One Thing I'm Looking for in a 2020 Candidate

It hit me that the candidate who could win me over in 2020 could do that with a promise to fund our public broadcasting at the same rate that the UK funds their BBC. So I looked it up. 

Adjusted for GDP, the BBC gets 100x what the Corporation for Public Broadcasting gets. 100x.

Now I don't know the extent to which the CPB makes up total public budgets. ('m guessing it is closer to 50% than 5%, which suggests that the contrast between the UK and US is still stark but perhaps closer to 50x?).

The numbers:

UK GDP $2622 billion. (Less than California now.)

BBC spending $6.42 billion.

As % of GDP 0.245%

US GDP $19390 billion

CPB spending $445 million

As % of GDP 0.002% of GDP

Ratio: 107 to 1.

I would be relieved - but surprised - to learn that the CPB budget is only a fraction of what we spend around the US for public TV and radio, which would make this contrast less jarring. Perhaps even make it comparable. That seems optimistic, though.

It would be great not to be subject to fundraisers or "sponsor mentions" that are essentially bad ads while listening to public radio. It would be nice if we took public broadcasting even half as seriously as the UK.

Pledge Week at R World

We know that you enjoy the benefits of R World freely, but this is our week to make you self conscious about that fact. It's pledge week at R World and we're soliciting donations.

You can pledge any amount, but we suggest a minimum pledge of 50 comments a year.

Our "(I) Wonder, what was Ron thinking" club (WWWRT)"
With 50 comments a year - that's only about 1 per week - you will not only have full access to the R World blog archive, but have access to new posts as they are posted!

Our "Nodes on the Internet" club (NOTI)
If you pledge 50 comments and two links per year back to R World, you not only have all the benefits of our WWWRT club, but you will receive a link back and bit of unsolicited advice per month (could be fashion advice, could be an opinion about how you should vote, or even advice from a complete stranger).

Our "Talk Back to R World" Club (TBTRW)
If you pledge 100 comments a year, you can sign up for at least one personal email per month from blog author Ron (he says, trying to disguise his font as he writes about himself in the third person). You can choose whether you'd like the forwarded ("you've gotta read this!") joke, a rant about politics, or family news. Further, you will receive special mention in the annual "scrolling credits" post that lists important contributors to R World. And aperiodic (which is to say random) links back to your blog in posts throughout the year.

And today - through 9 PM PST - we have a matching comments program. An anonymous donor has promised to match any comments you make - attempting to refute all the points you make, but matching nonetheless - up to 100 comments year.

Our "Almost Daily Dose Into Conscious Thought" club (ADDICT)
If you pledge 300 comments a year, you will not only have all the benefits of WWWRT, NOTI, and TBTRW clubs, but we will allow access to the world wide web - great sites like google, yahoo, and the BBC - and suggest that you get outside to visit the real world as well. You will have the honor of being asked to write one guest post for R World. And, finally, you will be invited to all R World events - symposiums, book readings, creative brainstorming meetings, and editorial board meetings.

Finally, those of you who promise to comment more often than this - basically more often than I post - will be asked to leave.

Public blogging depends on your support. Without you, we would just be an on-line diary. Our operators are standing by, waiting for your comments. The future of blogging depends on your support. We know that you'll do the right thing. Thank you.

[Someone shoot me! The folks who pride themselves on being commercial free radio have been doing commercials all week, almost proud of the fact that they do such an inane job of it this so late into the age of broadcasting! Listening to their solicitations for donations is like watching boulders swim. arghh!]