...................................................................................................................................................................
Don't let Koch Brothers destroy the American dream
By Joseph Tenore, April 18, 2014
Charles and David Koch are using their money and influence to affect the outcome of the 2014 mid-term elections as well as the 2016 presidential race. They have poured their fortune into a network of organizations that are dedicated to supporting Republican causes and Republican candidates. In the 2012 election cycle the Koch brothers spent $400 million trying to win the presidential election for Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Both billionaire brothers were deeply involved in financing and distributing more than $200 million last year to kill the Affordable Care Act. They funded television ads showing a menacing Uncle Sam figure popping up between a woman’s legs during a gynecological exam. Those ads were disgusting and degrading to women with a sole purpose of instilling fear in young women who might sign up for the ACA.
In 2013, Forbes called Koch Industries the second largest privately held company in the United States with an annual revenue of $115 billion. Koch industries are involved in manufacturing petroleum, chemicals, fertilizers, energy, finance, commodities trading as well as other ventures and investments.
Their environmental and safety record speaks for itself. From 1999 to 2003, Koch Industries was assessed more than $400 million in fines, penalties and judgments.
Between 2006 and 2011, the Koch brothers have spent more than $50 million to lobby in Washington. Their industries have opposed the regulations of financial derivatives and they lobbied to set limits on greenhouse gases.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United has opened the floodgates on campaign financing. Now, with the high court’s blessing, the super-rich and corporations can legally hand out unlimited funds to groups that campaign for a candidate. This allows their donations to buy a piece of our democracy. Because of their money, the Koch brothers can get legislators to write business friendly legislation in their statehouses with no regard for public welfare or public interest. They have managed to enslave the radical Republican Party and the Tea Party and make them puppets on a string under their control.
Their ultimate goals are to down-size government, destroy public education by privatizing, break unions, privatize Social Security, pass voter ID laws, do away with environmental regulations, privatize the U.S. Postal Service, cut taxes for the rich and big corporations, continue tax subsides for those big corporations, do away with the ACA, continue military spending, cut Medicaid by one-third, cut $11 million from VA services, do away with Medicare as we know it and cut programs like food stamps, Pell Grants and job-training initiatives. This is a huge undertaking, but the Koch brothers have a huge amount of money to back it up.
The Koch brothers want to buy the next Congress, Senate and Presidency. But, there is someone standing in their way: You and me. The term “The American Dream” was inspired by the returning veterans of World War II. It was promised that a good life would come with hard work and that everyone would have an opportunity for a decent paying job with security, a house of their own, affordable health care, an excellent education for their children and a secure retirement.
The Koch brothers along with the Republican Party seem to have forgotten those principals, but we can keep that dream alive with the power of our vote. A couple of billionaire brothers should never have that much power in our free democracy. Let’s use our vote to have our voices heard.
...................................................................................................................................................................
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment