It's time to build a word: I-R-O-N-Y

I'm a parent, and as such I have a genetic obligation to my daughter to be as biased in her favor I can possibly be. That being said, when I tell you that she's the smartest kid that's ever walked the planet you can take that as fact and not just opinion. Everyone says so, you can ask them!

My wife and I can claim some credit for that. We both spend a lot of time with her, exposing her to as many new things as possible and reading to her every night before bed (and afternoon before naps!) We don't push her like some parents do, we strive to make learning fun and to capitalize on her innate curiosity.

We also made the decision before she was born to eliminate cable from our household. Partially it was a financial thing. My wife & I each watch about 3-4 hours/week of TV regularly, but then had it on babbling in the background as we did other things. We certainly weren't getting $100+/month worth of value out of it! With Hulu, Netflix and other online services streaming programming into our house via the Internet, we decided to just cut the cable cold turkey and have not regretted it one bit.

Okay, I'll be honest. I desperately miss the Science & History Channels, but that's about it. The rest of it...meh.

Without cable, it's been really easy for us to manage what our daughter watches on TV and to eliminate all of the "adver-programming" that's normally directed at young pre-consumers...sorry, I meant kids. Sure, she got mass market stuff for a while. "Yo Gabba Gabba" remains a staple on our list, and we have actually spoiled her by booking a 5-day weekend trip to Toronto where she got to attend a YGG concert AND get to go back stage to meet them all. (Which was followed up by a second concert here in Rochester where she got to do the same. We're suckers, what can I say?)

But, while there might be a lot of mass marketing associated with YGG, we're convinced it's still a reasonably good educational show. They do teach a lot of value lessons and basic skills, but they really get the kids excited about music, not to mention getting them up and dancing.

She's also a huge fan of "Kipper" and "Charlie & Lola" which is why she often speaks with a British accent ("But, Dahddy...I cahn't!"). These two don't provide much in the way of edutainment, sure, but they also don't typically go out of their way to insult her intelligence either. Probably has to do with not being from Hollywood or something...

As she (quickly) approaches three, her tastes have expanded some and so we've also expanded what she gets to watch. We found "Sid the Science Kid" first. How many two and a half year old do you know that can talk to you about "reversible change"? It's a great little show that covers the basics of scientific inquiry in a way that's really accessible even to someone as young as her.

But, her new favorite: "Word World". A great little show in which all of the characters and most physical objects are made up of the words that represent them. So, Duck is actually made up of the words D-U-C-K. Meant for kids 3-5, it introduces the concepts of letter-sound connections in a fun way that she's hooked on.



Which brings us, finally, to the point of the article as it was this Saturday, February 19th, 2011 that we realized she was starting to "get it". When I asked her "What sound does an 'A' make?" she responded appropriately. As I quizzed her on 8-10 other letters, she got all of them correct! She's not even three yet! Yes, I know, being able to read at a young age isn't a guarantee of future success, but it don't hurt none, either!

And the irony? That was the same day the "fiscal conservatives" decided to slash funding for PBS. Did I mention "Sid the Science Kid" and "Word World" are products of PBS? Did I really need to?

Sigh...I get it, I really do; spending is out of control. I'd love to ignore the fact it's these same "fiscal conservatives" that do most of the spending. I'd love to ignore they're the ones behind all of the debt they seem to be so angry about. I'd also really love to ignore that they've reduced the tax revenue by making sure the very rich and corporations no longer have to pay their fair share of taxes.

I'd love to ignore all of these things, but that's the right's job: downplaying their failures and shenanigans or blaming them on others. Because, that's what this is all about. It's not about reducing spending, it's about eliminating those broadcasters that really DO provide a "fair and balanced" view of the news. The problem with reporting news in that way, though; it makes the right look bad.

Actually, I should clarify...the right does a great job on their own of looking bad, the "liberal media" just reports it.

My daughter will suffer if this budget is allowed to pass. Not just because of PBS, but due to the cuts in science, research and education that have gone along with it. It's all part of the right's 30-year plan to "starve the beast" of socialism. The socialism, that is, that benefits only those filthy, stinking poor people. They not only left the military's budget alone, the increased it by a billion dollars! (The cuts to PBS were about $420 million.) It now amounts to over 50% of the Federal budget, but not one member of the right will even discuss the possibility of slashing that bit o' socialism at all.

It's not just my daughter, though. For some of the more remote and rural areas, PBS is the closest thing to an early education a lot of kids will get. My heart aches that there are parents who won't get to experience the joy of their three year old reciting her phonics. It sickens me that the one media outlet that doesn't exist solely to generate revenue for shareholders is the one that's slashed. Where are kids supposed to get programming that isn't designed as, well...programming? Because that's all kids programs on the commercial networks are: advertising vehicles for merchandising.

It needs to stop. And, if you think the solution is the spineless cowards in the Democrat party, you're out of your mind. There is no easy solution, but to quote Einstein "you cannot solve a problem using the same thinking that created it in the first place." We cannot get this sinking ship we call a country afloat by voting in the same yahoos over and over again. It's time for a real change, and quickly.

For now, there's not much we can do. The budget moves on to the Senate where the Dems do hold the majority, so it should stop there. But, we can't just assume it will. The Dems had control of the House and Senate for two years and failed to deliver on a single thing they promised. We can no longer assume those on either side are on OUR side.

You can head to 170MillionAmericans.org and get info on contacting your Senators and reminding them of their duty to the American people, not the American corporations. I recommend printing out the suggested letter to your Senator and mailing it in (dropping it off in person would go a long way to making sure they know you mean business, too!) At the very least, get an e-mail to their office. The more responses they get, in theory, the more likely they are to lean in favor of what the people want.

Yeah, I know...but we have to try. Right?