CBS 7 - Your Eye on West Texas

Big Bird... Should He Stay In Federal Funding or Be Cut? Leaders Speak Out 10/5/12

Felicia Bolton
Fbolton@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News Reporter
October 4, 2012

MIDLAND, TX –From twitter to Facebook, the beloved big yellow bird is the all the talk in American Politics. This media spotlight is shining after presidential hopeful Mitt Romney stated that Sesame Street’s Big Bird and the entire Public Broadcasting Station are out of his political financial plan in order to cut the deficit.

The local Basin PBS says that cutting their funding would hurt more entities than the company. They say it will be more detrimental to those that depend on their programs everyday.

"Public broadcasting is more than Big Bird. It's more than curious George but we place a specific emphasis on the needs of children, specifically those children whose families don't have the money to send them to preschool, the under serve ... Those are the kids who need us the most and we’re providing for them. Those are the people who would loose out, if you wipe out funding for PBS,” said Daphne Dowdy, General Manager Basin PBS.

Romney supporters say this move is the best for the nation in a time where the U.S. is in debt.

"Well I think the issue is that Mitt Romney brought up was the ‘Mitt Romney test.’ As we analyze programs in the federal government, he says it's going to be real simple. Is it are we borrowing money from china to pay for that program or I think that's a pretty simple, yet incredible test, " said Jason Moore with the Ector County Republican Party.

They say PBS, just like many other government dependant organizations, have a chance to re-route where their funding comes from.

"They could revamp and redo something and streamline PBS where tax payers aren't having to fund it" stated Moore.

But PBS says that cutting their funding will make a drastic change in the company and barely make a dent in the U.S. debt.

"Public broadcasting makes up a total of 1/100 the of 1 percent of the entire federal budget. So eliminating broadcasting from the federal government would make virtually no difference to the federal deficit but it would make a huge difference to the people who rely on it," said Dowdy.

As the debate continues, the big yellow bird remains in the center of one candidates cross-hairs.