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Charles Koch--not David,the one flamed in the phone call to Wisconsin's Governor Walker, but the other brother--has submitted an opinion piece to the Wall Street Journal--which it published today--explaining why he, his brother, and Koch industries are so misunderstood and why their actions over the years have been done in an attempt to save America from ineffective polticians, and (of all things) cronyism in business and government...
do you believe it...
The Wall St Journal should have charged him the same rates that advertisers pay for full page ads because that is what this self-serving piece is...
One part I thought should actually turn a printed page to flame because of the high level of outright lying was this
Government spending on business only aggravates the problem. Too many businesses have successfully lobbied for special favors and treatment by seeking mandates for their products, subsidies (in the form of cash payments from the government), and regulations or tariffs to keep more efficient competitors at bay.
Crony capitalism is much easier than competing in an open market. But it erodes our overall standard of living and stifles entrepreneurs by rewarding the politically favored rather than those who provide what consumers want.
The purpose of business is to efficiently convert resources into products and services that make people's lives better. Businesses that fail to do so should be allowed to go bankrupt rather than be bailed out.
The majority of Koch's business interests come from oil and gas companies--if they aren't feeding at the trough of government subsidies I don't know what are...Koch says that they are doing that because every other company in a given industry is accepting market-distorting programs, Koch companies have had little option but to do so as well, simply to remain competitive and help sustain our 50,000 U.S.-based jobs. However, even when such policies benefit us, we only support the policies that enhance true economic freedom.
Sounds like Flip Wilson's joke as Geraldine--"The devil made me do it!"
And what better example of crony capitalism than getting your friends whom you paid to have elected with massive campaign contributions do favors for you on a local/state/national level--
something Scott Walker is doing his best to accomplish in Wisconsin right now--after 43K in campaign funds to him and another 1Million to the Republican Governors' Committee from the Koch brothers or their action committees...that were spent in Wisconsin--and those funds are likely not all that went into Walker's campaign
Or this: However, even when such policies benefit us, we only support the policies that enhance true economic freedom
and ignore OSHA and other state/federal rules governing safe working conditions so they can save money and "enhance true economic freedom".
Our elected officials would do well to remember that the most prosperous countries are those that allow consumers—not governments—to direct the use of resources. Allowing the government to pick winners and losers hurts almost everyone, especially our poorest citizens.
I have no clue as to the countries he is referring to --China?, Russia?--yeah they are success stories for the "consumer".
and the final part of the piece--he really threatens what might happen if things don't go Koch's way in the future because
he is tacitly promising NOT to grow his businesses unless government changes to suit his interests/outlook---
I am confident that businesses like ours will hire more people and invest in more equipment when our country's financial future looks more promising.
When our country's financial future looks more promising---so no new jobs UNLESS we get our way--
Isn't that special
Someone with the stats to hand should just take apart Koch's chimera with actual/factual documentation and prove how he is really demented in trying to make himself and his business interests the ones sinned against...
don't belong to a union but I would if I needed to
and of course you would say I am a troll since I don't approve of Kochs' philosophies that allow them to talk about of both sides of their mouths at the same time
and I won't even report that cannard as a personal attack to the Mods...
Charles Koch--not David,the one flamed in the phone call to Wisconsin's Governor Walker, but the other brother--has submitted an opinion piece to the Wall Street Journal--which it published today--explaining why he, his brother, and Koch industries are so misunderstood and why their actions over the years have been done in an attempt to save America from ineffective polticians, and (of all things) cronyism in business and government...
do you believe it...
The Wall St Journal should have charged him the same rates that advertisers pay for full page ads because that is what this self-serving piece is...
One part I thought should actually turn a printed page to flame because of the high level of outright lying was this
Government spending on business only aggravates the problem. Too many businesses have successfully lobbied for special favors and treatment by seeking mandates for their products, subsidies (in the form of cash payments from the government), and regulations or tariffs to keep more efficient competitors at bay.
Crony capitalism is much easier than competing in an open market. But it erodes our overall standard of living and stifles entrepreneurs by rewarding the politically favored rather than those who provide what consumers want.
The purpose of business is to efficiently convert resources into products and services that make people's lives better. Businesses that fail to do so should be allowed to go bankrupt rather than be bailed out.
The majority of Koch's business interests come from oil and gas companies--if they aren't feeding at the trough of government subsidies I don't know what are...Koch says that they are doing that because every other company in a given industry is accepting market-distorting programs, Koch companies have had little option but to do so as well, simply to remain competitive and help sustain our 50,000 U.S.-based jobs. However, even when such policies benefit us, we only support the policies that enhance true economic freedom.
Sounds like Flip Wilson's joke as Geraldine--"The devil made me do it!"
And what better example of crony capitalism than getting your friends whom you paid to have elected with massive campaign contributions do favors for you on a local/state/national level--
something Scott Walker is doing his best to accomplish in Wisconsin right now--after 43K in campaign funds to him and another 1Million to the Republican Governors' Committee from the Koch brothers or their action committees...that were spent in Wisconsin--and those funds are likely not all that went into Walker's campaign
Or this: However, even when such policies benefit us, we only support the policies that enhance true economic freedom
and ignore OSHA and other state/federal rules governing safe working conditions so they can save money and "enhance true economic freedom".
Our elected officials would do well to remember that the most prosperous countries are those that allow consumers—not governments—to direct the use of resources. Allowing the government to pick winners and losers hurts almost everyone, especially our poorest citizens.
I have no clue as to the countries he is referring to --China?, Russia?--yeah they are success stories for the "consumer".
and the final part of the piece--he really threatens what might happen if things don't go Koch's way in the future because
he is tacitly promising NOT to grow his businesses unless government changes to suit his interests/outlook---
I am confident that businesses like ours will hire more people and invest in more equipment when our country's financial future looks more promising.
When our country's financial future looks more promising---so no new jobs UNLESS we get our way--
Isn't that special
Someone with the stats to hand should just take apart Koch's chimera with actual/factual documentation and prove how he is really demented in trying to make himself and his business interests the ones sinned against...
It's a nice PR piece nothing more and nothing less. While the Koch brothers talk a good game they are one of the biggest pollutors in America. They were assessed a $350 million dollar fine by the EPA which John ******** was nice enough to let them get off with a $20 million dollar slap on the wrist.
As indicated in the "Punk" phone call with a blogger to Governor Scott Walker it was obvious that the goal was not just to get concessions from the teachers union, which the teachers' union has agreed to but to break the back of the union.
What the Koch brothers want is corporate power totally controlling the levers of government and the ability to destroy those forces which are oppose to unilateral corporate power.
Charles Koch--not David,the one flamed in the phone call to Wisconsin's Governor Walker, but the other brother--has submitted an opinion piece to the Wall Street Journal--which it published today--explaining why he, his brother, and Koch industries are so misunderstood and why their actions over the years have been done in an attempt to save America from ineffective polticians, and (of all things) cronyism in business and government...
do you believe it...
The Wall St Journal should have charged him the same rates that advertisers pay for full page ads because that is what this self-serving piece is...
One part I thought should actually turn a printed page to flame because of the high level of outright lying was this
Government spending on business only aggravates the problem. Too many businesses have successfully lobbied for special favors and treatment by seeking mandates for their products, subsidies (in the form of cash payments from the government), and regulations or tariffs to keep more efficient competitors at bay.
Crony capitalism is much easier than competing in an open market. But it erodes our overall standard of living and stifles entrepreneurs by rewarding the politically favored rather than those who provide what consumers want.
The purpose of business is to efficiently convert resources into products and services that make people's lives better. Businesses that fail to do so should be allowed to go bankrupt rather than be bailed out.
The majority of Koch's business interests come from oil and gas companies--if they aren't feeding at the trough of government subsidies I don't know what are...Koch says that they are doing that because every other company in a given industry is accepting market-distorting programs, Koch companies have had little option but to do so as well, simply to remain competitive and help sustain our 50,000 U.S.-based jobs. However, even when such policies benefit us, we only support the policies that enhance true economic freedom.
Sounds like Flip Wilson's joke as Geraldine--"The devil made me do it!"
And what better example of crony capitalism than getting your friends whom you paid to have elected with massive campaign contributions do favors for you on a local/state/national level--
something Scott Walker is doing his best to accomplish in Wisconsin right now--after 43K in campaign funds to him and another 1Million to the Republican Governors' Committee from the Koch brothers or their action committees...that were spent in Wisconsin--and those funds are likely not all that went into Walker's campaign
Or this: However, even when such policies benefit us, we only support the policies that enhance true economic freedom
and ignore OSHA and other state/federal rules governing safe working conditions so they can save money and "enhance true economic freedom".
Our elected officials would do well to remember that the most prosperous countries are those that allow consumers—not governments—to direct the use of resources. Allowing the government to pick winners and losers hurts almost everyone, especially our poorest citizens.
I have no clue as to the countries he is referring to --China?, Russia?--yeah they are success stories for the "consumer".
and the final part of the piece--he really threatens what might happen if things don't go Koch's way in the future because
he is tacitly promising NOT to grow his businesses unless government changes to suit his interests/outlook---
I am confident that businesses like ours will hire more people and invest in more equipment when our country's financial future looks more promising.
When our country's financial future looks more promising---so no new jobs UNLESS we get our way--
Isn't that special
Someone with the stats to hand should just take apart Koch's chimera with actual/factual documentation and prove how he is really demented in trying to make himself and his business interests the ones sinned against...
I certainly wish I had skipped to your last quoted line at the end of the post so I wouldn't have wasted my time reading the whole thing. Your point that Koch threatened not to make new jobs unless he got what he wanted failed completely in your interpretation of what he said. I just did not see a threat in his words. Why did I fail? I think it was because I didn't have my socialist glasses on when I read it.
Once you people manage to destroy all the big businesses and let the government assume control I wonder if you will be at all happy.
don't belong to a union but I would if I needed to
and of course you would say I am a troll since I don't approve of Kochs' philosophies that allow them to talk about of both sides of their mouths at the same time
and I won't even report that cannard as a personal attack to the Mods...
I really don't understand this post but if it is written to tell me that you won't report me before I got my reply to you posted let me say that you must be clairvoyant, or you just knew that one of us would disagree with you.
If Koch employs the 50,000 that he mentioned in that article I wonder how many of them would like to agree with you when you manage to get Koch destroyed and thrown aside. I bet most of them don't think that any public employees union can feed and cloth their families while they are out looking for work.
I wonder when that union you will be joining, when necessary, will be created.
In Canada not only are almost all the types of companies Koch owns union shops, but they are also owned by the government to boot. IN this country we would laugh at the type of threats a man like this makes about job creation in this sector. "Fine, take off, go someplace else like Mexico to produce your power". We don't need you, we are perfectly capable of producing our own power at a lower price with better service, that is accountable to the people and to the environmental laws of the country". And for the profits we make we will build more infrastructure more capabilities to produce more power to sell to those power hungry Americans. When this province decided to sell some of the old nuclear stations to the private sector they were lined up at the door to get a piece of the action even though they are union shops and their rates are regulated.
I'm not against private business in the least but what is in the public interest trumps private interests every time. The difficulty in the world today is balancing these interests so that it's a win win situation for all parties. This ideal situation requires cooperation by all the players. It's very unfortunate when this situation gets out of balance because it becomes a lose lose situation and I can see nothing but that for the USA in the near future.
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