----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Hmmm...seems to me that if they really want to cut the budget deficit, they [Senators, etc.] should be willing to give up half their salaries and 90% of their perks. And maybe even their ability to stay in office until they are too old and feeble to see what the American public wants and needs. PBS brings a lot of great programming to areas that have a limited number of commercial TV and radio stations. Not only that, it seems kind of obvious that our elected leaders don't watch a heck of a lot of PBS programming, if they did, perhaps they could come up with something a bit more intelligent sounding than, 'it's elitist programming. Rush Limbaugh is public programming'. I, for one, would much rather watch Masterpiece Theater than Rush Limbaugh!