By Bill O'Reilly

As the battle between conservatives and liberals over government spending continues to rage, subsidies for PBS and NPR are at the top of the cutback list.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal on Friday, Sen. Jim DeMint cites the following: The president emeritus of NPR, Kevin Klose, received more than $1.2 million in compensation in 2008. The head of the "Sesame Street" Workshop on PBS, Gary Knell, is paid close to $1 million a year. Now that's not government money, that's private money. But it shows you the earning power of "Sesame Street." The current PBS president, Paula Kerger, got $632,000 in annual compensation in 2008. And the list goes on and on.

Sen. DeMint points out that "Sesame Street" alone made $211 million in three years from toy and product sales. So why on earth is the taxpayer subsidizing PBS? "Sesame Street" can carry them.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is getting $420 million this year, and President Obama wants to raise that another $30 million next year.

Two words: not needed.

In the House, a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, which gets $360 million a year, has passed. Bad news for the president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, who makes about $350,000 dollars a year.

Things are obviously good for first-class passengers on the federal gravy train.

Here's what I don't get. Many Democrats seem to have no problem with all of this spending, and every time a program is targeted to be cut, liberals start screaming. One example: Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz doesn't want any cuts to the Head Start program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, D-FLA.: I was at a child care center in my district on Monday and literally stood with moms who, when they lose their child care as a result of the -- the cuts in HR-1, they're going to have to stop working, they're not going to be able to send their kids to school and they won't get an early childhood education and we know that cuts like that will directly lead to kids becoming criminals later on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

That kind of emotional appeal resonates.

On Thursday, "Talking Points" reported that The New York Times, Michael Moore and others are now actually saying the USA is not broke; that the $14 trillion debt is kind of like a mortgage or a college loan. That's the new spin.

And sadly Americans are still divided on the spending issue. Most of us understand cutbacks have to be made, but polls show we don't want them directly affecting us.

The union workers in Wisconsin are mostly good people. They just don't want to take the hit, and that scenario is being played out all over the USA.

But big cuts are coming, there's no doubt about it.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

With the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" suspended, co-star Jon Cryer is out of work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": Hey, Jon, how's it going?

JON CRYER, ACTOR, "TWO AND A HALF MEN": "Ellen DeGeneres Show." Tickets, go to EllenTV.com. OK. Thanks.

DEGENERES: Messages?

CRYER: Just one.

DEGENERES: You really do good work. You do the work of two and a half men.

CRYER: You don't have to say that every time you pick up your messages.

DEGENERES: OK. Thanks for being here. I appreciate it.

CRYER: I needed the work. "Ellen DeGeneres Show."

(END VIDEO CLIP)