In this April 11, 2011 photo, Grover is posed on the set of "Sesame Street," in New York. Earning money is one of the financial fundamentals that is part of “For Me, For You, For Later,” a new project featuring Grover, Elmo, Cookie Monster and their Muppet pals.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Richard Drew, AP
Great indignation is made of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's choice to end some taxpayer subsidies, including the popular TV program Sesame Street. The show's royalties include books, toys, costumes, watches, a hotel theme park, etc.
The program's producer, Sesame Workshop, paid 142 employees more than $100,000 in 2010 with the top 21 averaging over $400,000.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting airs Sesame Street. In 2010, it took in nearly $460 Million. Taxpayers funded 97.61 percent and viewers contributed 2.39 percent.
Both the workshop and CPB claim 501(c)3 "non-profit" status with IRS.
Creative works are copyrighted. Royalties are paid to the creator, or creator's estate, for use of that work. Eventually, copyrights run out and the works enter the public domain, allowing anyone to use them freely. A theater director suggested adding extra copyright years, benefiting the National Endowment for the Arts, releasing some of the taxpayers' burden.
Ending tax support of the National Endowment for the Arts would save $126 million in one year and $678 million in five years.
Sesame Workshop recently received a $1,067,532 stimulus grant.
Spending borrowed tax money to stimulate a prime example of a successful business is obscenely wrong when each American family's share of the national debt has increased 50 percent since 2009.
Vicki Martin
Clearfield
- Dan Liljenquist: Chaffetz's search for truth...
- Matthew Sanders: Imploding trust in America's...
- In our opinion: Frances B. Monson's...
- Michael Gerson: As government's ambitions...
- What others say: Assault on core values
- Letters: Deception and government
- Letters: Paycheck Fairness Act
- My view: Climate argument is shortsighted
Subscribe
Mobile
RSS
Agree Vicky,
Lets get rid of ALL taxpayer subsidies for businesses. I am fine with stopping funding for NPR. But, in doing that, lets get rid of subsidies for Oil and tax writeoffs for corporations.
If we cut out ALL taxpayer More..
Mr. Romney says he will cut government by 3-1/2% of GDP, or about 500 billion dollars, but the only cuts he has actually described are to NPR and Planned Parenthood. In terms of government spending those two programs consume the equivalent of the More..
First of all the Corporation for Pulic Broadcasting is a creation of Congress and funded by congress for the express purpose of encourgaging public broacasting..so of course the CPB gets most of it's money from the government. Secondly NPR, More..