Warm Fuzzies From Koch Industries?

Koch Industries is a privately held conglomerate of companies run by Charles and David, the infamous Koch brothers.  Their empire is a toxic testament to dirty money derived from dirty oil and all its various byproducts.  Each of the brothers is personally worth over $40 billion, but that's not enough.  They want more.

They've spent over $700 million on the 2012 and 2014 elections.  They effectively own the Republican party.  At a private gathering of Koch donors back in June, sycophantic Sen. Mitch McConnell told the brothers, "I don't know where we'd be without you."

The Kochs detest playing by the rules and have lobbied long and hard for regulatory rollbacks.  What to do about government regulations?  Charles Koch says, "Resist in the name of justice."

Koch Industries puts profits above people as a matter of company policy.  Their record on compliance and safety and maintenance is appalling.  They do as little as possible and dare the authorities to catch them.  And they're often caught.  The company has been sued and convicted countless times for EPA violations, fraud, negligence, theft, and more.  It has paid record amounts -- hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars -- in fines, penalties and reparations.  To the Koch brothers, this is little more than a nuisance; the cost of doing business, not a deterrent.

But now they've launched a PR campaign to try to persuade us that Koch Industries is simply wonderful and committed to creating value for society.  (Society being defined as Charles and David Koch, that is.)  It's a laughably self-serving piece of shit.  When you need to try this hard to appear lovable, you must be despicable indeed.




For a somewhat different take on the Kochs and their history, try this link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924