The voters of this nation will not support a public trust that offends the majority's sense of trust. Supporting television programming that offends the rich and powerful by exposing corruption will not be a viewed as offensive by the majority of voters - despite what politicians may claim. Public education is currently suffering from much the same problem. For many years, public education has been in the vanguard of many movements to better the educational and cultural opportunities of the young. It is not the job of salt to be sweet, or to be peppery-hot, or to be soothing to the tongue.
Salt is to be salty, plain and simple.
And if salt is not being salty, then it is going to be thrown away - and it will be walked on and treated with the greatest of disrespect. NEA has a mission, which is stated in the enabling legislation that created and first funded it. It must be careful that it is fulfilling its stated mission first - and perhaps exclusively. Then it will be most secure from attack and from funding cuts. Likewise, public education has a mission all it's own.