Billionaire David Koch had promised to donate millions of dollars in support of Scotus nominee Kavanaugh through Americans for Prosperity, a group tied to the Koch Brothers' network. Why should we be concerned? The Libertarian Party platform
of David and Charles Koch:
·
“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the
immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.’
·
‘We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.’
·
‘We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to
provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.’
·
‘We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance
industry.’
·
‘We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and
increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal,
participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.’
·
‘We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service.
The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental
surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end
to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of
postal service.’
·
‘We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including
capital gains taxes.’
·
‘We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.’
·
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions
against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.’
·
‘We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any
person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.’
·
‘We advocate the complete separation of education and State.
Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with
the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation,
and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.’
·
‘We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the
immediate repeal of such laws.’
·
‘We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of
private schools, whether profit or non-profit.’
·
‘We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection
Agency.’
·
‘We support abolition of the Department of Energy.’
·
‘We call for the dissolution of all government agencies
concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.’
·
‘We demand the return of America's railroad system to private
ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national
highway system.’
·
‘We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or
use so-called self-protection equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or
crash helmets.’
·
‘We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation
Administration.’
·
‘We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.’
·
‘We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into
our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of
tax-supported services for children.’
·
‘We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to
the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading,
paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such
persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.’
·
‘We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of
the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and
households.’
·
‘We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health
Act.’
·
‘We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety
Commission.’
·
‘We support the repeal of all state usury laws.’
“...The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major
piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that
has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the
most vulnerable in this country.
“It is clear that the Koch brothers and other right wing billionaires are calling the shots and are pulling the strings of the Republican Party. And because of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, they now have the power to spend an unlimited amount of money to buy the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the next President of the United States...
“Our great nation can no longer be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, for the sake of our economy, we have got to let democracy prevail” (What Do the Koch Brothers Really Want? by Bernie Sanders).
“It is clear that the Koch brothers and other right wing billionaires are calling the shots and are pulling the strings of the Republican Party. And because of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, they now have the power to spend an unlimited amount of money to buy the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the next President of the United States...
“Our great nation can no longer be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, for the sake of our economy, we have got to let democracy prevail” (What Do the Koch Brothers Really Want? by Bernie Sanders).
Commentary:
We already have witnessed a takeover of the Republican Party,
the weakening of our labor unions, right-to-work laws to keep workers
powerless, the shutting down of the federal government, the denial of climate
change from the executive and legislative branches of government, ALEC-backed
legislators who created bills to restrict minority voting, the scapegoating of
teachers, the attacks on retirees’ and public employees’ pensions, the
deprivation of university and college adjunct faculty, the systematic
dismantling of public ownership and services,
the privatized exorbitantly priced healthcare system, the rewriting
of the tax code to benefit the wealthiest Americans, the victimization of
immigrant children and their parents, and other forms of oligarchic
oppression.
Are we also going to allow the continuing deregulation of our
environmental protections; the continuing privatization of our public schools;
the eradication of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; the transformation
of the U.S. courts and the privatization of the justice system, and for a
radical right-wing U.S. Supreme Court’s reinterpretation of the U.S.
Constitution to successfully oppress the majority of Americans?
–Glen Brown
The Kochs are scary but where is the connection to Kavanaugh?
ReplyDelete“…Top on the list of major outside spenders is the Judicial Crisis Network, which pledged $7 million in 2016 for a pressure campaign to block Obama high court nominee Merrick Garland, plus $10 million the following year to help Neil M. Gorsuch get confirmed to the seat.
Delete“The network has already announced it would spend $2.4 million on Mr. Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Like many big outside spenders, the Judicial Crisis Network is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit, a designation in the tax code created to benefit civic groups such as volunteer fire departments that has become a major vehicle for hiding political money. An analysis from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics found that the network’s major donor has been the Wellspring Committee, which has links to a married couple that organizes conservative dark-money groups.
“The Judicial Crisis Network is far from the only conservative outside spender active in the Kavanaugh fight. Americans for Prosperity, a group tied to the Koch brothers’ network, has promised a seven-figure effort…” (Washington Post, July 15, 2018). (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/who-is-paying-for-the-next-supreme-court-justice/2018/07/15/8894e4d8-8538-11e8-8553-a3ce89036c78_story.html?utm_term=.777f3b280015).
“White House asks billionaire Koch network and others to join activist coalition to lobby for SCOTUS nominee. Americans for Prosperity has been asked by White House officials to join an extensive coalition of political advocacy groups that will promote their nominee to replace Kennedy, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said…” (CNBC, June 29, 2018). (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/29/koch-network-joins-coalition-of-scotus-nominee-supporters.html).