Lunatic Fringe
How nice would it be to be a Koch. You would have all of the money you could ever ask for. Laws do not apply to you. And the ones that do, you can have changed so they no longer will. The Koch brothers political influence stretches far across the globe. But, none more damaging than right here in the homeland. And while we are busy every November thinking that our voting and canvassing will make a difference, the Koch's are spending hundreds of millions to ensure our voices our silenced. And, although the ways they are funneling their money may be legal, it is not always in the light of day.
Moreover, the Koch's are using their money to fund organizations that can further their self and business interests. Because of the size and scope of Koch Industries, "the relationship between these for-profit and nonprofit entities is often mutually reinforcing to the direct financial and political interests of the behemoth corporation - broadly characterized as deregulation, limited government and free markets."
"An analysis by the Investigative Reporting Workshop found that from 2007 through 2011, Koch private foundations gave $41.2 million to 89 nonprofit organizations and an annual libertarian conference. Koch Industries and Charles and David Koch contributed $8.7 million to candidates and the Republican Party in the three election cycles between 2007 through 2012. In addition, Koch private foundations contributed $30.5 million to 221 U.S. colleges and universities and $46.3 million to the arts and other more traditionally charitable purposes during this period. And while Koch Industries' lobbyists were spending $53.9 million to further the giant corporation's federal and state policy agenda, the nonprofits it funded were simultaneously "educating" the public and lawmakers about energy, the environment and other issues in public testimony on Capitol Hill."
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