Big Bird's Nest is well Feathered

[Pony Boy]

The IRS filing shows Sesame Workshop gets about $6 million a year in "government grants" (which are not itemized). He doesn't need it.

Big Bird is richer than Mitt Romney. Sesame Workshop (successor to Children's Television Workshop), reported to the IRS a $356-million net worth as of June 30, 2011, compared to Romney's estimated worth of about $250-million.

Obviously, Big Bird's nest is well-feathered. His diet isn't exactly bird seed.

Despite scare headlines, (such as HuffPo's "Mitt Romney's Big Bird Attack Threatens Thousands of U.S. Jobs") this avian is no endangered species.

Sesame Workshop boasts its $356-million value even after it paid $180-million in 2000 to buy-out the rights to the Muppets from the late Jim Henson.

Sesame Workshop has a liquid cushion of over $130-million in cash and securities, while other parts of the current worth are labeled "intangible" assets. Royalty receipts alone generate $47 million a year, thanks to annual sales of $515 million in Sesame Street branded products, according to Forbes.


How does Sesame Street rank among other best-selling entertainment franchises? Forbes' article describes Sesame Street's neighborhood like this:

Disney Princess (Disney) $1.6 billion in 2011 retail sales
Star Wars (Lucasfilm) $1.5 billion
Pooh (Disney) $1.09 billion
Cars (Disney) $1.05 billion
Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $800 million
Mickey & Friends (Disney) $750 million
WWE (WWE) $700 million
Toy Story (Disney) $685 million
Peanuts (Iconix, Peanuts Worldwide) $600 million
Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $515 million
Disney Fairies (Disney) $435 million
Thomas the Tank Engine (Hit Entertainment) $390 million
Garfield (Paws Inc.) $370 million
Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon) $330 million
SpongeBob (Nickelodeon) $330 million
Spiderman (Marvel/Disney) $325 million
Ben 10 (Cartoon Network) $295 million
Angry Birds (Rovio) $250 million
Batman (DC/Warner) $245 million


http://www.newsmax.com/ErnestIstook/...0/08/id/459121

[NUB]

You do realize that Sesame Workshop is a non-profit business that produces educational programming, right? And you also realize that PBS, which is what the big flub "Big Bird" stuff is actually about, is a separate entity from Sesame Workshop, right? RIGHT?

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by NUB

You do realize that Sesame Workshop is a non-profit business that produces educational programming, right? And you also realize that PBS, which is what the big flub "Big Bird" stuff is actually about, is a separate entity from Sesame Workshop, right? RIGHT?

Sesame Workshop has a liquid cushion of over $130-million in cash and securities

I think your missing the point, I know it's about PBS and you know it's about PBS but Obama is the one claming that Big Bird will be an endangered species if Romney has his way.

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by NUB

You do realize that Sesame Workshop is a non-profit business that produces educational programming, right? And you also realize that PBS, which is what the big flub "Big Bird" stuff is actually about, is a separate entity from Sesame Workshop, right? RIGHT?

How do you like the one....

[NUB]

This is about a much larger debate concerning taxes and spending cuts. If you think the focus is on an image you are a simple minded fool.

[Pony Boy]

Big Bird Wants Out of Campaign Ad


Big Bird, it seems, isn’t thrilled about his cameo in the presidential race.

The folks at Sesame Street are asking the Obama campaign to pull down a TV ad released Tuesday that mocks Mitt Romney for vowing to yank the subsidy to PBS.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/1...f-campaign-ad/

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by NUB

This is about a much larger debate concerning taxes and spending cuts. If you think the focus is on an image you are a simple minded fool.

"No shiate Sherlock" ......... nothing gets by you does it? Getting PBS off the government tit is called a spending cut.....

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by NUB

This is about a much larger debate concerning taxes and spending cuts. If you think the focus is on an image you are a simple minded fool.

That much has already been well established.

[BroncoInferno]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

"No shiate Sherlock" ......... nothing gets by you does it? Getting PBS off the government tit is called a spending cut.....

Spending on PBS represents 0.012% of the budget. If your concern is to reduce government spending, it would be easier to take you seriously if you focused your ire on more bloated agencies (the military, for instance). If all PBS spending went away tomorrow, it would make effectively no impact on the budget or do anything to reduce the deficit.

[Requiem]

Of course Pony Boy would start this thread. Yep, lets get rid of PBS funding, but keep military spending (defense) in our budget at all-time high's for absolutely no reason.

[barryr]

If anyone has made this an issue, it's Obama himself who seems to have the need to mention Big Bird in multiple speeches. But like everything else about him, it is a failed message. But one can understand why'd like rather waste time on that than have to talk about the economy, raising taxes on everybody, his failed foreign policies(one guesses he has one), etc.

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

That much has already been well established.

Do you think Obama has room on that plate for the heads of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry? The way I look at it he is 3 for 3 right now.

[Rohirrim]

PBS does a whole lot of good for this country.

It's worth every penny.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Do you think Obama has room on that plate for the heads of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry? The way I look at it he is 3 for 3 right now.

Some of the stuff you post, like this, is just downright unAmerican.

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by BroncoInferno

Spending on PBS represents 0.012% of the budget. If your concern is to reduce government spending, it would be easier to take you seriously if you focused your ire on more bloated agencies (the military, for instance). If all PBS spending went away tomorrow, it would make effectively no impact on the budget or do anything to reduce the deficit.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting gets $445 million per year in public funds but I guess the way you look at it it's ok to put that on a Chinese credit card and expect our children and grandchildren to pay for it all later. I see where you are coming from, they all watch Big Bird so they should pay the bill.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Corporation for Public Broadcasting gets $445 million per year in public funds but I guess the way you look at it it's ok to put that on a Chinese credit card and expect our children and grandchildren to pay for it all later. I see where you are coming from, they all watch Big Bird so they should pay the bill.

What else are we putting on that Chinese credit card? A bloated military? Subsidies to oil companies? Compared with what goes to PBS, it's not even worth talking about.

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

PBS does a whole lot of good for this country.

It's worth every penny.

Then put it on the Federal tax form where you can check a box and donate money to PBS, not tax money you owe but money directly from you bank account and we will see how much people feel about PBS.

[DenverBrit]

Amazing!!

Taxing the wealthy won't put a dent in the deficit, but cutting off $6 million to PBS will?

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Then put it on the Federal tax form where you can check a box and donate money to PBS, not tax money you owe but money directly from you bank account and we will see how much people feel about PBS.

Okay. And let's do that with education too. How about wars? How about being on a jury? How about building highways? How about farm subsidies? How about everything government does? Let's make every spending issue subject to the democratic process. Let's allow the American people to vote on every tax dollar spent. Then we no longer have to worry about representative government. We can simply pick and choose the stuff we don't like and refuse to support it.

If we don't have children, **** schools. Why should we pay for them? If we don't drive, **** the highways. We don't use them. etcetera

[DenverBrit]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Then put it on the Federal tax form where you can check a box and donate money to PBS, not tax money you owe but money directly from you bank account and we will see how much people feel about PBS.

Great idea.

Let's do the same for Corporate tax breaks, bloated military, tax breaks for mega yachts and end tax breaks for church real estate holdings.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by DenverBrit

Great idea.

Let's do the same for Corporate tax breaks, bloated military, tax breaks for mega yachts and end tax breaks for church real estate holdings.

And $70,000 write-offs for dancing horses.

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Some of the stuff you post, like this, is just downright unAmerican.

There's the pot calling the kettle black big words from a socialist like you. If LABF and others on this site want to carry Osama bin Laden head around on a stick then they should also take full responsibility for the lives that have been lost by the complete incompetence of the commander-in-chief.

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Okay. And let's do that with education too. How about wars? How about being on a jury? How about building highways? How about farm subsidies? How about everything government does? Let's make every spending issue subject to the democratic process. Let's allow the American people to vote on every tax dollar spent. Then we no longer have to worry about representative government. We can simply pick and choose the stuff we don't like and refuse to support it.

If we don't have children, **** schools. Why should we pay for them? If we don't drive, **** the highways. We don't use them. etcetera

Apples and oranges

Hummm....... let's see. Circle the one that is not a high national priority for federal funding?

Infrastructure, PBS, Education or Military

[BroncoInferno]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Corporation for Public Broadcasting gets $445 million per year in public funds but I guess the way you look at it it's ok to put that on a Chinese credit card and expect our children and grandchildren to pay for it all later. I see where you are coming from, they all watch Big Bird so they should pay the bill.

So, your contention is that we have to borrow money from China in order to pay off the cost of running PBS, which represents a whopping 0.012% of the budget? You're real bright

By the way, love how you right-wingers are jumping right in line with Romney on his "we can't borrow money from China!" jag. Of course, we didin't hear a peep about that when Bush started two wars that he didn't bother to pay for or when Cheney said "deficits don't matter."

[BroncoInferno]

Originally Posted by Pony Boy

Apples and oranges

Hummm....... let's see. Circle the one that is not a high national priority for federal funding?

Infrastructure, PBS, Education or Military

Are you really this stupid? You could do away with PBS and Planned Parenthood both and that wouldn't make up even 0.5% of the budget. If you're serious about wanting to get out of the deficit and the borrowing cycle, you're going to have to make cuts to some of the things you like that comprise large chunks of the budget (like the military), not just the stuff that you don't like (and don't amount to chickenfeed relative to the budget). Oh, and raise revenue, too.