I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO READ! IF REPUBLICANS DIDN'T LIE, NO ONE WOULD ELECT THEM!

 

IF REPUBLICANS DIDN'T LIE, NO ONE WOULD ELECT THEM!

I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO READ! 

KOCH UNITED THE WEALTHY TO CREATE ANONYMOUS SOUNDING NAMES FOR THEIR RIGHT WING PROPAGANDA - you don't even know who's funding those THINK TANKS without research. 

JANE MAYER wrote DARK MONEY, out of print but available from your LOCAL LIBRARY if you still have one or available used 

This is an AMAZON REVIEW (we never oder from AMAZON, BUT HAVE REVIEWS):

Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Hardcover – January 19, 2016

by Jane Mayer (Author)

Why is America living in an age of profound economic inequality? Why, despite the desperate need to address climate change, have even modest environmental efforts been defeated again and again? Why have protections for employees been decimated? Why do hedge-fund billionaires pay a far lower tax rate than middle-class workers?

     The conventional answer is that a popular uprising against “big government” led to the ascendancy of a broad-based conservative movement. But as Jane Mayer shows in this powerful, meticulously reported history, a network of exceedingly wealthy people with extreme libertarian views bankrolled a systematic, step-by-step plan to fundamentally alter the American political system. 

     The network has brought together some of the richest people on the planet. Their core beliefs—that taxes are a form of tyranny; that government oversight of business is an assault on freedom—are sincerely held. But these beliefs also advance their personal and corporate interests: Many of their companies have run afoul of federal pollution, worker safety, securities, and tax laws.

     The chief figures in the network are Charles and David Koch, whose father made his fortune in part by building oil refineries in Stalin’s Russia and Hitler’s Germany. The patriarch later was a founding member of the John Birch Society, whose politics were so radical it believed Dwight Eisenhower was a communist. The brothers were schooled in a political philosophy that asserted the only role of government is to provide security and to enforce property rights. 

     When libertarian ideas proved decidedly unpopular with voters, the Koch brothers and their allies chose another path. If they pooled their vast resources, they could fund an interlocking array of organizations that could work in tandem to influence and ultimately control academic institutions, think tanks, the courts, statehouses, Congress, and, they hoped, the presidency. Richard Mellon Scaife, the mercurial heir to banking and oil fortunes, had the brilliant insight that most of their political activities could be written off as tax-deductible “philanthropy.”

     These organizations were given innocuous names such as Americans for Prosperity. Funding sources were hidden whenever possible. This process reached its apotheosis with the allegedly populist Tea Party movement, abetted mightily by the Citizens United decision—a case conceived of by legal advocates funded by the network.

     The political operatives the network employs are disciplined, smart, and at times ruthless. Mayer documents instances in which people affiliated with these groups hired private detectives to impugn whistle-blowers, journalists, and even government investigators. And their efforts have been remarkably successful. Libertarian views on taxes and regulation, once far outside the mainstream and still rejected by most Americans, are ascendant in the majority of state governments, the Supreme Court, and Congress. Meaningful environmental, labor, finance, and tax reforms have been stymied. 

     Jane Mayer spent five years conducting hundreds of interviews-including with several sources within the network-and scoured public records, private papers, and court proceedings in reporting this book. In a taut and utterly convincing narrative, she traces the byzantine trail of the billions of dollars spent by the network and provides vivid portraits of the colorful figures behind the new American oligarchy.

     Dark Money is a book that must be read by anyone who cares about the future of American democracy.

MAGA MAGGOTS have focused on DESTROYING HEALTH CARE...is it because the GREEDY  WEALTHY don't want their taxes used for NORMAL PEOPLE!

ONE OF THE DIRTY ENERGY BIG POLLUTERT KOCH BROTHERS ran for PRESIDENT - this was the AGENDA - where they are continually pushing the US & REPUBLICANS: 

Koch 1980 platform (corruption): “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.” 

COMMONSENSE WITH ALLY SAMMARCO posted this: 

Republicans Really Hate Healthcare

10.9.25

Ally Sammarco

Oct 9

 

Happy Thursday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on U.S. politics. Let’s break it down.

Americans Blame GOP (and Everyone Else) for Shutdown…..A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that 67% of Americans say Republicans deserve “a fair amount or a great deal” of the blame for the ongoing government shutdown, while 63% place similar blame on Democrats and Trump himself. Many people now fear that delays to Social Security, student aid, and basic services will soon hit them directly.

Common Sense takeaway: Republicans are playing victim, but it’s not working. Voters may be frustrated with everyone, but the shutdown is ultimately Trump’s mess, and no one is falling for the lies.

Pentagon’s New Press Rules Trigger Backlash….Yesterday, press organizations denounced a revised DOD policy that could revoke journalists’ access as early as next week. The rules—though “negotiated” with media outlets—contain clauses that may criminalize communications by service members, even of unclassified info. The Pentagon says it’s about security, while journalists warn it’s censorship.

Common Sense takeaway: The end goal for this DOD is to have state-sanctioned media. They want to fire all personnel who don’t agree with their philosophy, and they want all media who cover them honestly to be thrown out. This is just a method of doing that.

Trump’s Targeting Plan for Liberal Groups Revealed….According to internal sources, the Trump administration has launched a multi-agency push (FBI, DHS, IRS, DOJ) to investigate liberal nonprofits and activist groups for rhetoric surrounding Charlie Kirk and funding “political violence.” Stephen Miller is reportedly driving the effort, with Pam Bondi and Treasury officials coordinating. Civil liberties organizations are expressing extreme concern about domestic surveillance and suppression.

Common Sense takeaway: In any other timeline, this would be grounds for impeachment. Targeting your political enemies is NOT NORMAL and should not be treated as such. If they spent half the amount of time on lowering costs, as they do trying to find “Antifa” (which is not a real organization), we might actually get somewhere.

Jeffries and Lawler Erupt in Capitol Hallway Clash….House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler got into a heated confrontation Wednesday in a Capitol hallway. Lawler accused Jeffries of playing political games and said constituents are suffering because the shutdown drags on. Jeffries shot back, calling Lawler “an embarrassment,” said he was being talked over, and told him to “keep your mouth shut.”

Common Sense takeaway: I’m happy to see some intensity from Hakeem Jeffries, whom a lot of people have been questioning if he is right for the job as minority leader. Now, let’s keep this energy 24/7.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.