Did you know the Smithsonian Institution has literally sold itself to the Showtime television network (owned by Viacom)? Oliver North has this amazing, infuriating story in his column today. Really incredible stuff -- and certainly enough to engender some letters of protest, I hope.Therefore, I post the closing paragraphs from North's column below but then I also post information about a few contacts you should make to protest this remarkably unfair corruption.
...What little transparency exists in how the Smithsonian operates is revealed in hearings and reports prepared for the House Committee on Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the two Congressional entities that theoretically exercise oversight over the institution. That's how we know that Lawrence M. Small, the Smithsonian's top executive, was paid $884,733 last year -- more than twice the compensation of the president of the United States.
We also know that last year American taxpayers forked over $615 million to the Smithsonian, and that the institution's management wants more this year because it is losing money.
Since the new leaders in Congress claim that they intend to "root out waste, fraud and abuse," they ought to inquire just why the Smithsonian is in the hole. While they are at it, here are a few other questions:
How much did Viacom pay for their exclusive rights to America's treasures? Was this contract put out to bid so that others could compete for the privilege of broadcasting our nation's heritage? Were brokers involved? If so, what were they paid? How long will this arrangement remain in effect?
Every American ought to know the answers to these questions. After all, it's our history. But if America's heritage is going on the block, it would be nice to know where to start the bidding for the Library of Congress or the National Archives.
Contact Information:
The web site of the House Administration Committee doesn't yet show its' current membership. So much for keeping up to speed. However, I have them for you and contact information for all of them can be found at this Congress web site page. The current members are...
Democrat Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (California, 37th District) and Democrat members: Kevin Brady (Texas, 8th District); Zoe Lofgren (California, 16th District); Susan Davis (California, 53rd District); Charlie Gonzalez (Texas, 20th District); and Michael Capuano (Massachusetts, 8th District).
And Republican members: Vernon Ehlers (Michigan, 3rd District); Dan Lungren (California, 3rd District); and Kevin McCarthy (California, 22nd District).
The web site is current with the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and on this page you'll find the full membership. Simply hit on the member's name and you'll zip over to their web site where contact information is available. The Committee members are: Democrat Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and Democrat members Robert C. Byrd, Daniel K. Inouye, Christopher J. Dodd, Charles E. Schumer, Richard Durbin, Ben Nelson, Harry Reid, Patty Murray, and Mark L. Pryor.
Republican members are Robert Bennett, Ted Stevens, Mitch McConnell, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Kay Bailey Hutchison, C. Saxby Chambliss, Chuck Hagel, and Lamar Alexander.
Now it can be a bit time-consuming to contact all of these folks but certainly you can take that second cup of coffee with you to the console and at least zip a line to a few. All of the information you need to write a quick letter or e-mail (or make a quick phone call) can be found in that Oliver North column. For instance, here's the note I sent:
Dear ____________,
I just learned this morning about the exclusive contract between the Smithsonian Institution and Viacom's Showtime TV network -- an arrangement that dramatically undercuts the public use and enjoyment of this historic (and heretofore respected) treasure. I also learned that the salary paid to the Smithsonian Director last year was nearly $900,000! Yikes! With such outlandish generosity, it's no wonder that the taxpayer bill for the Smithsonian is over $600,000,ooo a year!
Please tell me that the new Senate and Congress with all of the high-sounding promises about eliminating waste, fraud, corruption and silly spending, is going to take action on these particular travesties. And very, very soon, I hope.
Since you now sit on a committee whose specific responsibilities include oversight of the Smithsonian, can I expect your enthusiastic actions to reduce the spending and eliminate the exclusive connections?
Sincerely,
Denny Hartford
