Billionaire industrialist David H. Koch, who with his older brother Charles was both celebrated and demonized for transforming American politics by pouring their riches into conservative causes, died Friday at 79.
The cause of death was not disclosed, but Koch Industries said Koch, who lived in New York City, had contended for years with various illnesses, including prostate cancer.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/08/23/ap-source-billionaire-david-koch-has-died-at-age-79/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/us/david-koch-dead.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-koch-died-conservative-donor-and-philanthropist-dead-age-79-2019-08-23/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/23/david-koch-dies-billionaire-leader-koch-industries-79/2094016001/
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:38AM (9 children)
"Why are all you assholes shitting on his grave?"
He was one bad hombre!
Citizens united, privatized public schooling and fracking just off the top of my head. In case you need me to elaborate this translates to, fuck speech, meritocracy and ground water.
"He spent a lot of money he could have spent on making himself richer, to encourage political engagement among marginalized communities."
Political investment has the *best* return on investment compared to other things you can do with your money when you are filthy rich, look it up.
That money WAS spent on making himself richer!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:43AM
Nonetheless, I thank you for explicating it.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by khallow on Saturday August 24 2019, @11:09AM (7 children)
So... protection of the First Amendment, getting grotesquely incompetent governments out of schooling, and boosting the US economy, while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint due to increased natural gas production. Assuming we can blame him for those things in the first place.
Looks like you got those backwards.
I have. I also have yet to find anything more substantial than what you wrote above. Keep in mind some of these "political investments" would decrease substantially barrier to entry for competitors to the Kochs and actually have negative return on investment.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @02:42PM (1 child)
Citizens United has nothing to do with the first amendment. The first amendment only applies to interactions between people and the government. Corporations are not people. They are comprised of people that never gave up their rights to give money or engage in free speech.
What's more giving money isn't speech. At this point it is nearly improved to be convicted of bribery because of the judges that the Koch. Brothers had appointed.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday August 24 2019, @11:13PM
It's always interesting how dishonest people can get - here, deciding what free speech isn't really free speech. The obvious rebuttal here is that if you speak on behalf of a soulless corporation, you are engaging in free speech. Despite your claims to the contrary, it remains that the campaign finance law in question did violate the First Amendment rights of the people who comprise the corporation.
Giving money for speech in an election. Not only is it a matter of free speech, it's a matter of the most vital exercise of free speech.
But perhaps I'm thinking about this wrong? Perhaps, your speech isn't really free speech, but rather a noisy sucking of air, and the First Amendment doesn't really apply to those who disagree with me?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @04:02PM (2 children)
"So... protection of the First Amendment, getting grotesquely incompetent governments out of schooling, and boosting the US economy"
Since you aren't the only person with such short sighted beliefs, allow me to elaborate some more.
First Amendment applying to corporations has all sorts of problems for all sorts of reasons, and would take up a whole textbook which I'm sure exists, but one implication is a foreign government (say the Russians) can meddle in US elections, in ways you can't imagine, ... legally. It's already happening, but I'm talking about something far more sinister than direct contributions into crony politicians pockets. I'm talking a corporate shell game for propaganda.
The incompetent government trope is getting old. Move to Somalia if you want to live in a place with effectively no government. Ironic how people pushing this trope want more government when it comes to enforcing contracts and protecting their wealth from the disgruntled masses.
Boosting the US economy by poisoning the wells is insane. The economic boost is temporary, the poisoned wells are long term. You can't live without water, it's projected to be a scarce resource. In many parts of the world it already is. Nestle is investing a fortune in attempts to buy up this resource. You're saying lets just destroy it to boost the economy, a fictitious construct which only benefits a tiny minority.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday August 24 2019, @06:55PM
But why think long term survival when you can have short-term "I got MINE!"
THAT is the way the rich and corporate/political leaders in America think.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday August 25 2019, @01:36AM
Which really doesn't matter much. There's a lot of woo attributed to "meddling", but it's really good for relieving someone of their money.
Apathy solves that non problem.
Air is a scarce resource too. But we're not running out of it either.
Buy from who?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @04:22PM (1 child)
Delusional
Or brainwashed, but I guess they're sort of the same thing. It does sadden me that part of the problem these days is that reasonably sane people fall for evil power grubbing propaganda.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday August 26 2019, @04:55AM