In defense of the Koch brothers

I have noticed a large assault upon the Koch brothers here on ATS, claiming that they alone are trying to hijack America or bring it under complete corporate control. I ask you, is this not what every other corporation and billionaire wants to do? So why must you hit the Koch brothers so hard? Have you studied where their funds have actually gone? What they have supported their whole lives? I have and would like to show you that this whole attack on them is a Liberal trick.

Let’s begin with the father Fred C. Koch, he was a member of the John Birch Society [1] because he felt compelled to fight Communism anywhere and everywhere in America after his time spent in the Soviet Union.

David H. Koch was the 1980 Vice Presidential candidate on the Libertarian Party ticket and spent $500,000 on the campaign only to win 1% of the vote which led him to abandoning the party after saying “We are not a nation that debates issues. We vote on candidates’ personalities”. David also helped to found the Citizens for a Sound Economy and has also given over $21 million to the Cato Institute. In 2004 Citizens for a Sound Economy broke into two groups; FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity.

Charles G. Koch co-founded the libertarian Cato Institute along with Edward H. Crane and Murray Rothbard in 1977, is a board member for Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Since 1992 Koch has been funding the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellowship Program through the Institute for Humane Studies which is for recruiting young libertarians.

Well back in February a telephone call to Gov. Walker of Wisconsin was recorded where a man pretended to be David Koch and was talking to Walker about the labor dispute in the state [2]. This sent out a warning flare to the left and they pounced all over the Koch brothers for this, declaring it was the Koch’s who bankrolled Walker’s campaign into office. Fortunately for them people care little about facts and more about who is the next target they can blame.

Fact is that Walker received only $43,000 from the Koch Brothers Ind. for his campaign which was less than 0.5% of all funds he raised [3], comparable to the 0.3% of the coded campaign funds Pres. Obama got from Goldman Sachs [4]. And people cheered when a man was posing to be David, which Mr. Koch addressed rationally:

One additional thing that really bothered me,” he said, “was that the press attacked me rather than the guy who impersonated me! And I was criticized as someone who’s got a death grip on the governor and his policies. And that I control him—I mean, that’s insane!”

Together Charles and David Koch’s net worth is $44 billion, the third largest fortune in the country behind Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Yet we never hear them being criticized in the media for funding everything and why? Because their funds are directed towards projects, policies, and organizations dedicated to advancing the government’s agenda. Bill Gates can espouse population control and no one says a word in the media yet the Koch’s fund organizations of their choice and they get slammed.

Why is that? Because they say such things as this:

“Society as a whole benefits from greater economic freedom,”

The Liberals never let up either, having a united front of the left pounding at them for funding and espousing ideals such as limited government, free-market capitalism, and libertarianism.

“They have an interest that is hard core ideological, hard core conservative. And dad’s money to pursue that agenda, it turns out, goes a long, long way,” said Rachel Maddow. Another left-wing radio host, Mike Papantonio, called them “inheritance babies who don’t want to pay taxes.” “The billionaire Koch brothers spent millions to have a seat at the Republican table in Washington,” said Ed Shultz, also of MSNBC, “and let’s be upfront about this now, folks. Now, they are the table.” For Paul Krugman, “What the Koch brothers have bought with their huge political outlays is, above all, freedom to pollute.” Frank Rich called them “fat cats.” Howard Dean was blunt: “We don’t want the right wing buying elections.” The Kochs, wrote a group of liberal bloggers, are “the billionaires behind the hate.”

This absolute assault upon the Koch brothers led to the protests and a death threat against an Iowa man, Dutch Koch, who is not one of the Koch brothers [5].

The Koch’s also founded the Koch Family Foundations [6] which is a charitable foundation which has given money to several think tanks:

Americans for Prosperity, Cato Institute, Mercatus Center, Institute for Humane Studies, Institute for Justice, Alex de Tocqueville Institution, Institute for Energy Research, Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment, Heritage Foundation, Manhattan Institute, George C. Marshall Institute, Reason Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute.

The Koch Family Foundations has also given charitable donations to science and arts organizations along with cancer research. Some groups include:

American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History.

For 2012 elections cycle they plan on raising $88 million for conservative campaigns which they support [7]. I wonder how much the pro-government authoritarian groups will raise for the campaigns, I am sure it will vastly outnumber $88 million.

The Koch brothers have also been accused by GreenPeace of giving $73 million dollars to global warming skeptic groups to spread “lies” [8]. What is the real lie in that story? It is GreenPeace and the other lying groups which push manmade global warming so they can siphon funds down to the corporations of their choice and the people of their choice and give the government the justification to lock out small energy companies so as to create a monopoly where only the ones wealthy enough and friendly enough to the administration can remain.

But did the left every mention that the Koch brothers each donated $10 million dollars to the ACLU to defeat the USA Patriot Act [9]? Of course they didn’t.

The Koch brothers don’t give all of their money to political ideas either, they are quite the philanthropists:

To be sure, the Kochs have given "more than a hundred million dollars to right wing causes" (which is their right, by the way). But in the last decade, it's also worth noting the Kochs have given more than $600 million in pledged or donated money to arts, education, and medical research, including (but not limited to):
New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell: $15 million
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: $25 million
The Hospital for Special Surgery: $26 million
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: $30 million
Prostate Cancer Foundation: $41 million
Deerfield Academy: $68 million
Lincoln Center's NY State Theater: $100 million
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: $139 million

How dare those evil, vile men give $600 million dollars to charities [10]!

With the assault coming from MSNBC, Huffington Post, MoveOn.org, and even the White House, Charles Koch decided to finally and formally address it on March 1, 2011 in an article on the Wall Street Journal [11].

Let me give you a few good passages from his article:

“They've [Dems and Repubs] raised debt ceilings, floated bond issues, and delayed tough decisions.”

“There have been few serious proposals for necessary cuts in military and entitlement programs, even though these account for about three-fourths of all federal spending.”

“Federal data indicate how urgently we need reform: The unfunded liabilities of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid already exceed $106 trillion. That's well over $300,000 for every man, woman and child in America (and exceeds the combined value of every U.S. bank account, stock certificate, building and piece of personal or public property).”

“Crony capitalism is much easier than competing in an open market. But it erodes our overall standard of living and stifles entrepreneurs by rewarding the politically favored rather than those who provide what consumers want.”

“The purpose of business is to efficiently convert resources into products and services that make people's lives better. Businesses that fail to do so should be allowed to go bankrupt rather than be bailed out.”

“Because every other company in a given industry is accepting market-distorting programs, Koch companies have had little option but to do so as well, simply to remain competitive and help sustain our 50,000 U.S.-based jobs.”

“Even though it affects our business, as a matter of principle our company has been outspoken in defense of economic freedom. This country would be much better off if every company would do the same. Instead, we see far too many businesses that paint their tails white and run with the antelope.”

Say whatever you want about the Koch brothers, say they are bankrolling the Tea Party, say they are attacking freedom for their own benefit but what I see them as are the only people who are doing what I would do if I was them. They are fighting for a more competitive free-market that is not just businesses subsidized by the government and fighting for their advancement with government bureaucrats so they can create the legislation and regulations to protect themselves from competition.

The Koch brothers use their money for something the left-wing big government people hate, one of only a few people conservative billionaires left in this country, and then so many here on ATS fall hook-line-and-sinker for the lies and deceit.

Maybe the John Birch Society is a little too ‘extreme’ for you and thus you do not like it, that does not mean they are trying to turn America into a corporate dictatorship, the big government left and right has done a good enough job at that.



And no, I am not writing this from a Koch Industries room, I am writing this from my house using my own research because I am tired of the lies. Now, bash me!

Links & Resources

1. www.jbs.org...
2. www.abovetopsecret.com...
3. www.weeklystandard.com...
4. www.opensecrets.org...
5. www.desmoinesregister.com...
6. www.kochfamilyfoundations.org...
7. www.politico.com...
8. www.guardian.co.uk...
9. www.lasocialdiary.com...
10. www.politicsdaily.com...
11. online.wsj.com...

That's some hefty information to nip into Misoir and I do have a few points to pull up about it.

Giving to charity being seen as only good is incredibly short sighted and inflammatory.

The rest I'll go into once this has opened up to other readers - but there is a lot and I expect a lot of people to have their own concerns about how some information is 'sold' to the reader.

Excellent research though!!

-m0r

Indeed excellent research. I haven't entirely made up my mind about the Koch brothers. But I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt while I do make up my mind. It's unlikely that they're the complete monsters many would have us believe; it's been said that a man can be judged by the enemies he makes, and they've obviously made quite a few that I have my own problems with.

Anyway, S&F while I further my own research....

I decided a long time ago not to believe what I see or hear...


I support the efforts of the koch brothers on principal... It is indeed odd that what they do that is charitable is not mentioned....

Can anyone here prove the liberal claims?


As for buying washington.... It doesnt seem like it... It is not worth it in the least..... If someone with their money wanted to buy the government... it is not like it would be that hard... they wouldnt even make a dent in DC crookilitics

I was unaware that they spent that much money to help the ACLU fight against the Patriot Act, that receives major kudos in my book.

Also, donating to charities can be used as tax right-offs. I do support them giving so much money to charities, though, because with the ungodly amount of money they have it's not like their family ever has to really work again.

What's sick is that the amount they donate each year is more than I will ever make.


Overall I agree with you, the MSM is only presenting one side of the story.

the huffington post and moveon.org and the many other voices out there are funded by george soros.

and yet i never hear people bash soros.

i never put much stock into what ever the left says in matters such as these they take and twist and manipulate the data to suit there own needs.

Thank you everyone for your great responses. I am glad that my research has shed light on the subject for you and made you just a little bit more educated in the truth that those who run this Communist administration, media, and publications do not want you to know.

Originally posted by neo96
the huffington post and moveon.org and the many other voices out there are funded by george soros.

and yet i never hear people bash soros.

i never put much stock into what ever the left says in matters such as these they take and twist and manipulate the data to suit there own needs.

edit on 23-4-2011 by neo96 because: (no reason given)

Excuse me, did I hear you say that you never hear people bash Soros? Wow! Do you live under a rock? If so, you may want to peek outside every once in a while and become informed. Who knows, you might even save 15% on your auto insurance at the same time.

reply to post by Flatfish


oh come on man the anger and vitriol for the kochs is nowhere near the anger and vitriol for soros.

in fact most people are oblivious to the fact that there are left wing billionaires.

reply to post by Flatfish


George Soros is talked about but only by 1 person in the msm who is dismissed as crazy, Glenn Beck. But I also never see either Charles or David Koch organizing an international conference trying to reorganize the world's economic structure either. Soros is on a level of his own.

The money that the Koch brothers gives to charities has no relevance to the fact that they are trying to buy politicians. The case united versus citizens now allows unlimited funds to be spent with no transparency at all by anyone. The Koch boys are now the poster children for big corporation buying politicians votes...

reply to post by capecrusader


so your mad because they are playing by DC rules?

That is the basis of that view....

It is the way dc operates and they play the game of statecraft now... ok... how are they different then any other lobbyist

reply to post by ripcontrol


This last election cycle threw out all the rules... its just blatant now.

Originally posted by Misoir
I have noticed a large assault upon the Koch brothers here on ATS, claiming that they alone are trying to hijack America or bring it under complete corporate control. I ask you, is this not what every other corporation and billionaire wants to do? So why must you hit the Koch brothers so hard?

Because they are the pushers behind the tea party movement. People claim the tea parties are purely grass roots, we refer back to Kock and their industrial associations, their corporate agenda, and our references that this is anything but a grassroots movement. Are the Koch brothers guilty of leading an ideologically driven crowd to do their bidding? No, nothing illegal there. If people want to lobby that say taxes get completely eliminated for everybody wealthy, there is nothing wrong. But to argue this is purely a grassroots movement and associations with industrial lobbyists is irrelevant, well, that's a load of crock.

Originally posted by neo96
the huffington post and moveon.org and the many other voices out there are funded by george soros.

You do know that while George Soros was an advocate against communism in the 80's and 70's, while he was funding anti-communist groups in eastern Europe, we can look decades back to the Koch brother's father who ran 15 factories in the communist Soviet Union:

Everyone knows that Tea Party revolutionaries fear and hate socialism about as much as the Antichrist. Which is funny, because the Tea Party movement’s dirty little secret is that it owes its existence to the grandaddy of all Antichrists: the godless empire of the USSR.

What few realize is that the secretive oil billionaires of the Koch family, the main supporters of the right-wing groups that orchestrated the Tea Party movement, would not have the means to bankroll their favorite causes had it not been for the pile of money the family made working for the Bolsheviks in the late 1920s and early 1930s, building refineries, training Communist engineers and laying down the foundation of Soviet oil infrastructure.

exiledonline.com...

but hey, we can just "pretend" they were trying to bring the free market to the Soviet Union at the time. Oh the irony, Soviet money funding the tea parties.

reply to post by Southern Guardian

You do know that while George Soros was an advocate against communism in the 80's and 70's, while he was funding anti-communist groups in eastern Europe, we can look decades back to the Koch brother's father who ran 15 factories in the communist Soviet Union:

you do know that george soros was a known nazi collaborator? and nazis were agianst communism hence their invasion of russia.

a zebra cant change his stripes.


ok man where is my commie money? come on now? wheres my russian cheddar?

i have yet to get any.

Originally posted by neo96
reply to post by Southern Guardian

 

You do know that while George Soros was an advocate against communism in the 80's and 70's, while he was funding anti-communist groups in eastern Europe, we can look decades back to the Koch brother's father who ran 15 factories in the communist Soviet Union:

you do know that george soros was a known nazi collaborator?

George Soros was 14 years old during the Nazi Regime. Collaborator? You are accusing him of doing something when he was 14 years old? Well that's rather low. In anycase, the accusation of Soros being a Nazi collaborator came from a rightwing website referencing a 60 minutes segment in 1998;
message.snopes.com...

At the age of 14years, George Soros, then Jewish in Nazi occupied Hungary, posed as a christian godson of a nazi collaborator, he did this as a way to hide and escape death. He assisting in confiscating Jewish property during the time he was posing as a christian godson of this Nazi collaborator to keep character and later escaped. I find it disgusting that you are using this event and the circumstances he face to demonize him, meanwhile you have no issue at the fact the Koch industry was built in part of the back of Soviet slave labour. Hypocrisy? Ya betcha!

ok man where is my commie money?

You're using it right now, through means of supporting Koch money.

reply to post by Southern Guardian


14 years old ok so lets run with it shall we

never heard of the hitler youth? or the kids that the nazis bribed to sell out the jews and then go arrest them and cart them off to concentration camps?

age dont matter he was a rat who sold his own kind out and hes still a rat for selling this country out making all his billions on short selling the dollar.

i find it disgusting youre here defending soros he sold his soul to save his own butt

wait? just want am i using right now?


transcript of the 98 cbs 60 minute interview

mediamatters.org...

What makes Soros's remark even more twisted is that he himself experienced something of Nazism. He was 14 when the Nazis entered Budapest. On December 20, 1998, there appeared this exchange between Soros and Steve Kroft on "60 Minutes": Kroft: "You're a Hungarian Jew ..." Soros: "Mm-hmm." Kroft: "... who escaped the Holocaust ..." Soros: "Mm-hmm." Kroft: "... by posing as a Christian." Soros: "Right." Kroft: "And you watched lots of people get shipped off to the death camps." Soros: "Right. I was 14 years old. And I would say that that's when my character was made." Kroft: "In what way?" Soros: "That one should think ahead. One should understand that -- and anticipate events and when, when one is threatened. It was a tremendous threat of evil. I mean, it was a -- a very personal threat of evil." Kroft: "My understanding is that you went ... went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscation of property from the Jews." Soros: "Yes, that's right. Yes." Kroft: "I mean, that's -- that sounds like an experience that would send lots of people to the psychiatric couch for many, many years. Was it difficult?" Soros: "Not, not at all. Not at all. Maybe as a child you don't ... you don't see the connection. But it was -- it created no -- no problem at all." Kroft: "No feeling of guilt?" Soros: "No." Kroft: "For example, that, 'I'm Jewish, and here I am, watching these people go. I could just as easily be these, I should be there.' None of that?" Soros: "Well, of course, ... I could be on the other side or I could be the one from whom the thing is being taken away. But there was no sense that I shouldn't be there, because that was -- well, actually, in a funny way, it's just like in the markets -- that is I weren't there -- of course, I wasn't doing it, but somebody else would - would -- would be taking it away anyhow. And it was the -- whether I was there or not, I was only a spectator, the property was being taken away. So the -- I had no role in taking away that property. So I had no sense of guilt." So this is the psychodrama that has been visited on American liberalism. We learn Soros never has nightmares. Had he been tried in a de-Nazification process for having been a young cog in the Hitlerite wheel, he would have felt that, since other people would have confiscated the same Jewish property and delivered the same deportation notices to the same doomed Jews, it was as if he hadn't done it himself. He sleeps well, while we sleep in Nazi America.

sorry mods if that quote is too long.

Originally posted by neo96
reply to post by Southern Guardian

 

14 years old ok so lets run with it shall we

Yes 14 years old. You are accusing a scared 14year jewish kid for being a Nazi sympathize merely because he posed as a christian godson of one to escape death. You are clearly clueless of the circumstances he and many other young jewish kids like him faced, and it's pathetic.

never heard of the hitler youth? or the kids that the nazis bribed to sell out the jews and then go arrest them?

First of all, where is the evidence that Soros killed anybody? Where is the evidence he joined the Nazi youth? Was he even eligible for the Nazi youth at the time considering he was not of germanic origin and could not speak the language? Where is the evidence he was guilty of anything beyond posing and assisting the removal of Jewish property?

You know the catholic pope was one hitler youth, does that make him a bad man? Guilty for the rest of his life?

Again this is low, real low. The only thing you can attack the man on is something he did as a child, and that something was posing as a a christian godson. Pathetic, and he did this escape death. You'd have him running around as a jew right? Why didn't soros just do this?

age dont matter

ok, so if a 4 year old found a gun under his daddies bed and let one off killing his mother, he should be tried and hanged. Right, winning the argument there.

How's that soviet money coming on? Yes, communism is working fine so long as it fuels your personal agenda.