If you haven’t heard of the Koch Brothers by now, you mustn’t be breathing.
It’s not their wealth that is bad, it’s the way they are using it.
Let Robert Reich Explain America’s Koch Problem:
The Koch brothers are using their tremendous wealth in an anti-democratic bid to impose their views on the rest of us.
Question
Are the Koch brothers using their wealth to impose their views on us like George Soros is using his wealth to destroy our nation and it’s freedoms that the founder’s put in place?
Interesting how I never see any warnings about George Soros on here.
"The Man Who Broke the Bank of England"
George Soros (Soros György) born August 12, 1930, as Schwartz György is a Hungarian-born American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. He is known as “The Man Who Broke the Bank of England” because of his short sale of US$10 billion worth of pounds, giving him a profit of $1 billion during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis.
Soros is a well-known supporter of progressive-liberal political causes. He played a significant role in the peaceful transition from communism to capitalism in Hungary (1984–89) and provided one of Europe’s largest higher education endowments to Central European University in Budapest. Soros is also the chairman of the Open Society Foundations.
Soros developed the theory of reflexivity based on the ideas of Karl Popper. Reflexivity posited that the valuation of any market produces a procyclical “virtuous or vicious” circle that further affects the market.
Soros’ book, The New Paradigm for Financial Markets (May 2008), described a “superbubble” that had built up over the past 25 years and was ready to collapse. This was the third in a series of books he has written that have predicted disaster. As he states:
“I have a record of crying wolf … I did it first in The Alchemy of Finance (in 1987), then in The Crisis of Global Capitalism (in 1998) and now in this book. So it’s three books predicting disaster. (After) the boy cried wolf three times … the wolf really came.”
He ascribes his own success to being able to recognize when his predictions are wrong.
“I’m only rich because I know when I’m wrong … I basically have survived by recognizing my mistakes. I very often used to get backaches due to the fact that I was wrong. Whenever you are wrong you have to fight or [take] flight. When [I] make the decision, the backache goes away.”
In February 2009, Soros said the world financial system had effectively disintegrated, adding that there was no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis. “We witnessed the collapse of the financial system … It was placed on life support, and it’s still on life support. There’s no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom.”
Read full text: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros
Koch vs Soros
Mike, this may be a situation where the facts don’t agree with your argument, so it may be impossible for you to comprehend. Carefully look at the policies that these two sets of “fabulously” rich folks support – the rich vs. poor? advantaged vs. disadvantaged? exploitation of the environment vs. protection?, short term profit vs. sustainable growth, solar power vs. coal fired plants, etc.
If you objectively look at the facts, I believe it’s clear to see that although both sets have their own interests in mind, there is a big difference between the values and impact to the earth and people living on it.
How are the Koch brothers using their wealth to help our nation spread “its freedoms that the founder’s put in place”? Can we look at Iraq as an example? Syria? Libya? Sudan? Yemen? The list is long, isn’t it?
Of course republicans don’t like Soros. He’s spent billions on giving the poor education and civil rights all over the world. Trying to compare Soros to the Kochs is laughable. Look up his Open Society Foundation then look up Koch Industries and note the difference in their agendas.
Soros was a Holocaust survivor who grew up in Hungary and understood what war really means and why securing peace is an essential pillar of a country and he spends his money all over the world against discrimination of the poor.
Soros campaigns around the world for the promotion of democracy. His foundation is active in many countries, and has so far spent billions of dollars to help spread democracy around the world, especially in poor countries.
The Kochs live here and spend their money in every corner of the country to do just the opposite. They blame the poor and pay for politicians who support their agenda of profit by discriminating against the poor and giving more to the rich.
The Kochs have about 4 times the money that Soros has. I find it interesting that their Daddy earned his billions building petroleum refineries for our cold-war archenemy.
BTW, the original title for this post was a play on an obscenity that sounds something like “Doc Tucker”. I feel it’s a more appropriate fit for these guys.
No.
They are not. The Koch brothers are imposing their views on us by purchasing government representation, media, political groups, and the opinions of the people you listen to. The Koch brothers hide their actions from the public by creating and funding nifty-sounding private organizations that funnel money for their program to corporatize America.
You may not like Soros or his money, but he doesn’t hide behind a veil of secrecy. He announces his political philanthropy and his political opinions publicly.
If you want to boycott Koch Consumer Products:
Koch Products & Companies Include:
– Angel Soft
– Angel Soft Ultra
– Brawny paper towels
– Dixie cups (& napkins & plates)
– Insulair cups
– Perfect Touch cups, paper products
– Quilted Northern
– Sparkle paper towels
– Stainmaster
– Vanity Fair napkins & paper towels
– Mardis Gras napkins
– Zee Napkins- Georgia Pacific products
Home/Office papers:
– Advantage
– Image Plus
– Spectrum
Other:
– American Greetings (Kochs own minority share)
– Guardian Glass (Kochs own 44%)
– Stainmaster
– Lycra
– Teflon
Building supplies:
– Georgia Pacific
– Holiday Companies
– Gander Mountain
– American Greetings
Publix house brands
Greenwise brand bath tissue, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue are from Koch-owned Georgia Pacific.
Much of the Koch’s income comes from industrial operations:
Koch Pipeline Company LP:; owns and operates 4,000 miles of pipeline used to transport oil, natural gas liquids and chemicals
Flint Hill Resources LP, that operates oil refineries in six states.
Koch Fertilizer, LLC, owns or has interests in fertilizer plants the United States, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and Italy.
Matador Ranch in Texas
Oil Speculation: Ranked among top 10 global commodities traders.
Oil Sands: Koch’s’ Flint Hills Resources Canada LP already imports & refines 25% of Canada’s oil sands and operates a crude oil terminal in Canada.
Kochs stand to profit from increased tar sands flow.
No Secrets Here.
Soros is a member of the Builderberg Group. I think I know how Tom feels about that organization.
Yeah, there’s a real transparent organization. Everyone knows what goes on behind their closed door meetings.
Bohemian Grove
I don’t know what you mean. The Bilderbergers are a benign group of royals who gather periodically at posh locations to play croquet and complain about their servants. The nouveau riche Kochs are considered too déclassé to be included. They have to content themselves with Bohemian Grove.
More About Bohemian Grove
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/post/bohemian-grove-where-the-rich-and-powerful-go-to-misbehave/2011/06/15/AGPV1sVH_blog.html
I was wondering why men played the women’s roles in the little skits but then I realized, silly silly me, they are Republicans and conservatives, there are no women invited to this little party!
Oh no.
You haven’t gone all “new world order” on us, have you Mike?
An interesting report on these Kochs
http://cdn.americanprogressaction.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/04/pdf/koch_brothers.pdf
Once again, Mike, you might not like what Soros does or agree with his politics and associations. I would prefer to see the influence of wealth out of politics altogether. But the Koch brothers are targeting us, you, the rights and privileges our economic classes have worked for and enjoy. Your money should be their money, is their philosophy, and it should stay that way. They use politics to divide us, and purchase government to conquer us. Only a fool would think they’re an antidote to any secret society of shadowy overlords.
And more, from “ MoveOn”
Something more up-to-date from “ MoveOn”
Last month, the Koch brothers held a top-secret, invitation-only “billionaires’ summit” at the swanky St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in California to lay the groundwork for their scheme to buy the Senate this fall, and the White House in 2016.
Source: “Exclusive: Inside the Koch Brothers’ Secret Billionaire Summit,” The Nation, June 17, 2014 http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=299744&id=97992-8472398-A2dMYgx&t=4