Posted on 10/04/2014 7:47:44 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Together, Charles and David Koch control one of the world's largest fortunes, which they are using to buy up our political system. But what they don't want you to know is how they made all that money.
The enormity of the Koch fortune is no mystery. Brothers Charles and David are each worth more than $40 billion. The electoral influence of the Koch brothers is similarly well-chronicled. The Kochs are our homegrown oligarchs; they've cornered the market on Republican politics and are nakedly attempting to buy Congress and the White House. Their political network helped finance the Tea Party and powers today's GOP. Koch-affiliated organizations raised some $400 million during the 2012 election, and aim to spend another $290 million to elect Republicans in this year's midterms. So far in this cycle, Koch-backed entities have bought 44,000 political ads to boost Republican efforts to take back the Senate.
What is less clear is where all that money comes from. Koch Industries is headquartered in a squat, smoked-glass building that rises above the prairie on the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas. The building, like the brothers' fiercely private firm, is literally and figuratively a black box. Koch touts only one top-line financial figure: $115 billion in annual revenue, as estimated by Forbes.
By that metric, it is larger than IBM, Honda or Hewlett-Packard and is America's second-largest private company after agribusiness colossus Cargill. The company's stock response to inquiries from reporters: "We are privately held and don't disclose this information."
But Koch Industries is not entirely opaque. The company's troubled legal history – including a trail of congressional investigations, Department of Justice consent decrees, civil lawsuits and felony convictions – augmented by internal company documents, leaked State Department cables, Freedom of Information disclosures and company whistle-blowers, combine to cast an unwelcome spotlight
(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...
Rolling Stone? Is that old commie lib rag still around? Does anyone actually still read it?
There have been articles about this article already posted, apparently the RS article is wrong on about 90% of its facts
Of course ignore Georgy Schwartz, who spends even more on politics.
Sadly, lot of dolts read it. I wonder if there’s an intro by hairy screed damning the Koch brothers and their evil intentions. I think he has a secret man crush on them and they might consider a restraing order.
RE: There have been articles about this article already posted, apparently the RS article is wrong on about 90% of its facts
Can you cite me a few sources rebutting this please? Thanks.
I read an article recently re: Koch brothers. Their father was a self made man. In their earlier days they were much more libertarian in their viewpoint—but unfortunately have become more supportive of the GOP establishment. RS is pathetic in many of its viewpoints
Why are they not bemoaning the influence of George Soros on politics?
Will George Soros willingy sell the White House or will it be a hostile takeover?
The far left has latched onto the “Koch Brothers” as a boogieman. It’s kind of funny. The vast majority (and I mean vast) have never even heard the name much less know anything about them. And yet this seems to be their go to topic this year. It just makes them look paranoid. I hope they stay focused like a laser beam on this...
Are the Koch Brother some new boy band?
the 6 people reading Rolling Stone were too stoned to care.
Why bother when we are NOT “super sophisticated” like tommy boy is. In his pea brained minds eye he must be SS or else he wouldn’t have been able to amass such a large some of money. Kinda like nannie bloomers.
Rolling Stoned is published by a gay man for the benefit of other older chickenhawk homos.
It offers neither credible music nor political analysis. But it does offer topless pics of flash in the pan teen bait.
Jann seems so happy that the Bieb is now "legal".
Why doesn’t Rolling Stone focus on Soros. A piece like “Soros and the Satan Connection” would be much more entertaining...: )
I’m looking. It was specifically about how the author writes about their involvement in oil, where he is hilariously wrong.
Hey Rolling Stoned? Did you do the same type of hit piece on G. Soros and his buying Democrat politicians and attempts to buy the White House? No? Then STFU...............
Hilariuos one sided article.
Like no one will ever think of George Soros or the Hollywood left.
Next Month in Rolling Stone: “Inside the toxic empires of George Soros, Warren Buffet, and Tom Steyer and how they’ve bought all the leftist politicians with their billions”. (Yeah, right.)
(BTW, I’m always astonished at how FEW comments are posted on RS articles like these, and then over half are conservative comments. It really does appear no one takes them seriously, either that or the bulk of their clientele is nearly illiterate/stoned and unable to string together a sentence or two.)
If anyone cared what Rolling Stone thought, they’d still have readers.
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