Excerpt:
Many people who follow politics may have heard of organizations such as the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity and Patients United. But very few have heard the names David and Charles Koch.
That is because these billionaires like to stay under the radar in name, but their funding of political action organizations is a giant blip on the political radar screen if one watches and pays attention.
Billionaires David and Charles Koch have been financial leaders in opposing anything that resembles a progressive agenda for years. They have been looming in the background of every major domestic policy dispute this year, and may be the most effective opponents of President Obama’s policies. For example, as health care reform protesters descended upon Washington last month, few were aware, as they were greeted with dough nuts and coffee, and handed protest signs and talking points about socialized medicine, that a right-wing billionaire had paid for the meals, buses, or salaries of the helpful guides.
Much of the fierce opposition to health reform can be credited to Koch organizations. As the health care debate began, AFP created a front group, known as Patients United, that dedicated itself to attacking Democratic health care reform proposals. The Koch brothers clearly have a financial stake in blocking reform. Koch Industry oil refineries are major carbon dioxide polluters, and George-Pacific, a Koch Industries timber subsidiary, is one of the largest contributors to the loss of carbon-sink capacity.
According to the EPA, Koch Industries is responsible for over 300 oil spills in the U.S. and has leaked three million gallons of crude oil into fisheries and drinking waters. So there are clear economic interests in why the Koch brothers would want to block regulatory enforcement, clean energy, labor, and other reforms. But part of their opposition stems from a long family tradition of funding conservative movements to shift the country to the far right.
Hate has manifested itself once again in tea bag rallies and town hall meetings across the nation. While the corporatists reap the benefits, the people do their bidding. Rage can be productive if directed at the proper targets. But misdirected rage is counter-productive, and a certain segment of this nation has been led in the wrong direction by a few billionaires.
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