With $42 billion and seven homes, why are the Kochs buying our democracy?

9.Tom McMahonMillis Ma.May 6th, 20111:10 amThe truth be told the people were sold a lie that started long ago, the concept that tax cuts return long term economic growth. Since 1982 and the Reagan Tax cuts deficits have been the net result, Ronald Reagan ran up the biggest deficits in % terms than any President since WWII. Short term economic growth was realized but much of it was national defense related with wages becoming stagnent. Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid would never had become a financial issue had Reagan & Regan not incorporated those taxes into the general tax revenue. Yes small increases would have been realized by small incremental increases in the earned income ceiling. But the largest deficits in % terms were realized even with Ronald Reagan and Donald Regan incorporating Social Security medicare/medicaid revenue into the general tax revenue the largest deficits ensued and defense spend rose unabared. Then George W Bush comes along and triples the national debt bringing on the greatest recession since the great depression. Had 9/11 not happened and armed forces recruitment drives had not been so successfull the unemployment levels would be even worse. But the proof is incontroverbial now, tax cuts fail at long term growth and they create a trickle up economy and not a trickle down economy as the job creation always promised by these tax cuts never appears. The Bush era tax cuts need to be repeeled, social security taxes raised to the first one hundred and fifty thousand, and reimposing SS/medicare taxes on all income in excess of ten million per year. Social Security/ medicare medicaid finances solved forever. Couple that with single payer medicare for all and hundreds of billion more could be saved. Reduce mortgage deduction to 2500 dollars per month period. Hundreds of billions more are saved. The truth is the very rich have sold a very convincing lie and as Bill Maher says never underestimate the stupidity of the average American. Unfortunatly it is true. People have been convinced by very slick republican advertisments and lies to vote against their own economic interests disguised as religious moral and ethical issues that those rich theives could care less about. People not knowing when they are played for fools, as the blind cannot see, the deaf cannot listen and the dumb cannot be muted.

Don't know. Perhaps we could ask George Soros and see what his answer is.

The Current crowd is amusing. All it takes is a little Koch bait and you all go off with the "same 'ole" rhetoric.

Not exactly the typical income of a Tea Bagger.

We have to Boycott these fucks, hit them in the pockets, get a list of their products and never purchase them again.

I have one word for them.

Fascists!

I assume theyre running wild and creating havoc before they die. Too bad they haven't used any of their fortune to help the humans that need help here in the States. Greed is no longer good.

$42 Billion and 7 Homes, i thought they would be worth more than that.
But then again it ain't cheap to rent all those Elected Officials & Grassroot Rabble Rousers. - You know what they say. " It Takes Money To Make Money "

This made me sick! Was Scott Walker promised one of these homes? Probably. That's why he does their bidding.

Also; how come there is never a large flameing meteorite when you need one?

If money is the root of all evil and absolute power corrupts absolutely, we may have found a shineing example of such with the Koch brothers.

"With $42 billion and seven homes, why are the Kochs buying our democracy?"

Because they can! Let's face it, common sense isn't our strong suit.

42 billion dollars! How long would it me to spend that much money? I don't think I will live that long to spend all that money.
Moral of the story, make a million make a few billion more and screw everyone else. I want it all!!!

"Probably the greatest harm done by vast wealth is the harm that we of moderate means do ourselves when we let the vices of envy and hatred enter deep into our own natures."
-Theodore Roosevelt-

"Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think."
-Ayn Rand-

"Only the man who does not need it, is fit to inherit wealth, the man who would make his fortune no matter where he started."
-Ayn Rand-

Then there are these --------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame."
-Arthur Schopenhauer-

"Great eagerness in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, or honor, cannot exist without sin."
-Desiderius Erasmus-

"I like to walk about among the beautiful things that adorn the world; but private wealth I should decline, or any sort of personal possessions, because they would take away my liberty."
George Santayana

Other Quotes also apply -----------------------------------------------------------------

"Capitalist production, therefore, develops technology, and the combining together of various processes into a social whole, only by sapping the original sources of all wealth - the soil and the labourer."
-Karl Marx-

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
-Confucius-

We must grow tough, but without ever losing our tenderness.
-Che Guevara-

I look forward to a great future for America - a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose.
-John F. Kennedy-

because people like that can never have enough,,, they always want MORE MORE MORE

Well it's time to go old-school now..

"We have harvested the bran for today my Lord." ~ medieval peasant

The Koch Brothers are rutheless greedy people, in cahoots with the ultra right wing rich conservative moguls of the Mackinac society who are secretly waging war against the trade unions. Appropriately these underhanded individuals made their money selling crapper papaer. These individuals need to be stopped in their tracks as they have absolutely no regard for middle income working class people. They are a menace to the entire Mid West , absolutely despicable individuals.

They do it because their Cocks. Since when was "Koch" pronounced "Coke" anyways?

Seriously though... i can see their side of the argument... they earned their money, it should be up to them as to whether or not they want to share it.

However, if that is their argument, then it would hold more validity if they did not turn right around and argue for corporate welfare... like that is better than welfare to keep food in some child's stomach. It would equally hold more validity if they would pay the taxes that they owe, or just their fair share.

It is reprehensible to me that the wealthy elite don't even end up paying, in many cases, even as much as the typical american taxpayer... forget the issue of percentage rates, etc. This is because they put a cow on their vacation property, call it a farm, get a farm subsidy or some other subsidy, and end up getting money--your and my tax dollars by the way--and pay nothing themselves.

And now the republi-cons want to give slimeballs like this two trillion more in tax breaks.

Problem is, we do this to ourselves. We beat up on Obama because he did what little he could to reform healthcare, vote the teabaggers in, in overwhelming numbers, install re-thug governors across the states... and look what is happening... what the fuck did people expect was going to happen?

i say we get what we fucking deserve. Let granny live under a fucking bridge... maybe the bitch will consider who she votes for next time...

To anybody who lives in Maine or near by....The 'Maine Heritage Policy Center", the think-tank funded by the Koch Brothers is meeting Wednesday, May 18 at the Sea Dog Brewery at 26 Front Street, in Bangor and then again on Friday, May 20 at DiMillo,s On the Water at 25 Long Wharf in Portland.
Please come and help save Social Security and Medicare with us and protest these scum bags.

No matter how much they have it will never be enough! A common disease in America today.

why doesnt groups of Americans get together and destroy every single koch bros. home, and then start to attack their businesses, I dont understand. Yes this is a call for all of us plebes to property violence, not physical violence. There is truth to Fight Club.

why doesnt groups of Americans get together and destroy every single koch bros. home, and then start to attack their businesses, I dont understand. Yes this is a call for all of us plebes to property violence, not physical violence. There is truth to Fight Club.

Things don't go better with Koch!

No human being in the history of humanity...deserves a billion dollars. Period.

I don't care what you do...or what you sell. Nobody deserves billions. That kind of wealth can do nothing but cause severe distress on any economy. Once you hit the billion dollar mark..you should have the common sense to admit you have more money than you could possibly spend in 10 lifetimes and that its time to spend your life giving instead of taking. Why not give every single penny above a billion to improving life for everyone. Improve our infrastructure, build schools, clean up the water, improve protective services, create green technology companies, get us off the oil tit...help cure a fucking disease!

These bastards (and they are bastards...) epitomize unchecked greed, living lives like kings while buying our democracy. Garbage in garbage out.

I would tell the COCK brothers to prepare for hell...because that's precisely where they're going to spend eternity.

Hey if I had their money I would use it to obtain all the power I could. That's all their doing, and others are doing it to, I just happen to disagree with the way the Koch brothers intend to use that power, therefore I will cut off their money at the source, MY FUCKING WALLET! If it say GP or Georgia pacific, dont buy it.

I am a non violent person by nature, but these two deserve two well place bullets through their brains, the Koch Brothers are among the most dangerous individuals in the United States right now, With Dick Armey close behind them and Donald Trump an utter embarressment to all of us. Where oh where did the moderate republicans of yesteryear go, Gerry Ford, Edmond Books, Les Aspin, they are extinct political animals. That is why the independent voters come 2012 are not making another hard right turn, they see the absurd nature the GOP has become.

EXPOSE!!!

democracy in the usa hahaha

With $42 billion and seven homes, why are the Kochs buying our democracy?

Because they can.

Since they are not elected officials, I can say these fellows need to be shot! As soon as possible.

See great Poe tale "Masque of the Red Death" for what happens to people who think their riches and power will protect them from anything bad.

I do not have a problem with these guys being uber wealthy at all! I do, however, have a huge problem with them screwing the country, its citizens, and the world's environment in the process to line their pockets further

They and others want to rape this country of its wealth. The want everything privatized, no government oversight, no social safety net, nothing for the rest of us. They will live in their gated communities, protected by private security and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves and the lie that if we work hard and stay out of trouble, we can be just like them. But one day, it will all come crashing down on them when just enough of us stop believing the lie.

I would tell them to fuck off and die.