No comparison, Billy Gee Whiz. And no hate.
--- In [email protected], "BillyG" <wg...@...> wrote: > > Obama liberal, till lately!! > #2 Warren Buffett - The Forbes 400 Richest Americans 2009 09.30.09, > 06:00 PM EDT America's favorite investor lost $10 billion in past 12 > months on his Berkshire Hathaway shares. > Previous: William Gates III > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_William-Gates-III_BH69\ > .html> Next: Lawrence Ellison > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_Lawrence-Ellison_JKEX.\ > html> > <http://www.forbes.com/400richest/> > Complete Coverage: > The 400 Richest Americans <http://www.forbes.com/400richest/> > > Sort List By: > * Rank > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_The-400-Richest-Americ\ > ans_Rank.html> > * Name > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_The-400-Richest-Americ\ > ans_NameProper.html> > * Net Worth > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_The-400-Richest-Americ\ > ans_FinalWorth.html> > * Age > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_The-400-Richest-Americ\ > ans_Age.html> > * Residence > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_The-400-Richest-Americ\ > ans_Hometown.html> > * Source > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_The-400-Richest-Americ\ > ans_SourceOfWealth.html> > [0] > Michael Buckner/Getty Images > > > > > --- In [email protected], "do.rflex" <do.rflex@> wrote: > > > > > > The Radical Right - The Billionaires Behind The Hate > > > > > > Billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch are the > wealthiest, > > and perhaps most effective > > > <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/\ > \ > > 12/06/in_glitzy_shadows_a_health_reform_foe_lurks/> , opponents of > > President Obama's progressive agenda. They have been looming in the > > background of every major domestic policy dispute this year. > > > > > > Ranked as the 9th > > > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_David-Koch_QMFE.html> > > richest men > > > <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/54/rich-list-09_Charles-Koch_Z9KL.html\ > \ > > > in America, the Koch brothers sit at the helm of Koch Industries, a > > massive privately owned conglomerate of manufacturing, oil, gas, and > > timber interests. They are best known for their wealth, as well as for > > their generous contributions > > > <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/\ > \ > > 12/06/in_glitzy_shadows_a_health_reform_foe_lurks/> to the arts, > cancer > > research, and the Smithsonian Institute. > > > > > > But David and Charles are also responsible for a vicious attack > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/07/koch-swiftboat-science/> > campaign > > aimed directly at obstructing and killing progressive reform. Over the > > years, millions of dollars > > > <http://mediamattersaction.org/transparency/organization/David_H_Koch_Ch\ > \ > > aritable_Foundation/grants> in Koch money has flowed to various > > right-wing think tanks, front groups, and publications. > > > > > > At the dawn of the Obama presidency, Koch groups quickly maneuvered to > > try to stop his first piece of signature legislation: the stimulus. > The > > Koch-funded group "No Stimulus <http://nostimulus.com/?q=events> " > > launched television and radio ads deriding the recovery package as > > simply "pork" spending. > > > > The Cato Institute > > <http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=21> -- founded > by > > Charles -- as well as other Koch-funded think tanks like the Heritage > > Foundation <http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/heritage-foundation> > , > > produced a blizzard > > > <http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2008/01/24/stimulus-package-is-welfare-n\ > \ > > ot-tax-cuts/> of reports > > > <http://blog.heritage.org/2009/01/27/stimulus-101-the-pelosi-reid-obama-\ > \ > > debt-plan/> distorting the stimulus and calling for a return to > > Bush-style tax cuts to combat the recession. > > > > As their fronts were battling the stimulus, David's Americans for > > Prosperity (AFP) spent the opening months of the Obama presidency > > placing calls and helping to organize > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/lobbyists-planning-teaparties/> > > the very first "tea party" protests. AFP, founded in 1984 > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/07/koch-swiftboat-science/> by > David > > and managed day to day by the astroturf lobbyist Tim Phillips > > > <http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/05/29/afp-timphillips-astroturf/\ > \ > > > , has spent much of the year mobilizing "tea party" opposition to > > health reform, clean energy legislation, and financial regulations. > > > > > > STOPPING CLEAN ENERGY: David Koch presents himself as a champion of > > science <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/07/koch-swiftboat-science/> > . > > Next year, because of his donations, a wing of the Smithsonian will be > > named after him. Nevertheless, Koch has done more to undermine the > > public's understanding of climate change science than any other person > > in America. > > > > > > The Competitive Enterprise Institute, funded in part by Koch > > foundations, has waged an underhanded campaign > > <http://mediamatters.org/research/200912040022> to falsely charge > that > > a set of hacked e-mails somehow unravels the scientific consensus that > > global warming is occurring. > > > > > > Koch finances the "Hot Air > > <http://www.hotairtour.org/index.php?content=media> " tour, a > nationwide > > roadshow using a balloon to depict climate change science as "hot > air." > > Despite the brothers' extravagant wealth, Koch's Americans for > > Prosperity has run populist ads mocking environmentalists as spoiled > > brats more concerned about their "three homes and five cars > > <http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/02/11/koch-billionaire-ads/> " > > than about economic conditions. > > > > > > In addition to its efforts to misinform the public, Koch Industries > has > > spent nearly $9 million dollars > > > <http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=Koch+Industries&ye\ > \ > > ar=2009> so far on direct lobbying, much of it on climate change > > legislation. With a team of Koch-funded operatives going as far as > > attempting to crash > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/07/koch-swiftboat-science/> the > > United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this week, the > > brothers may succeed in scuttling any prospect for addressing climate > > change. > > > > > > > > > > STOPPING HEALTH REFORM: Much of the fierce opposition to health reform > > can be credited to Koch organizations. As the health care debate > began, > > AFP created a front group, known as "Patients United > > <http://patientsunitednow.com/> ," dedicated itself to attacking > > Democratic health care reform proposals. Patients United has blanketed > > the country with ads distorting various > > <http://mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200905270002> provisions of > > the health reform legislation, particularly the public option. > > > > > > Patients United even centered a media campaign > > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwLp2KJCLOQ> around Shona > > Robertson-Holmes, claiming she had a brain tumor the Canadian system > > refused to treat. However, the Ottawa Citizen reported > > > <http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/reality-check-shona-holmes-\ > \ > > holmes-brain-tu> that Patients United has been exaggerating > > > <http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/reality-check-shona-holmes-\ > \ > > holmes-brain-tu> Holmes' case, and that she in fact had a benign > cyst. > > > > > > In their quest to block health care reform, Koch-funded groups have > > fostered extremism > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/28/dem-effigy-afp/> > > . A speaker with the roving Patients United bus tour repeatedly > compared > > health reform to the Holocaust > > > <http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/08/americans-for-prospe\ > \ > > rity-compares-health-care-reform-to-holocaust.php> while an > > eight-by-five foot banner at an AFP health care rally > > > <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/\ > \ > > 12/06/in_glitzy_shadows_a_health_reform_foe_lurks/> with Rep. Michele > > Bachmann (R-MN) read, "National Socialist Health Care > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/05/holocaust-sign/> : Dachau, > Germany" > > superimposed over corpses from a concentration camp. > > > > > > Although many were surprised at the level of anger AFP channeled > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/11/afp-perriello-townhall/> into > > Democratic healthcare town halls > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/31/recess-harassment-memo/> in > > August, it wasn't the first time Koch groups have helped to hijack the > > health reform debate. Back in 1994, Americans for Prosperity, then > known > > as Citizens for a Sound Economy, worked closely with then-House > Speaker > > Newt Gingrich to bring mobs of angry men > > > <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/may96/background/health_debate_page3.\ > \ > > html> to health reform rallies with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. > > > > A LONG HISTORY OF STOPPING PROGRESS: The Koch brothers clearly have a > > financial stake in blocking reform. Koch Industry oil refineries are > > major carbon dioxide polluters, and George-Pacific, a Koch Industries > > timber subsidiary, is one of the largest contributors to the loss of > > carbon-sink capacity. > > > > > > According to the EPA, Koch Industries is responsible for over 300 oil > > spills > > > <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/016bcfb1deb9fecd85256aca005d74\ > \ > > df/981d17e5ab07246f8525686500621079?OpenDocument/> in the U.S. and > has > > leaked three million gallons of crude oil into fisheries and drinking > > waters. So there are clear business-related reasons > > <http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/07/koch-swiftboat-science/> why > Koch > > would want to block regulatory enforcement, clean energy, labor, and > > other reforms. > > > > > > But part of their opposition stems from a long family tradition of > > funding conservative movements to shift the country to the far right. > > Fred Koch, father of Charles and David and the company's namesake, > > helped to found > > > <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/\ > \ > > 12/06/in_glitzy_shadows_a_health_reform_foe_lurks/> the John Birch > > Society in the late 1950s. > > > > > > The John Birch Society harnessed Cold War fears into hate against > > progressives > > > <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/\ > \ > > 12/06/in_glitzy_shadows_a_health_reform_foe_lurks/> , warning that > > President Kennedy, Civil Rights activists, and organized labor were in > > league with communists. > > > > > > By presenting progressive reform as a capitulation to the Soviet Union > > > <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/\ > \ > > 12/06/in_glitzy_shadows_a_health_reform_foe_lurks/> , Fred Koch and > the > > other industrialists bankrolling the Birch Society were able to > > galvanize hundreds of thousands of middle class people into supporting > > their narrow agenda of cutting corporate taxes and avoiding consumer > > regulations. > > > > http://pr.thinkprogress.org/2009/12/pr20091208/index.html > > >
