Thursday, February 13, 2014

PBS Spreading Right-wing Anti-Pension Propaganda

PBS Pimps Itself Out to Billionaire Who Campaigns Against Pensions for Gov't Employees to Produce Scaremongering Series About Government Pensions
Remember when the Bush administration specifically targeted PBS for politicization last decade?

David Sirota reports in must-read piece at PandoDaily that a two-year (!!!) PBS series called Pension Peril which has as its biggest funder none other than than the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, that of former Enron trader John Arnold. And quelle surprise, the story line of the series just happens to fit exactly with the mission of Arnold's foundation, that of ending pensions for government workers. Here's Sirota's description of Arnold's political campaign: In recent years, Arnold has been using massive contributions to politicians, Super PACs, ballot initiative efforts, think tanks and local front groups to finance a nationwide political campaign aimed at slashing public employees' retirement benefits. His foundation which backs his efforts employs top Republican political operatives, including the former chief of staff to GOP House Majority Leader Dick Armey (TX). According to its own promotional materials, the Arnold Foundation is pushing lawmakers in states across the country "to stop promising a (retirement) benefit" to public employees.
They did everything in their power to poison the well at PBS.  As if Americans weren't already steeped in right-wing propaganda to our eyebrows.

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