Billionaire Koch Brothers Have Given More Than $100 Million to right wing causes...

[trish]

Haiti is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake. They could use one tenth of a Koch billion.

[Ben]

Rational self-interest and democracy need not be separate entities. An issues arises when there aren't sufficient safeguards to protect individuals against tyranny of the majority.

For the Koch brothers -- who've a combined net worth of roughly 80 billion bucks -- to pursue their self interest harms our democracy. If we even have one. Plutocracy, now, is the more apt word.
But when you concentrate wealth, you concentrate power. So, them pursuing their own interests -- and thus controlling our government, our politicians -- renders democracy a farce.
And: the few controlling the many is wrong... and the many controlling the few is wrong. So, what's the solution???

[Ben]

The Kochs would be frightened of the new finance minister of Greece...

"We are going to destroy the Greek oligarchy system"

[Odelay]

The Kochs would be frightened of the new finance minister of Greece...

"We are going to destroy the Greek oligarchy system"

Umm, at this point I'm not sure anything scares the Kochs. They've worked within the current system to affect laws and Supreme Court judgements to the point where they can amass almost a billion dollars to affect the next race for President. Throughout this effort they haven't been touched. Not by the state. Not by the political opposition. Not by a spurned candidate or group on there own side. Not by rabble with pitchforks, torches and shotguns who hate what they're doing.

They're doing their thing within a nation of sheep and no one seems capable of standing up to them, much less stopping them.

The only one I see who might have the will to face the Kochs, though not the capability, is Bernie Sanders. But alas, not only does he look like Yitzhak Rabin, he would probably share the same fate if he got anywhere close to gaining that capability.

[trish]

They're doing their thing within a nation of sheep and no one seems capable of standing up to them, much less stopping them.

Baaaa... baaaa...
Thanks to Citizens United (what a lovely name)
it's comes down to "My Baaaaazilionaire bigger than your baaaaazillionaire."

[dreamon]

Democratic Donor Tom Steyer was the largest individual donor in 2014

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/0...or-103617.html

[dreamon]

Steyer poured over $74 million into the 2014 midterm elections

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiasav...-the-election/

[trish]

The headline is a bit of a misnomer. It should read Tom Steyer Was The Largest Donor of Disclosed Political Contributions in 2014.

[dreamon]

The headline is a bit of a misnomer. It should read Tom Steyer Was The Largest Donor of Disclosed Political Contributions in 2014.

So you have no issue with Steyer giving $74 million, but when the Kochs do it, they're buying elections?

Our country is going to shitter because people are too stuck in their own parties, without realizing the "two" main parties are really the one and same.

[trish]

We don't know who was the largest individual donor in 1914, only the individual donor who disclosed the largest sum (this was my only point in post#39_a simple fact for which you downthumbed me). Neither the Kochs nor Steyer, as far as we know, are breaking the law. I do have an issue with the Supreme Court decision on Citizen's United (which I think my post #35 made clear enough) and with Congress's foot dragging on campaign finance reform. I don't believe the law should allow individuals to contribute those sums of money to political campaigns. Do I have an issue with anyone being allowed to spend that much money on a political campaign? Yes. But it's neither an issue I have with the Koch brothers nor Mr. Steyer. It's an issue I have with the Supreme Court and the Congress. Do I have an issue with the Kochs? Yes, a number of issues; but they are all political. I can hardly fault them for taking advantage of their wealth and a lax set of laws that do indeed advantage the wealthy.