alabuck Loc: Tennessee

How many of you know just how engrained the Koch brothers' political agenda is in today's conservative politics? How many of you know that, in 1980, David Koch was the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate? How many of you know what the platform of the Libertarian Party was, in 1980?

Senator Bernie Sanders went back in time to 1980, when David Koch ran as the Vice Presidential candidate on the Libertarian ticket. He found their platform for that year, and published it again. It is a manifesto of what David and Charles Koch expect to receive in return for their large investment in American politics.

Here is the list:

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.

If these two could just crown themselves Dictators of the World, they would. I have honestly never encountered more evil, fascist human beings and hope a day comes where they're viewed as fringe crazies instead of legitimate political actors. They've spawned an entire generation of "me-me-me" types who actually think these are brilliant ideas, thanks to Ron Paul.

Every single one of these ideas is rooted in John Birch Society dogma. Just because Fred Koch left the Birchers back in the day doesn't mean he abandoned their overall goals. His sons are just expanding capacity for them now, not abandoning their principles.

Think about the consequences of no FAA air traffic controllers. No FDA to gauge the safety of our food and medicines. No one to make car manufacturers build safe cars and trucks. Seat belts and air bags will become things of the past. No EPA to keep our manufacturers from polluting our air and water. No one to make our manufacturers provide safe working environments for their employees. With no taxes at all, who pays for the police, fire departments, teachers, our military, our military equipment?

Be careful people. You may just get more than you bargained for if you allow the Koch brothers to control your political party.

I suggest you keep this list handy. You're going to need it in the days to come.

Steve700

Why do you waste your time having a big problem with the Koch brothers. The real problem is the really huge contributor (10 times that of the Koch brothers), the evil George Soros, who along with the rest of the illuminati, pulls the strings of the puppet Obama to demote America so that we can be acclimated into the the New World Order. (That is why Obama was selected for us.)

Trooper745 Loc: Carolina

And because those items were extremist, Koch was not elected. If you honestly wrote down the platform of the Democratic Party, and Obama's honest goals for the USA, it would be just as ridiculously extreme, or worse. Koch was honest and lost, if democrats were as honest, they wouldn't win either.

Iggy Rat Loc: Lost in America

It's a bit extreme, I'll admit, but they're basically saying the same things as our founders. "We're Americans. We can do it on our own. If you don't leave us alone, we'll kill you. If you need to be taken care of, either find someone to do so or die." Sounds good to me.

Steve700

Why waste your time having a big problem with the Koch brothers. The real problem is the really huge contributor (10 times that of the Koch brothers), the evil George Soros, who along with the rest of the illuminati, pulls the strings of the puppet Obama to demote America so that we can be acclimated into the the New World Order. (That is why Obama was selected for us.)

stevenkalka

This is pretty libertarian. Politicians opposed to it should refuse Koch contributions. Instead, even Dems like Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer accepted them. Harry even went on recent rant against them. Sorry, you can't have it both ways.

Hartbreaker

In 1980 I was an atheist and a Democrat and Obama was a drug addict and against homeosexual marriage. People change, at least most people do. Some people grow up, others get worse.

The Democrat party is still for segregation. They zone areas so that black people are more likely to live in certain neighborhoods and then pay black "leaders: to encourage said behavior. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Spike Lee have all encouraged blacks to drive non-blacks out of black neighborhoods including businesses that would hire the local people.

Then Democrats sabotage the schools in those neighborhoods and oppose school choice and school vouchers so that the black children have no other choice but to go to a school that does not educate them, unless their parents are paid (like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Whoopi Goldberg and others) to live where ever they want as long as they continue pushing Democrat agendas on the rest.

Since Blacks started voted a a bloc for Democrat candidates, the literacy rate has dropped among black communities as has their purchasing power, what has gone up is single parent homes, incarceration rates and unemployment rates. If the black community knew the real Democrat agenda, I think they would flee the party.

Liberty Tree

Steve, this is all they have. They want the election to be about anything but Obama and the Democrat record so they have to divert attention elsewhere. The Kochs just make a nice target.

Floyd Brown Loc: Milwaukee WI

That is pretty much the picture that I get of the Koch's.

But I guess that there are those that feel the price they would pay to please the Koch's is worth it.

buffalo Loc: Texas

How about leftist/liberal/enviro-wacko Tom Steyers pledging $100 million to dimwit candidates to make climate change and opposing the Keystone Pipeline an election priority in 2014? Combine that with the money as speech Soros gives to liberal dimwit causes and together they make the Koch brothers look like paupers. But soros and Steyers don't have an agenda , do they? It proves the HYPOCRISY of both arms of the corporate party and the need to get money out of politics.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/tom-steyer-campaign-donor-103617.html

Nice try, alabuck and Mr. Brown, but I ain't buyin it.

Opposing the Keystone Pipeline is about as stupid as one can be. This country is criss-crossed with 1000s of miles of pipelines carrying oil, gas, and SEWER.

Artemis

Your dismal philosophy is, "if your honest you lose" ??

I don't know where you get anything Obama has ever said as extreme. He has tried to implement improvements that were originally created from the right perspective, ie. ACA

Artemis

Does this mean you are a born again Christian and republican? Sounds like it.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

I want to thank everyone for their comments. However, what I posted are verifiable facts. These platform planks closely resemble the ideas currently floated by the Republicans, Tea-Baggers, Libertarians, and conservatives, in general.

In spite of my presenting verifiable facts, none of the opposing responders have taken the time or effort to present any verifiable facts with which to counter-point; only rhetoric. Additionally, no one has countered with what the effects would be on our society should the FDA, FAA, etc., are abolished. Without taxes, who pays for our military? Who/what maintains (or tries to) our infrastructure?

Come on people! I thought this was a discussion forum for thought-out ideas; not some spit'n run sideshow.

buffalo Loc: Texas

You don't want to discuss anything, bukaroo. You just want to repeat Dirty, greedy Harry's hypocritical rant against the Koch brothers. Which I am not defending, BTW. While he, you and the rest of the leftist/liberal/progressive hypocrits ignore the same influence buying from Soros and Steyer. My point is that the money needs to be taken out of politics.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

You don't want to discuss anything, bukaroo. You just want to repeat Dirty, greedy Harry's hypocritical rant against the Koch brothers. Which I am not defending, BTW. While he, you and the rest of the leftist/liberal/progressive hypocrits ignore the same influence buying from Soros and Steyer. My point is that the money needs to be taken out of politics.

Wrong, Buffalo breath! I would like to discuss this. I'm new here. You don't know me from Adam's house cat. For you to make the assumption that I don't want to discuss anything is rather closed-minded. I can't help what others have done or said to you to make you paint me with such a wide brush. And, for you to immediately jump into name-calling, DOSENT indicate very much knowledge of the facts on your part. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

I, too, would like to see the BIG PAC money removed from politics; along with lobbyists.

Also, this isn't a rant from Dirty Harry. Bernie Sanders wrote the original article, not Reid. Get your facts straight, please.