all week over his “47 percent” remark, during which he noted (in May) that he was unlikely to win the votes of the increasing percentage of Americans who depend on the federal government.
However, federally-funded NPR is a textbook example of the dependency phenomenon.
The network is capable of surviving without taxpayer dollars, but continues to take money from the federal budget. And as it does so, it becomes increasingly left-wing in its bias, incapable of giving voice to alternative views.
That is essentially the problem to which Romney pointed. As government grows, the Democrats–as the party of government–become the primary choice for voters who depend upon it. Those who receive more from the government than they pay in are insulated from the consequences of excessive spending, deficits and debts–yet they feel the consequences of budget cuts more keenly.
When net beneficiaries become a political majority, there is little to prevent them from simply voting themselves more of other people’s money, regardless of the cost.
In other words: growing dependence on government constrains political choice. And NPR is living proof.
The network operates increasingly as a pro-Obama super PAC rather than a public broadcaster. Though Romney’s remarks were first reported on Monday, for example, NPR is still using them in news alerts and stories to which they have little relevance, using the “47 percent” statement to bracket whatever Romney says.
When its funding is threatened, NPR hires lobbyists to keep the federal spigots open–effectively using fungible taxpayer dollars to ensure it keeps receiving taxpayer dollars.
Its criticism of Romney’s “47 percent” statement would be fair game, perhaps, were NPR not among the freeloading special interests that refuse to play by the same rules.
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