Readers of this blog and listeners to the show know that I have not spent any time talking about Big Bird, Sesame Street, or PBS funding in the aftermath of the "Mile High Murder" (a/k/a: The Denver Presidential Debate).
I find the entire discussion to be a distraction from both the important issues of the day, as well as the poor performance delivered by President Obama.
I've seen some of the photoshopped pictures making the rounds on-line, and some of them are amusing. But when we're talking about annual deficits of $1.5 trillion, I think we need to turn our attention from the children's TV program.
But if the collective mentality of our society requires colorful art and muppet characters to make a point, take a look at the latest image drawn up by the GOP:
Maybe we'll hear about Libya in another two weeks at the next debate.
So, the debate rages about whether public broadcasting can survive without the tax subsidies; about whether the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is only able to provide content because some politicians have carved out a special protection for it under the tax code.
But I was reminded of an old interview that Phil Donahue did with Milton Friedman. Phil was asking whether "Uncle Milt" had ever once doubted the free enterprise model.
Friedman's response was perfect.
"Is it really true that political self-interest is nobler somehow than economic self-interest?" Friedman asked, with his hallmark grin and folksy charm. "Just tell me where in the world you find these angels who are going to organize society for us. I don't even trust YOU to do that."
Here's the clip:
