i have mixed feelings about the current debate about pbs and cpb . overall, i don't think the gov should be in the broadcasting business at all. on the other hand, it's pretty annoying to place enemies of programs into the position of stewarship over them: government by sheer irony. but republicans deep-fry big bird  is getting to be a pretty tired flourish. i've spent countless hours of my life watching clifford, sesame street, mr rogers, barney, arthur, teletubbies, cyber-chase (please), dragon tales etc etc. obviously various of my kids have liked various of these shows at different times. but they are painful. some of them (barney, rogers, tubbies) are flat weird, like they were made by space aliens or mental patients. all of them (except sesame street) are utterly humorless. and without exception they are painfully, painfully politically correct, a nonstop parade of tokens and earnest, empty moral lessons. also i tend to doubt their "educational" quality. sesame has some charming characters, but reciting the numbers 1 through 10 18 billion times isn't exactly an education.