Our country is broke. Do you think it is right that $445 MILLION per year of tax money is supporting PBS?

Entirely yes. There's a few reasons why it's a good idea.
1. PBS news isn't corporate sponsored-they're getting steady government support, so they don't have to spend half the show on celebrity ---- did ---.
2. It provides everyone with access to free educational and informational programming, without needing to pay for cable/satellite.
3. We're spending trillions on redundant programs/projects that have never died.
4. As a good editorial pointed out, for $1.25 a person a year, everyone has access to educational TV from Sesame Street to Nova

I absolutely feel this is appropriate. From the point of view of a mom with young children, let me tell you that the children's programming on other channels is crap, packed with toy commercials during the breaks, or both. It's worth it just for the children's programming alone. Add that to adult shows like Baking with Julia, This Old House, the Woodwright's Shop, NOVA, Masterpiece Theater, and the countless amazing cooking and gardening shows, the support is worth it. I know some people say that PBS will survive without tax support, since it is largely funded by voluntary donations. That's not always enough, especially in areas that are harder hit by political and economic changes. I live in one of those areas that is suffering greatly. Our PBS stations was sold because the money just wasn't there to keep it running. Fortunately, one of the local colleges had it's own tv station and scrambled to pick up the slack so our area wouldn't lose PBS completely. It's that important.

As for advertising support, the lack of commercial after commercial after commercial is one of the great things about PBS. There are sponsors, and they get mentioned between the shows.

How many shows out there are growth promoting for children? There are children oriented shows, and rare shows like Blues Clues that have been studied for child development, but in the sea of trash that is morning/afternoon TV having a network like PBS is essential in my opinion.

Are you kidding? PBS has my Britcoms.

PBS didnt get our country in the debt it's in. Lets look at the other reasons why this country is in debt before we get rid of free educational programing for people.

Yes. It's better than increasing military spending by 2 trillion dollars...

PBS accounts for something like 0.00022% of the budget. Regardless of its merits, why is it even part of the discussion?

I think Neil deGrasse Tyson put it best:

"Cutting PBS support (0.012% of budget) to help balance the Federal budget is like deleting text files to make room on your 500Gig hard drive."

The benefits of educational and intellectual programs that are not beholden to commercial interests outweigh the cost to the individual tax payer.

Yes, the government wastes huge amounts of tax payer money, but that tends to be on kickbacks to cronies, bridges to nowhere and don't forget the pieces of ass on the side.

I think Sesame Street would survive easily without government funding. However, I'm more concerned with the billions of dollars in bribe money we're sending to the richest people in the Middle East and warlords in Africa in hopes that they won't shoot at our people. Obviously, we can see how well that's working.

PBS provides free educational programming to everyone, regardless of economic status. Those who are rich enough to have other options won't miss it, but to children in disadvantaged households, those programs are their best chance at learning before reaching kindergarten age. Discontinuing it will barely make a dent in the overall budget, but it will widen the gap between the rich kids and the poor kids when they start school.

I can't help but notice how true that is of most of the proposed budget cuts. Things people depend on and genuinely need are threatened. But the government continues to stamp out those ridiculous gold dollars, which are then stored in a warehouse at outrageous expense, for no particular reason other than that Congress hasn't figured out the complexities of making it stop.

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I find it ridiculous to cut funding for something educational but pump money into hatred and other forms of general disenfranchisement of other countries.

PBS is about the only real educational station out there. I would rather government dollars go to PBS than inflated politician's salaries and to fighting wars that are not ours to fight. Also, if PBS is defunded, then TONS of folks will be out of work and adding the the already inflated unemployment ranks. I grew up on PBS, and if I had kids, their happy little butts would be watching it instead of any of the other kids crap on TV.

Well, I sure can't say anything better than what's been said already.

Yes, I think it makes absolute and perfect sense to spend that money on PBS funding. I know when you say the number out loud it sounds like a hell of a lot of money, but compared to what gets spent on other programs it is nothing.

PBS is educational. Those who can afford to subscribe to cable have access to other educational programming on channels like Discovery, the History Channel or BBC America. PBS allows those programs and those types of programs (usually even programs that are far MORE educational than those found on cable channels) to be available for everyone, whether they can afford cable or not. That's important!

Yeah its like one of the only good programs we have.

Education is critical.
For that matter, so is the military.
Try creating a society that doesn't value either. I certainly won't be there by choice.