Opinion of the Koch brothers

[Antonio the Sixth]

The definition of FFs.

[henster]

Soros donates a lot of money to charity too but that doesn't stop the right from vilifying him. Each side has their own boogie men but the right was the first to do it with Soros.

[Maxwell]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

[Oakvale]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

My "real opinion" is that I have no opinion on the Koch Brothers. At all. Hence I feel obliged to post in opposition to the prevailing view to provide important balance.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

My "real opinion" is that I have no opinion on the Koch Brothers. At all. Hence I feel obliged to post in opposition to the prevailing view to provide important balance.

Why in the world would you assume there needs to be balance? I mean, by this logic you should vote FF in a Hitler poll right?

[Oakvale]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

My "real opinion" is that I have no opinion on the Koch Brothers. At all. Hence I feel obliged to post in opposition to the prevailing view to provide important balance.

Why in the world would you assume there needs to be balance? I mean, by this logic you should vote FF in a Hitler poll right?

I have literally done that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

My "real opinion" is that I have no opinion on the Koch Brothers. At all. Hence I feel obliged to post in opposition to the prevailing view to provide important balance.

Why in the world would you assume there needs to be balance? I mean, by this logic you should vote FF in a Hitler poll right?

I have literally done that.

For the sake of balance?

[politicallefty]

Massive HP. I cannot understand how two people that already each have a net worth of about $36 billion each can so strongly push for policies that shift the tax burden from the rich to the poor and dismantle government programs that assist the middle and lower classes. I'm not saying there can't be billionaires, but when is it really enough money for people like them? They can already have anything they could ever want. Why do they really feel the need to lower their own tax burden and wipe out programs for those that need them?

I don't see how any comparison can be made to the right-wing bogeyman George Soros. Last time I checked, he isn't funding campaigns that are supporting the furtherance of his wealth over the vast majority of the population.

[Mechaman]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

My "real opinion" is that I have no opinion on the Koch Brothers. At all. Hence I feel obliged to post in opposition to the prevailing view to provide important balance.

Why in the world would you assume there needs to be balance? I mean, by this logic you should vote FF in a Hitler poll right?

I have literally done that.

Oakvale: Massive FF.

Of course, the Koch Brothers are pretty Horrible People, but I agree with the sentiments expressed here.  I'm more pissed off at the system that has allowed such individuals to pretty much buy our country (thanks corporate friendly campaign laws/rulings!). The problem here is much larger than two guys and really has been in our nation's psyche since the beginning.  Lest we forget that the Revolution was pushed for and advocated mostly by Mercantile/Landowning interests because they felt the British Crown was getting too invasive into their local politics and hurting their economic activities.  New Englanders did not enjoy being subject to large excise taxes on their commerce and Virginia plantation owners did not enjoy the power that the Colonial Government had over their slaves.  It is also important to remember that these settlers were the descendants of European colonists who had settled in the New World mostly out of a need to find new markets and flourish trade!
Is it so shocking that in America, where many of the first white colonists were motivated by financial and economic gain, there is a strong economic hierarchy devoted to preserving a strong business elite?  Sadly in such a system the only time that serious reform/changes seem to be made to make the society more equitable only comes when the system has gone bust and the consequences are quite extreme.

Does that make America inherently evil?  No, however there are many attitudes we need to change before we have. . . change.  The nations of Old Europe are becoming much more progressive than they were just a century ago, so there is some hope.  If Britain could elect a Clement Attlee, I feel good about America's chances.

[Mechaman]

Also, why not vote FF in a Hitler poll?

[dead0man]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Oakvale is starting to sound like a parody of himself. Nothing too wrong with that, just an observation.

Anyway, FFs.

My "real opinion" is that I have no opinion on the Koch Brothers. At all. Hence I feel obliged to post in opposition to the prevailing view to provide important balance.

In other words you do the same thing you accuse me of doing?

[DINGO Joe]

Koch scum

[ajackson]

No opinion whatsoever. What do I care if billionaires want to spend their money influencing politics? After all, it is their's to spend as they like within the confines of the law. People have the freedom to form their own opinion after seeing Koch ads...if the gripe is that people are uninformed Lemmings and the Koch brothers take advantage of this, then the complaint is with the American people and not the Koch brothers.

That would be a hypocritical argument from the left anyway, as Obama was elected in 2008 on a two word platform and 754 million dollars, including millions from the financial sector.

[Oak Hills]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

Who cares?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

HPs, although they're not as evil as liberals think they are.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

so did hitler

[dead0man]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

Who cares?

The people who have had their lives lengthened?  The Scientists getting paid?  Everybody that cares about both of those groups?  Lots of people.

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

so did hitler

He liked dogs too, what's your point?

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

so did hitler

He liked dogs too, what's your point?

i would have thought it was pretty obvious, but my point is that "helping to advance science" doesn't excuse people from being massive hps.

[Icehand Gino]

Perfect examples of corruption in the political system, even if I agree with a lot of their politics.

[Oak Hills]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

Who cares?

The people who have had their lives lengthened?  The Scientists getting paid?  Everybody that cares about both of those groups?  Lots of people.

A better question would be, what have they done to advance science? I haven't heard anything about that.

Anyway, no matter what they have done, I'm almost positive they're actions to undermine the federal government would set back science by a lot more than they could possibly advance it if they got their way. I can't even think of a single worthwhile scientific advance in the last century that wasn't primarily government-funded, though I'm sure there have been quite a few, since I'm not an expert on the topic. Still, I'm quite certain that the public sector does much more than the private sector to advance science in this country, based on what I do know.

Mega-HP's, for anyone who hasn't figured out my opinion already, but not all that influential on their own when it comes down to it. They're just two of the most prominent example of one of the biggest threats to democracy in this country.

[dead0man]

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

so did hitler

He liked dogs too, what's your point?

i would have thought it was pretty obvious, but my point is that "helping to advance science" doesn't excuse people from being massive hps.

Of course, but it's more than a little hyperbolic to paint them as cartoonishly evil as you and your buddies in this thread have.  They ain't Hitler.  They ain't even Mr Burns. 

I don't know if they are FF or HP, but I know they've done more to advance SCIENCE than every HP voter in this thread combined.

Who cares?

The people who have had their lives lengthened?  The Scientists getting paid?  Everybody that cares about both of those groups?  Lots of people.

A better question would be, what have they done to advance science? I haven't heard anything about that.

They've given hundreds of millions of dollars to science research.  Hundreds more to art.  This information isn't hidden.

[TNF]

Not that much more sinister than all the other capitalist financiers running the show in Washington, although I see that they've attracted special ire from liberals who want to make them the 'bad capitalists' to enhance the image of the 'good capitalists' they sincerely (and stupidly) think exist.

[IceSpear]

Not that much more sinister than all the other capitalist financiers running the show in Washington, although I see that they've attracted special ire from liberals who want to make them the 'bad capitalists' to enhance the image of the 'good capitalists' they sincerely (and stupidly) think exist.

Yeah, because the couple that owns the local bakery down the street are just as bad as Sheldon Adelson, the Kochs, and Bernie Madoff.

[TNF]

Not that much more sinister than all the other capitalist financiers running the show in Washington, although I see that they've attracted special ire from liberals who want to make them the 'bad capitalists' to enhance the image of the 'good capitalists' they sincerely (and stupidly) think exist.

Yeah, because the couple that owns the local bakery down the street are just as bad as Sheldon Adelson, the Kochs, and Bernie Madoff.

Yes, small business owners tend to be almost universally as awful if not more awful than large capitalist enterprise. Part of that is the fact that they must engage in hyper exploitation in order to compete with said larger enterprises. Part of that is also the fact that owners of business tend to be right-wingers, which should surprise literally no one and makes the liberal defense of mom and pop stores all the more baffling from a movement that purports to stand up for the 'little guy'