CBS's Becker Sit-Com Blasts "Stupid" People Who Favor Tax Cuts

MediaResearch ^ | Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:42:36 | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

Another episode of the CBS sit-com Becker, which stars the liberal Ted Danson playing a doctor in a one-man practice in New York City, airs tonight on CBS. In last week's episode, upset by the closing of a "residential life" home for the mentally- challenged, "Becker" went to see the city's Deputy Director of Social Services, who launched into a lengthy rant about the evils of how tax cuts have reduced the amount of money available to government and will lead to "crappy schools which will turn out yet another generation of voters who are too stupid and greedy to think about anything else besides cutting taxes!"

The government bureaucrat, his anger rising, yelled: "That facility is not going to re-open and I'll tell you why, there is no money! There's no money because the federal government cut taxes, which is all anybody seems to care about anymore. That means less money for the state, which means less money for the city, which means we had to cuts services, which means fewer cops, fewer firemen, bad air, bad water, and crappy schools which will turn out yet another generation of voters who are too stupid and greedy to think about anything else besides cutting taxes! So don't you come in here and tell me to fix your problem because there's not a damn thing I can do about it!"

Aubree Rankin of the Parents Television Council alerted us to the scene in the December 3 episode and the MRC's Amanda Monson transcribed it for CyberAlert.

In the show, Becker's clinic/office is overwhelmed by wacky people and he figures out it's because a nearby residential facility was closed by the city. We pick up the story with Becker going to see the city official in charge of the department which ran the facility:

Becker: "Look I just came down here 'cause I want to tell you about something terrible that's going on in my neighborhood."
Deputy Secretary of Social Services, sitting at his desk: "Tell me."
Becker: "Well actually, watch this. [Opens door to crowd of people from the facility he brought along and whistles] Come on I whistled, that's when you -- never mind. [Closes door] Look, someone in your department shut down a residential care facility in my neighborhood and threw everybody out on the street. Now I'm here 'cause I want something done about it!"
Deputy: "Wow. You sound pretty upset."
Becker: "Well, I am you know, I've been on the phone all afternoon calling every city agency I can think of and all I got was the typical bureaucratic run around."
Deputy: "Well that's terrible, you shouldn't have been treated like that."
Becker: "Well, at least you see that."
Deputy: "Well of course I do."
Becker: "Oh good, then you'll help me?"
Deputy: "Oh dear no."
Becker: "Maybe you didn't understand me."
Deputy: "No, I understood you perfectly. You discovered a social injustice and as a concerned citizen you have come to your government to demand some action."
Becker: "Exactly."
Deputy: "Yea well, it's not gonna happen. But that look on your face, oh, that took me back. What was that, righteous indignation? I used to feel like that when I first started working here, 42 years ago."
Becker: "Yea, look -- you've been in this office 42 years?"
Deputy: "Yeah. Same desk, same fake plant, same window. It doesn't open, none of them do. Otherwise we'd all jump out. But, you were saying."
Becker: "I told you. Look, either re-open the facility or make some arrangements to take care of these people!"
Deputy: "And I told you I can't help."
Becker: "But you're the Deputy Secretary of Social Services."
Deputy: "It's just a title."
Becker: "Dammit. Look. Listen! You're in charge here, you're responsible, you work for the city!"

Deputy, standing up, walking toward Becker, voice rising and turning into angry yelling: "You're not listening. I can't help, nobody can help. That facility is not going to re-open and I'll tell you why, there is no money! There's no money because the federal government cut taxes, which is all anybody seems to care about anymore. That means less money for the state, which means less money for the city, which means we had to cuts services, which means fewer cops, fewer firemen, bad air, bad water, and crappy schools which will turn out yet another generation of voters who are too stupid and greedy to think about anything else besides cutting taxes! So don't you come in here and tell me to fix your problem because there's not a damn thing I can do about it! [Pause, calms down] Where did that come from?"

Becker: "So, what I'm getting here is, you're not gonna help me."
Deputy: "No, no"
Becker: "Can't you just call the Mayor."
Deputy, sakes head no: "Uh-Uh"
Becker: "Fire off an angry e-mail."
Deputy: "I don't think so."
Becker: "Look I came down here with all of these people, if I leave with nothing I am going to look like a jackass."
Deputy: "I'm sorry, I can't help you."
Becker opens door, whistles, and shouts: "He's the one with the ice cream." [crowd of people from facility enter the office of the Deputy and Becker leaves.]

For CBS's page on the sit-com, which stars Ted Danson and Nancy Travis and airs Wednesdays at 9:30pm EST/PST, 8:30pm CST/MST: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/becker/

The part of the anti-tax cut government bureaucrat was played by character actor Henry Gibson, an older, short, white-haired man you'd recognize from his many small roles over the years in TV and in the movies. For the most complete rundown of his roles, see his Internet Movie Database page, which is sans a photo: http://imdb.com/name/nm0002099/

For a picture of him in 1969 on Laugh In: http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/PersonDetail/personid-16085

For a more current photo: http://www.hollywood.com/celebs/detail/celeb/189075

Viewers won't have to suffer liberal pontificating on Becker for much longer. CBS has announced that it won't return next season.

[samtheman]

American TV is starting to resemble the political education classes in Mao's China and Stalin's Russia.

[Mr.Atos]

By all means, let them continue to advocate this position at CBS. There are a heck of a lot of people in Portland Counties tonight who will be watching TV while writing out $500 - $1000 checks to their local government for new income tax 'surcharges' who won't feel regret at the Bush tax cuts, but will feel 'stupid' about the local Liberal leadership that they have supoported for years. Perhaps it is a good time to distribute new voter registration cards.

Perhaps we should thank CBS and Danson for the reminder as to who is actually out of touch and truly stupid.

[autoresponder]

I'm trying to recall the Asian country the Clinton IRS let Hollyweird types get of with tiny income taxes in.

Then too, Bill Clinton bought that Irish golf course villa in a tax sheltered area to avoid paying income taxes on his ghost-written in the USA book. Some kinda "artists" tax exemption there.

[Bluntpoint]

The good ole days!

[RckyRaCoCo]

CBS's Becker Sit-Com Blasts "Stupid" People Who Favor Tax Cuts

Shouldn't the Supreme Court ban this type of advertising also?

[ladyinred]

I won't even watch re-runs of Cheers because of Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson. Commies both.

Neither will I among other shows, including Becker.

[Reagan79]

Unfortunately I thought the Republicans and Bush are out spending all of the liberals in history. CBS and Danson should be loving that. We need to cut taxes and cut spending, why does nobody in D.C. ever do that? (Don't answer, it is a rhetorical question)

[martin gibson]

CBS has announced that it won't return next season.

...see what happens when you just DON'T WATCH...?

[LetsRok]

Ted Danson "jumped the shark" when he kissed Whoopie Goldberg. Who cares what spews from his mouth.

[Spok]

When Danson speaks without a script in front of him, it's an insult to talking heads everywhere.

[usadave]

That means less money for the state, which means less money for the city, which means we had to cuts services, which means fewer cops, fewer firemen, bad air, bad water, and crappy schools

There would also be less money to hire lazy, fat-cat, six-figure salaried bureaucrats.

[Bluntpoint]

Whoopi! The face behind erectile dysfunction!

[Alex Murphy]

Ted Danson "jumped the shark" when he kissed Whoopie Goldberg. Who cares what spews from his mouth.

Now there a happy accident. Two sentences that talk about different events, but make more sense when read as a sole action....

[Alex Murphy]

"You discovered a social injustice and as a concerned citizen you have come to your government to demand some action."

Hmmm...I wonder what's wrong with this sentence?

[BigSkyFreeper]

MRC thinks it's bad now, just wait until 30 to 60 days before the election. Leftist comedy shows just reeking with political connotations all over the damn place.

[toddst]

. . . his best friend was apparently a blind, gay, black guy -- no, I'm not making this up!

Well maybe not, but mostly you weren't paying attention. The man is NOT gay, is always looking for a good girlfriend who likes him. You clearly didn't watch enough to know who was what.

Danson is obviously an obnoxious liberal but the show is funny IMO.

[exile]

I had no idea this show was still on the air. I've never actually seen an entire episode, though while surfing through the channels, I'd occassionally stop on it because the one girl (the ditzy one) is a knockout.

[OrioleFan]

Maybe it would be good when any of these shows take a swipe at conservatives or conservative ideas, that we contact the FEC and demand equal time, and that the equal time allow us to play the clip and provide our response during the commercial time for the show.

[longfellow]

maybe if they got rid of all my taxes I would have plenty of money to pay any doctor i want cash and wouldn't have to worry about insurance.