today's kids are dumb enough as is

let's not lower the ceiling any lower.

President George W. Bush proposed a 13 percent cut in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, seeking to reduce spending that has already won congressional approval and prompting a protest from the agency.

A fiscal 2007 spending plan that Bush sent to Congress today cuts $53.5 million from $400 million in grants to public TV and radio stations from CPB, the agency that funds public broadcasting. The budget, released publicly today, also cuts $50 million from $400 million approved for 2008.

The reductions ``disappointed'' CPB Chief Executive Officer Patricia Harrison, who said in a statement she plans to join public broadcasters as they try to persuade congressional budget writers to restore the funds. A lobbying campaign last year succeeded in reversing similar cuts.

``The Bush White House is taking an axe to help chop off Big Bird's head and turn Elmo out into the streets,'' said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a public-interest group. ``The administration wants to starve the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio, curtailing their ability to critically report the news.''