God Bless the Koch Brothers!

The Koch Brothers: Charles and David

The Koch Brothers are the greatest evil since the Death Star and Darth Vader, according to most entrenched and committed liberals in the United States.

They represent everything that is wrong with democracy and capitalism.

They are two old white men from Kansas with a lot of money, and a libertarian streak which rubs liberals, progressives, and statists the wrong way.

The New Yorker published an article declaring "The Koch Brothers' War with Obama".

The first picture caption of the article reads:

David H. Koch in 1996. He and his brother Charles are lifelong libertarians and have quietly given more than a hundred million dollars to right-wing causes.

Libertarianism is on the rise, from the decriminalization of controlled substances like marijuana, to the expansion of concealed carry laws, to the tax cut and spending restraints in statehouses throughout the country.

Libertarianism is on the rise, and not a moment too soon, since President Obama is more like the Evil Empire of Star Wars mythology, expanding a death-like grip of more government and greater regulations over all Americans.

One quote from the New Yorker article cannot be ignored:

Rob Stein, a Democratic political strategist who has studied the conservative movement’s finances, said that the Kochs are “at the epicenter of the anti-Obama movement. But it’s not just about Obama. They would have done the same to Hillary Clinton. They did the same with Bill Clinton. They are out to destroy progressivism.”

God bless the Koch Brothers!

Sources suggest, however, that the Koch Brothers were trying to take over the Cato Institute, a well-known and well-respected libertarian Washington think-tank. The New York Times reports that the research institute fought to retain its political independence. The Koch Brothers dropped two lawsuits, and one of the leaders at odd with the brothers resigned. The LA Times advanced the same conspiracy arguments about the Koch Brothers taking over the Cato Institute. Any sense of political connections is nothing but bad news. Think tanks by their very existence must seek information before promoting advocacy of any kind.

The Times quoted this statement from Charles Koch:

"I have every confidence that John's leadership will enable Cato to reach new levels of effectiveness. The alarming increase in the size and scope of government is undermining freedom, opportunity and prosperity for all. Effective action is required to limit government to its proper role.

The Koch Brothers maintain a strong libertarian streak, and their connection with the libertarian Washington think tank is nothing unusual.

God bless the Koch Brothers. They know when to call it quits. Donald Trump also felt the blow of individual rights, which trump corporate and self-interest. The Donald tried to acquire an old lady's home through eminent domain. A judge stuck down his land grab. Fine and good. If the Koch Brothers were rebuffed from taking over a think-tank, then what is everyone afraid of?

Congressman Henry Waxman slammed the Koch Brothers by arguing that the Koch Brothers' influence in Congress was hurting the rest of the country. Waxman criticized Koch Industries for science denial, partisanship, and the rising power of special interests. Waxman then denounced the Koch Brothers because they would profit from the rollback of EPA regulations.

Congressman Waxman has been dishonoring science, hyping up climate change as a serious issue, even though the growing academic consensus disputes climate change as a serious, let alone manmade matter. Waxman's ruthless pursuit to expand the federal government at the expense of the United States Constitution, the power of the several states, and the rights and authorities of individual Americans, is the more lethal threat which voters need to pay attention to

Frankly, the vast majority if Americans would profit from not just the rollback but the demise of the sclerotic, frustrating, hyper-bureaucratic EPA, which has made it nearly impossible for businesses to expand, and even legitimate homeowners to build on their own property.

God bless the Koch Brothers!

The Koch Brothers also support the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, as do other business interests, labor groups, and even the State Department, which has found that the pipeline would have a minimal adverse effect on the environment. Henry Waxman criticized their interest in the project.

At the time that Congress was investigating whether to approve the project or not, the now retiring Congressman was looking for any strawmen to distract detractors from his decades of crony political maneuvering, along with the ongoing failures of Obamacare, Cap and Trade, and the failure of nineteen green tech companies: "I'm sorry Solyndra happened."

Despite Waxman's attempt to draw the Koch Brothers into a Committee-subpoena drama, Waxman retracted his outrageous claims of cronyism.

God bless the Koch Brothers!

The same LA Times which insists on drawing the Koch Brothers into the miasma of political contributions and corruptions, none of which is substantiated, is going bankrupt. While Congressman Henry Waxman demanded information from the publisher and leaders of the company regarding the slagging fate of the newspaper, the Koch Brothers considered purchasing the newspaper and reviving its coverage. With their conservative understanding of how business and markets work, plus their appreciate for libertarian values, their leadership of the paper would have saved the moribund publication, as only conservative and right-leaning media sights are surviving and thriving, while left-leaning newspapers and radio stations are falling away or closing down altogether.

The Koch Brothers, in earlier days.

Ultimately, the Koch Brothers decided not to buy the LA Times, because they did not see the paper as  a worthy investment. If they had purchased the paper, they might have revived real truth and accuracy in reporting to counteract the unrepentant and irresponsible liberal bent of the mainstream media. By choosing not to purchase the paper, the brothers further consigned the LA Times to its disintegrating irrelevance as a trusted or respectable news source.

Either way, God bless the Koch Brothers!

The influence not just of the Koch Brothers, but a growing resurgence for freedom from Big Government, has drawn the ire of embattled and embittered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. During the October 2013 government shutdown, the Nevada senator blamed the oil magnates for instigating the stand-still in Washington.

Reid thundered on the billionaires:

"By shutting down the government, and that's what happened, we're satisfying the Koch brothers and Ed Meese, but millions of people in America are suffering,"

Reid's comments better describe the deleterious effects of President Obama and the Democrat Party's policies on the American people, especially Obamacare.

Refusing to endure these infantile attacks, the Koch Brothers punched back:

“A great deal of what you read and hear about Koch Industries is erroneous or misleading,” wrote Philip Ellender, the president of government and public affairs at Koch, in a letter to senators on Wednesday.
Besides, where were the Democrats in the US Senate, when the Republican leadership in the House was ready to meet in a conference and discuss a comprehensive compromise which would have satisfied both sides, and more importantly the American People, who did not want a shutdown, and they did not want Obamacare.

Not content to blast them over the shutdown, which he instigated, Reid has recently blasted them with the hollow slander that they were "un-American" for a series of anti-Obamacare ads.

The Americans for Prosperity are producing and disseminating these ads, with the financial help of the Koch Brothers. These advertisements feature individual Americans who have lost their health insurance or pay higher premiums because of Obamacare. People throughout the country are suffering because of Obamacare. Any person, any agency who will take the time and trouble to take to task Congress, specifically President Obama and every legislator who supported  Obamacare deserves all the support and praise one can muster.

If the Koch Brothers have advanced the cause of #MakeDCListen, if they are investing their funds to bring down liberal-elitist statist, government overreach, then they have nothing to be ashamed of as left-leaning news sites, think tanks, and talking heads reproach them.

Anyone who attacks Obama, Obamacare, and Obamanomics with such concentrated force and faithfulness is not an enemy, is not un-American, but very much American, and embodies all that makes this country great: free markets, free enterprise, free people, the rule of law, the respect for the individual.

God bless the Koch Brothers!