What’s Up with the Koch Brothers?

Charles and David Koch are well known for their radical libertarian agenda, i.e., their effort to rid the U.S. of social security as well as public support of education, healthcare, technology research, transportation, and the arts.  Now, if their advocacy in this direction were all transparent, honest, and legal, perhaps we’d just accept it as part (albeit a bizarre part) of free expression.  The problem, of course, is that it comes with manipulated census data, and preventing access to vote.  

But let’s forget about the dirty tricks for a moment and ask ourselves: exactly what is this libertarian platform?  Charles Koch expressed it concisely: “My definition of social justice is that I get to keep my money.  What’s yours?”

In the off chance he were to ask me, I would hazard the following:

We live in a society in which there is almost uniform support for public assets from which everyone benefits and to which everyone is obligated to contribute: criminal justice, law enforcement, roads, bridges, libraries, national defense, fire departments, space exploration, clean water and air, etc.  Most people would include other items like public schooling, railroads, air-traffic control, at least a base-level of healthcare, and food for the starving.  You may suggest that everyone who wishes to remain safe should have his own fire department, police force, and airline safety inspection for example, and you’re entitled to your opinion, but you need to understand that this opinion is shared by virtually no one.  The fact that you’re worth $40 billion and you’re working to remove the last bit of tax-payer support for things like this is a form of mental illness and/or moral depravity.  

I’m not sure I’d be invited back for further discussion.