The Koch Brothers Are Even Worse Than You Thought

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/story/150520/you_thought_the_koch_brothers_were_bad_turns_out_they_are_even_worse_than_you_thought?akid=6795.24869.OMN1uy&rd=1&t=2

AlterNet / By Adele M. Stan 6 COMMENTS

You Thought the Koch Brothers Were Bad? Turns Out They're Even Worse Than You Thought

Charles and David Koch's reach into virtually every aspect of political, economic and physical life on the planet is probably greater than you thought possible.

April 5, 2011 |

You knew they were big. You knew they were evil. From the union-busting actions of their minions in Wisconsin and Ohio to their war on health-care reform, to their assault on the environment and their attacks on the science of climatology, Charles and David Koch have earned their place as the focus of progressives' scrutiny in the age of the Tea Party -- the destructive and regressive movement they bankroll. But a new report from the Center for American Progress Action Fund shows that, as bad as you thought the Kochs were, they're actually worse. And their reach into virtually every aspect of political, economic and physical life on the planet is probably greater than you thought possible.

In The Koch Brothers: What You Need to Know About the Financiers of the Radical Right, author Tony Carrk, policy director of the CAP Action War Room, lays out a case that is breathtaking in its scope, showing how the Koch brothers are using their billions with the aim of reshaping the global economic system in such a way as to enrich themselves and their heirs at the expense of most other inhabitants of the planet.

While much of the report will have a familiar ring (especially to readers of AlterNet, and CAP Action's own ThinkProgress), The Koch Brothers also addresses elements of the Koch agenda far beyond the well-trodden turf of Americans for Prosperity's organizing against health-care reform or the pollution rap against Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held corporation in the United States, which the billionaire brothers command.

The Kochs and the Global Economy

Consider, for instance, the Kochs' role in the financial business. You thought Koch Industries was just a high-polluting oil-and-gas-based conglomerate? Add in the part played on Wall Street by Koch Supply & Trading, and the depth of the Koch imprint on the economy is revealed. From Carrk's report:

MORE

[Raine]

1. Cenk did a piece on them on Tuesday's show

they are really two nasty pieces of work! :grr:

[upi402]

2. Thanks for that

Did you intend for the word, 'MORE' to be a link?

[Hissyspit]

11. Link is at top. Nt

[pnorman]

3. K & R!

n/t

[FirstLight]

4. Is it Plutocracy? or what...

If we are up against this machine of money and power and evil, what can we do. well there's more of us than there are of them and more power in people than hired thugs. at least we hope so.

seriously, if someone has their hands in that many pies, aren;t there good chances something is illegal? where's our attorney general? do we as a poeple have a right to demand assets frozen and investigations? would it help? or is the corruption of ALL govt just a given now... and is our best bet living our lives with our heads down and hoping we can eeke out an existence...?

not good thoughts at all.

[drm604]

5. K&R

:kick:

[hifiguy]

6. Hard to believe

as I have always thought they made Lovecraftian monsters look cuddly in comparison.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[roman7]

8. russian trained

the koch bros. want to rule the world .

[bluestate10]

14. The Koch's father worked in the Soviet Union in the oil business.

What he saw Stalin do to his fellow engineers caused the senior Koch to go extreme anti communist. The Koch sons are trained as engineers, two follow their father's extreme right politics, a third is a nominal supporter of less extreme politicians, supporting mostly democrats. A fourth brother seem to avoid publicity and politics. The Kochs can be hurt. Any people that own businesses and take extreme views can be reached and damaged through damage to their business interests. The Koch have billions, but many of their companies are heavily in debt. Debt is a two faced beast. Debt can help or destroy. The way to strangle the Kochs is to shut off their funds, causing their debt to become damaging to them. The solution is to boycott every product that is associated with the two extreme right Kochs.

[Hestia]

20. Good thought, though their industries are a bit more insidious, it has certainly worked on Glen Beck

[inna]

15. "russian trained" - nonsense. check your facts

[sulphurdunn]

18. Actually,

Pop believed that capitalism and the entire Western world were just fronts for rich Jewish communists bankers and that they already controlled the world. I've never been sure where he thought he fit into all that.

[defendandprotect]

9. K/R -- Keep on telling' it -- !! :)

Think one of the primary points to get over to DU'ers is that the

Democratic Party has been harboring the Koch Bros/DLC for almost two decades!!



Rightwing Koch Bros. Funded the DLC --

http://www.democrats.com/node/7789

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x498414

[sulphurdunn]

10. Considering how rich

the Kochs are, it amazes how little it costs them to control so much and what their return on investment is relative to that investment in politicians, think tanks, media, PR flacks and astro-turf populists.

[bluestate10]

16. Koch companies carry billions in debt. Cut off cash flow to their businesses. nt

[proud patriot]

12. The men in the shadows have come out

from behind the curtain.

I hate them even more knowing they are the reason our Gas Prices are so friggin high
the bastards

[bluestate10]

17. Snakes that surface can be dealt with. Coming out of the shadows is

not always beneficial.

[sulphurdunn]

19. Yes.

Once the Devil has a face and a name he's going to have trouble too.

[highplainsdem]

13. K&R