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The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.
Posted: Oct 7, 2012
From an article in the New Yorker:
"Their combined fortune of thirty-five billion dollars is exceeded only by those of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett."
"The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in
* drastically lower personal and corporate taxes,
* minimal social services for the needy, and
* much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation.
These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a “kingpin of climate science denial.”
AND, "the brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies—from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program—that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus."
(Note that the Kochtopus includes the Republican VP nominee, Paul Ryan. When Mr. Romeny chose him, Ryan brought the full backing of the Koch brothers and their political machine to Romney's campaign.)
"Bruce Bartlett, a conservative economist and a historian, who once worked at the National Center for Policy Analysis, a Dallas-based think tank that the Kochs fund, said, “The problem with the whole libertarian movement is that it’s been all chiefs and no Indians. There haven’t been any actual people, like voters, who give a crap about it. So the problem for the Kochs has been trying to create a movement.” With the emergence of the Tea Party, he said, “everyone suddenly sees that for the first time there are Indians out there—people who can provide real ideological power.” The Kochs, he said, are “trying to shape and control and channel the populist uprising into their own policies.” (Libertarian)
"Another former Koch adviser said, “They’re smart. This right-wing, redneck stuff works for them. They see this as a way to get things done without getting dirty themselves.”
"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.”
Of course they donate to promote their own interests.... - SK1
[ In Reply To ..]Don't we all? Yes, I realize that the Koch brothers are part of a huge political machine, but I get so tired of them constantly being villified. They do A LOT of good with their money and their philanthropy is legend.
Fred and Mary Koch Foundation - SK1
[ In Reply To ..]Fred and Mary Koch shared a vision for a prosperous Kansas through the fostering of arts, education, free enterprise, human services and environmental stewardship. Today, the foundation that bears their names is an inspiring reminder that the endeavors of individuals can improve the quality of life for countless others and empower new generations to make their own lasting contributions to society.
Underscoring the foundation's dedication to learning and education, recent gifts have helped fund a diversity program at Kansas State University, programs of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History that promote the study of American history, and Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas. The foundation recognizes that learning can also take place outside a classroom. In Wichita, Kan., foundation funding helped launch the YMCA's Job Prep program that provided teens with job training and job opportunities at local businesses and non-profit organizations.
Grants have also created the world-class Koch Wetlands Exhibit at Cheyenne Bottoms near Great Bend, Kansas. In April 2010, the education center celebrated its anniversary and is already expanding its programs and services. To view a slideshow of this internationally significant wetlands and some of its wildlife, click here.
Fred and Mary Koch Foundation grants are awarded primarily to charitable organizations as defined in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation focuses its giving in the following areas:
Arts/Arts Education: Artistic endeavors and educational ventures that stimulate interest in the performing and visual arts.
Environmental Stewardship: Science-based environmental education and market-based efforts to improve the environment.
Human Services: Programs and organizations that promote dignity and respect to propel others toward success.
Enablement of At-Risk Youth: Mentoring and education programs that advance a culture of individual freedom, responsibility and Principled Entrepreneurship™.
Education: Scholarships to qualified students with strong academic records and demonstrated leadership ability.
And yet they themselves say they want to cut grants. - nm
[ In Reply To ..]
Koch Cultural Trust - SK1
[ In Reply To ..]Twenty-three years ago, Elizabeth B. Koch, wife of Charles Koch, chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, Inc., created a way to help a young performer working summer stock in Wichita, Kan., launch a musical career in Europe. That young tenor was the first in a long line of artists to receive support through the Kansas Cultural Trust, the program founded by Liz Koch to channel help from the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation directly to deserving artists with roots in Kansas.
Renamed the Koch Cultural Trust in 2008, the program was inspired by Mary Robinson Koch, an avid patron of the arts. According to Liz Koch, "My mother-in-law was very interested in giving to what is, giving support to existing arts organizations. I was more interested in the creative process of launching people who hoped to become artists. Koch Cultural Trust combines her love of the arts with my love of young people."
The program has provided steady support for artists at varying stages of their careers. Under the guidance of trustee Liz Koch, who is also president of the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation, Koch Cultural Trust has awarded nearly $1.8 million in grants to outstanding programs and artists – singers, painters, sculptors, dancers and instrumentalists – with roots in Kansas.
For more information, visit www.kochculturaltrust.org.
Charles Koch Foundation - SK1
[ In Reply To ..]After joining his father’s company in 1961, Charles Koch developed two great passions. One was to help build a successful company. The other was to understand the principles that lead to prosperity and social progress.
As chairman and CEO, Charles Koch has guided Koch Industries, Inc. to become one of the largest private companies in the world. Today, Koch Industries has about 60,000 employees and a presence in nearly 60 countries.
Advancing Social Progress
and Well-Being
Through the Charles Koch Foundation, Charles Koch has worked to fulfill his second passion – to understand how free societies advance social progress and well-being. Mr. Koch has nearly 50 years of investment in ideas, think tanks and academic research that seeks to understand the nature of human freedom and how that freedom leads to prosperity.
For his efforts, Mr. Koch was honored with the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership in October 2011. The award honors living philanthropists who have exhibited leadership through charitable giving and recognizes the power of philanthropy to promote positive change. Mr. Koch’s acceptance speech focused on economic freedom and the application of Market-Based Management® to philanthropy. In conjunction with the award, Mr. Koch was profiled in Philanthropy magazine.
Supporting Research, Education and Entrepreneurship
The Charles Koch Foundation provides grants for the support of research and education programs at nearly 230 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. that analyze the impact of free societies, and in particular how they advance the well-being of mankind. Some of the universities receiving foundation support include Utah State, Florida State, Kansas State University, University of Arizona and Brown University.
The foundation also helps fund the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Founded in 1961 by Dr. F.A. “Baldy” Harper, a former economics professor at Cornell University, IHS assists undergraduate and graduate students worldwide who have an interest in individual liberty by offering scholarships, seminars and career assistance. IHS also administers the Koch Summer Fellows program, an intensive 10-week summer program that offers experiences for interns at think tanks and non-profit organizations.
Grants have also supported nonprofit organizations such as Youth Entrepreneurs and the Bill of Rights Institute, which educates young people about the words and ideas of America’s founders and our Founding documents.
In addition to direct grantmaking, the foundation started several professional education programs that are now administered by the Charles Koch Institute. Focused on students and rising professionals, the highly selective Koch Internship Program, the Koch Associate Program, and Liberty@Work™ connect people who are passionate about economic freedom with jobs and internships. Find out more about these opportunities here.
For more information about the Charles Koch Foundation, visit www.charleskochfoundation.org.
David H. Koch Charitable Foundation and Personal Philanthropy - SK1
[ In Reply To ..]A long-time philanthropist, David H. Koch has given generously to a variety of organizations and causes for nearly three decades. Since 2000, he and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation have pledged or contributed nearly $1 billion to further cancer research, enhance medical centers, support educational institutions, sustain arts and cultural institutions, and conduct public policy studies.
Mr. Koch earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined Koch Industries, Inc. in 1970 and today serves as an executive vice president and board member. As chairman and president of Koch Membrane Systems, Inc., his passion for water technology has led to clean water innovations that have been exhibited at the International Desalination Association World Congress. Koch Membrane Systems is part of Koch Chemical Technology Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc.
Medical & Cancer Research
As a prostate cancer survivor, David Koch’s gift of $100 million in 2007 created the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, which opened March 3, 2011. Other cancer-fighting gifts include:
$20 million to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore
$30 million to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
in New York City
$25 million to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
$15 million to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell
Medical Center
$25 million to The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City
In 2011, Mr. Koch received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the American Apparel and Footwear Association for his long-standing support of organizations working to find a cure for prostate cancer. The awards gala raised more than $1.1 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In 2007, Mr. Koch was honored with the Double Helix Medal for Corporate Leadership from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for supporting research that, “improves the health of people everywhere.”
Education & Science
Mr. Koch supports science-related projects including funding of the long-running PBS documentary series, “Nova,” and a science and technology center at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. As the national sponsor of The Bill of Rights Institute's 2009-2010 high school essay contest, Mr. Koch's philanthropy helps educate young people about the words and ideas of the nation's founders. Winners of the “Being An American" contest were honored at a gala held in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Koch has pledged $35 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. to construct a new dinosaur hall, which will be named after him. Mr. Koch’s $15 million gift to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., created the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins that opened spring 2010. The 15,000-square-foot exhibit offers visitors an immersive and interactive museum experience. In 2006, he made a $20 million gift to the American Museum of Natural History, creating the David H. Koch Dinosaur Wing.
Public Policy
A passionate believer in free societies, Mr. Koch has funded research and education programs that analyze how freedom creates prosperity and advances social progress. He serves on the boards of the Cato Institute, the Reason Foundation and Americans for Prosperity Foundation.
Arts & Culture
Gifts to the arts from the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation have benefited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Ballet Theater. In 2008, the foundation gave $100 million for the preservation and renovation of the State Theater of New York at Lincoln Center, home to the New York City Ballet and New York City Opera. The theater has been renamed the David H. Koch Theater.
SK1, even though you think you're on the same side, you should learn what - what their agenda would mean for you and yours.SM
[ In Reply To ..]Certainly people who feel we need big change would get it, but they should know what IT is. You know, "be careful what you wish for?"
I'm not on anybody's side... - SK1
[ In Reply To ..]I just think it's important to remember that while they support things that serve their own purpose, they also do a lot of good.
Can't be any worse than George Soros trying to destroy Bush - backwards typist
[ In Reply To ..]back in 2004 and destroyed the economies in other countries. You know what? I wouldn't put it past Soros to have had a hand in destroying OUR economy since he wanted to destroy Bush and what a good way to get people to hate him. Don't you think?
A least the Koch Brothers are out in the open, not hiding behind a bunch of non-profits (that really aren't and should be investigated) like Media Matters, and not trying to destroy the current President, just don't want him to be re-elected.
I have seen the below quote on this board by dems and libs...do you know where this quote came from?
George Soros. He believes Republican Party has been “captured by a group of extremists” who “don’t believe in the system of democracy as we know it.”
“I think that the Republican Party has been captured by a group of extremists who believe that they are in possession of the ultimate truth, and who don’t believe in the system of democracy as we know it.” This was a quote from Feb. 2004.
He also views America as "the gravest threat to world freedom." He felt that Osama Bin Laden was an evil genius.
If you would like to finance a billionaire who really hates America, buy his book and read it. The 9/11 conspiracy theory started with him, too. He financed so many projects to attack and destroy G.W.Bush and many, many people put their blinders on and believed every word this man put out there.
So,
Backwards, incredibly worse. Since the 1970s they chose our reps, then had - them pass ALEC's legislation. Where
[ In Reply To ..]are we, the citizens of the United States in all this? Bypassed. Oh, they're not omnipotent. Not all the candidates they have funded were elected, but they've become more and more powerful over the decades. Now they have their people in legislatures in all 50 states, and almost all legislators they fund for reelection are reelected. If you read those articles you'll see they boast about how much legislation they write and get passed every year. This goes on in all 50 states and in our national House of Representatives and Senate.
This is a REAL conspiracy of wealthy men subverting our democracy, not a silly omnipotent-Jews-who-can't-be-killed-ruling-the-planet one.
TJ - Conspiracy
[ In Reply To ..]Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the only conspiracy going on now is from obama, his wife, reid and pelosi types. They are millionaires/billionaires in their own right and not by very legal ways either. Why do you people hate the people who have made their wealth and are successful. There is so much envy out there against people who have done well. The problem is you are listening to and reading articles from places that are not balanced. You are reading garbage and listening to even more than garbage. Being successful and being rich is not evil and it is not bad and it is not a conspiracy. It is the LOVE of that which equates to the wrong thing. If you think the conservative team is terrible, and you vote for obama and his sham you deserve what you get. Because you will wake up one day with no job, no car, no home, no food, and then what will you do? Who will even care about you? We are the voters. We can change this trend. Obama has been in 4 years, and look at where we are. Gas was 1.86 before he took office, now it is 4.00/gallon; unemployment in my state is over 12%. It was about 3% when he took office. Then this tragedy of his HealthTAX. He is raising taxes in January. You will be tax-poor. If you vote for what we have now, you will be a loser completely. You will have nothing. Everyone else will have left this country including businesses, self-made businesses, and people like myself who will not put up with it. So you decide. If you want to whine and cry about how sad it is and how bad you have it, who cares about it! You have to buck up and vote in someone who will turn this economy around mean jobs, meaning lower tax rates, meaning our own choices on health care, lower fuel costs. If you vote for obama believe me he is a COMMUNIST and he says one thing but he very definitely means another. He will say one thing and say it and say it and it is a lie. If he says lies enough over and over again some people really believe in it. That is what communism is and what communists do. It is not ALL wealthy people, and not ALL leaders -- it is what you are looking at right now Obama...it is Obama, Biden and their ilk. Take responsibility - vote for jobs, vote for less taxes, vote for your own health care, vote as if you life depended on it and it DOES. Who is John Galt?
Envy of success - TJ
[ In Reply To ..]You talk about millionaires/billionaires like you are jealous. Not only that, obama and his wife are now worth millions. The only difference is they made theirs off of politics and books they did not write. And "progressive" thinking to me is what is truly taking people back to the middle ages where only the leaders are in control. They tell you what to do, what to eat, on and on. I guess if you like someone telling you what to do like that, and hate people who are successful in their own right, you deserve the obama sham. He is a communist. He has great plans for you commrad. Personally for me, I never voted for him and never would. If you get your wish, then one day you will wake up with no job, no home, no car, no money, and the only one you can blame then is YOU. Everyone else will be out of this country. Who is John Gault? Not you comrad
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