Know Your Enemy

Some time ago, I recommended that you read “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer. It is a brilliant exposé of the efforts of a shadowy group of billionaires, headed by Charles and David Koch, to transform America from a democracy into a plutocratic oligarchy. Each year the Koch brothers organize a secret meeting of billionaires to plan for the implementation of their agenda. Over the past three decades these greedy pigs have spent tens of billions of dollars in payments to lobbyists, politicians, political action committees, universities, “think” tanks, etc. to achieve their goals. With a Republican House, Senate, President and Supreme Court, they are nearly there.

As the Trump disaster unfolds and Trump and his henchmen work to roll back the accomplishments of the Obama Administration and implement items on the Koch brothers’ agenda, I urge you to keep the Koch brothers’ agenda in mind so as to better understand what is happening to our country.

In 1980, David Koch ran as the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate. Here are a few excerpts from the Libertarian Party platform on which David Koch ran:

• “We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
• “We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
• “We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
• “We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
• “We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
• “We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
• “We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
• “We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
• “As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
• “We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
• “We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
• “We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
• “We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
• “We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
• “We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
• “We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
• “We demand the return of America’s railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
• “We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called “self-protection” equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
• “We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
• “We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
• “We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
• “We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
• “We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
• “We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
• “We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
• “We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”

Global warming wasn’t a hot issue in 1980, but it almost goes without saying that the Koch brothers and their billionaire friends oppose any regulation or expenditure of government funds that addresses this existential threat.

As a result of the Citizens United decision from the Republican wing of the Supreme Court, the Koch brothers and their billionaire cronies now have the power to spend an unlimited amount of money to buy the House of Representatives, the Senate, the White House and the Supreme Court.

These are the faces of the domestic enemies of democracy and their front man is a pathological liar who paints his face orange every morning.