"... their limited thinking, underhandedness, condescension, arrogance and inflated sense of superiority simply ran in the family and was clearly drilled into them in their formative years."

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RABBLE ROUSER: Koch brothers deserve to be vilified
By Harry S. Nydick, August 27, 2014

Re: “Koch brothers are better than Soros” (Letters, Aug. 17)

In response to the character assassination in the Sunday paper, I am rather surprised that the Courier-Post — though an obvious right-leaning media source — would publish such unsubstantiated information and simultaneously permit her to suggest to the world that the Koch brothers are two very nice people.

Via a variety of searches online, I have been unable to verify virtually anything she said in her character assassination of George Soros. However, I am opposed to all billionaires trying to control elections with their money. In fact, I would prefer to see federally funded federal elections, with no private funding (not even self-funding) permitted.

Conversely, David Koch, as far back as 1980, was quoted as follows, in New York Magazine: “We’d like to abolish the Federal Elections Commission and all the limits on campaign spending anyway.”

With a combined worth of over $80 billion, from a business left them by their father, Fred, the brothers fund a number of hate-spreading organizations such as Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, Heartland Institute and others.

Likely, these are the main charitable organizations to which the letter writer alludes when she cites their philanthropic giving.

They do have in common with the Koch brothers a desire to end Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; cut educational expenditures; and greatly reduce the already relatively low tax rates on the super-wealthy. In fact, their actual stated preference would be to completely do away with the federal income tax and to replace it with a variety of taxes that would predominantly hit the lower and middle classes and leave the wealthy unscathed.

Last year, their support of the fringe organizations above, combined with donations to campaigns of far-right politicians, totaled $300 million. This year that number has already exceeded $400 million, and we haven’t yet hit the heavy pre-election advertising period.

So, basically, what we have in the Koch brothers is a family that wants to destroy the very investment programs (Social Security and Medicare) that virtually all of us have paid into and anticipate needing eventually. They want to eliminate aid to our most needy citizens and to cut education because, after all, many uneducated people would actually believe the drivel their hate organizations spread. And, of course, their primary motivation is to earn billions every year but not have to pay any taxes to help fuel the very society that has enabled them to profit so greatly from the business handed down to them by their father.

It is understandable that the brothers feel as they do. After all, their father, Fred, was one of 12 founding fathers of the right-wing hate group known as the John Birch Society. So their limited thinking, underhandedness, condescension, arrogance and inflated sense of superiority simply ran in the family and was clearly drilled into them in their formative years.

So, when the letter writer wonders why the Koch brothers are considered “un-American, immoral and dishonest,” it is likely because they act like — and truly believe — their money makes them better than everyone else and gives them an unsupported sense of superiority and license.

Because they would use my money against me, I, for one, will never again purchase a single product produced by any of the companies they own, nor consumer products they market (such as Marcal; Vanity Fair; Sparkle towels; Angel Soft toilet paper; Brawny towels; Dixie paper plates, bowls, cups and napkins, and anything else with the Georgia Pacific name on it.

Then there are a vast number of companies whose names would be unrecognizable to the public. However, one of their main sources of income is from the oil and gas industry. They are not only owners of major fracking companies but of gasoline pipelines as well — and are one of the major investors in the disputed Keystone XL pipeline.

Oh, and for the uninformed, since 1986, there has not been a single U.S. oil pipeline that has not had at least one substantial leak. The combined effect of those leaks amounts to more than 500 deaths, over 2,300 severe injuries and roughly $7 billion in property damage.

That is just one aspect of Koch Industries’ financial kingdom. So perhaps the letter writer can understand now why people vilify the Koch brothers — because they are destroying our climate, our lives and our country. And even if everything she says about Soros is true, it pales in comparison to the actions of these would-be kings, the Koch brothers.
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