Supreme Court sides with David Koch

[russ1945]

[h=2]Supreme Court Sides With David Koch[/h]BY: Andrew Stiles
June 26, 2015 12:34 pm

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David Koch / AP​

The Supreme Court on Friday struck down state bans on same-sex marriage, bringing the United States one step closer to the freedom-loving utopia envisioned by right-leaning philanthropy baron David Koch.
Koch, who has publicly supported gay marriage since before Hillary Clinton flip-flopped on the issue,signed on to a Supreme Court brief in March urging the court to overturn same-sex marriage bans. Clinton, meanwhile, did not believe in a Constitutional right to gay marriage until April 15, 2015.
The court’s ruling is just the latest example of how the Koch brothers will be remembered as tireless champions of freedom who have consistently been on the right side of history. David Koch has donated generously to the arts and is an outspoken enemy of cancer, which has riled his critics on the anti-ballet, pro-death left. His recent donation to a New York City hospital, for example, inspired an angry protest from liberal groups. Koch-backed efforts to reform our broken immigration and criminal justice systems are currently under attack from Democratic operatives loyal to Hillary Clinton.
Fortunately for America, these attacks are almost certain to fail. The arc of history is long, but it bends toward Koch.
Dick Cheney was also an early backer of gay marriage.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Wow, he is an outspoken enemy of cancer!?! He's really going out on a limb there!

 

[vitterd]

Wow, he is an outspoken enemy of cancer!?! He's really going out on a limb there!

Lol. Russ thinks the Koch brothers are crusaders of good. Couple of scumbags trying to buy elections.

 

[russ1945]

Wow, he is an outspoken enemy of cancer!?! He's really going out on a limb there!

" which has riled his critics on the anti-ballet, pro-death left."

 

[russ1945]

Lol. Russ thinks the Koch brothers are crusaders of good. Couple of scumbags trying to buy elections.

Wrong again, it is you who thinks they are not crusaders of good. You are the scumbag lol.

 

[vitterd]

Wrong again, it is you who thinks they are not crusaders of good. You are the scumbag lol.

The Koch brothers do the exact same thing as George Soros.....only times ten. But you only rail against one of them. Wonder why that is?

if you just admit you're a sheep and a hack....then I will stop connecting dots on you.

 

[russ1945]

[h=1]David H. Koch Charitable Foundation and Personal Philanthropy[/h]

On May 20, 2015, David H. Koch announced a gift of $150 million to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The donation is the largest gift the center has received to date and will go toward building a state-of-the-art outpatient medical facility. [h=2]Foundations & Philanthropy[/h] Fred and Mary Koch Foundation Koch Cultural Trust Charles Koch Foundation Charles Koch Institute David H. Koch Charitable Foundation & Personal Philanthropy David H. Koch earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined Koch Industries, Inc. in 1970 and today serves as an executive vice president and board member. As chairman and president of Koch Membrane Systems, Inc., his passion for water technology has led to clean water innovations that have been exhibited at the International Desalination Association World Congress. Koch Membrane Systems is part of Koch Chemical Technology Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. A long-time philanthropist, Mr. Koch has given generously to a variety of organizations and programs. In his lifetime, he and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation have pledged or contributed more than $1.2 billion to cancer research, medical centers, educational institutions, arts and cultural institutions, and to assist public policy organizations. [h=2]Medical & Cancer Research[/h]A prostate cancer survivor, Mr. Koch has donated $100 million as prime contributor for the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. Other pledges and contributions for medical and cancer research includes: $150 million to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to help build a state-of-the-art outpatient medical facility. The gift is the center’s largest gift in its history $100 million to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to help build the David H. Koch Center, a new ambulatory care center, plus $28 million to other research causes $20 million to Johns Hopkins University for the David H. Koch Cancer Research Center $66.7 million to support cancer research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City $26.5 million to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for the David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers and other causes $26.2 million to The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City for the 'Building on Success' campaign and other causes $10 million to Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center to create the David H. and Julia Koch Research Program in Food Allergy Therapeutics In 2011, Mr. Koch received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the American Apparel and Footwear Association for his long-standing support of organizations working to find a cure for prostate cancer. The awards gala raised more than $1.1 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In 2007, he was honored with the Double Helix Medal for Corporate Leadership from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for supporting research that, “improves the health of people everywhere.” [h=2]Education & Science[/h]Mr. Koch supports science-related projects including funding the long-running PBS documentary series, “Nova,” and a science and technology center at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. A $35 million pledge to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will renovate the dinosaur hall, which will be named after him. Once renovated, the hall will showcase the museum's unrivaled collection of 46 million fossils, including one of the largest and most complete T. rex specimens in the world. His $15 million gift to the museum created the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins that opened in 2010. The 15,000-square-foot exhibit helps answer the question, “What does it mean to be human?“ Other education and science-related support includes: The Koch Biology Building and the David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice at MIT A $20 million gift to the American Museum of Natural History, establishing the David H. Koch Dinosaur Wing The Bill of Rights Institute, which educates students and teachers about our nation's Founding principles, including national sponsor of the 2009-2010 high school essay contest, “Being an American“ [h=2]Arts & Culture[/h]The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new, completely redesigned David H. Koch Plaza opened to the public in September 2014 following a major two-year reconstruction effort. Mr. Koch’s $65 million gift to the museum helped create a beautiful outdoor setting with new fountains, landscaping and improved access, all designed with sustainability in mind. Gifts from the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation have benefited the American Ballet Theater. In 2008, his foundation gave $100 million for the preservation and renovation of the State Theater of New York at Lincoln Center. Now known as the David H. Koch Theater, it is home to the New York City Ballet and New York City Opera. [h=2]Public Policy[/h]A passionate believer in free societies, Mr. Koch has funded research and education programs that analyze how freedom creates prosperity and advances social progress. He serves on the boards of the Cato Institute, Reason Foundation andAmericans for Prosperity Foundation.

 

[vitterd]

You might wanna check George soros charity.....careful ,it doesn't fit your narrative.

 

[RenoChazz]

The Koch brothers are self proclaimed Libertarians, David even ran as a libertarian. So this shouldn't really surprise anyone. Do they try to buy elections? Of course they do, but that's the game. It's like Ice T says, "Don't hate the playa, hate the game."

 

[russ1945]

[h=1]Capital Rivals: Koch Brothers vs. George Soros[/h]

by Spencer MacColl on September 21, 2010

• http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u...ews/2010/09/opensecrets-battle-koch-brothers/
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• http://www.opensecrets.org/email_article.php

Ever since Jane Mayer’s recent New Yorkerpiece earlier this month, much of the media has risen to debate how much influence conservative and libertarian-leaning businessmen David and Charles Koch, the owners of Koch Industries, have in American politics.
Some critics of the article argue that the media cries foul over the Koch brothers, yet largely ignores liberal George Soros, the Hungarian-American currency speculator and stock investor, who has spent millions of dollars on liberal and nonpartisan causes (including the Center for Responsive Politics).
OpenSecrets Blog is here to investigate the numbers behind these bold-faced names in our new feature, Capital Rivals.
For starters, both Soros and the brothers Koch (pronounced “coke”) are incredibly rich. And their political endeavors are numerous.
Koch Industries, an oil refiner, is the nation’s second largest private company with about $100 billion in annual revenue. Soros is chairman of Soros Fund Management, a highly successful hedge fund that has provided financial and investment strategies to a variety of funds. As of June 30, 2009, the hedge fund had holdings valued at $4.2 billion.
David and Charles Koch are tied at No. 24 on Forbes top billionaires list with a personal fortunes of $17.5 billion each. Soros is No. 35 on the list with a net worth of $14 billion.
The Koch brothers, Soros and their respective companies have spent millions of dollars on politics, ranging from federal lobbying to candidate support to bankrolling political committees, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of their political activity.
The Kochs and Soros have also funded think tanks, foundations and political organizations — money that is sometimes notoriously difficult to track.
These individuals aren’t exactly flying under the radar as the Kochs hold leadership positions and are featured on the websites for the Cato Institute, Reason Foundationand the Mercatus Center among others. Soros also runs the Open Society Institute— website Soros.org — as well as the recently created Institute for New Economic Thinking.
Still these individuals have provided major funding to groups that aren’t particularly transparent, such as Soros-backed Democracy Alliance, which doesn’t provide information on the projects it funds.
David Koch’s Americans for Prosperity Foundation has a more detailed website, but it is unclear why Koch is seemingly uninvolved in the similar organization, Americans for Prosperity. David Koch contends that no Koch foundations have provided funding to Americans for Prosperity, the citizen advocacy group organizing Tea Party events around the country. A Washington Post article from January of this year connects the Kochs with the Tea Party movement, citing records of their foundation giving $3.1 million to Americans for Prosperity, but according to the Kochs, this is false, as the money only went to the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.
Below is the Center for Responsive Politics‘ analysis federal political activity by Soros and the Kochs. Note that while direct political donations are relatively easily to track, it’s difficult to create a full compilation of the political groups that these individuals are connected with due to secondary and indirect affiliations. Therefore, the groups listed at the end of the are the most well-known organizations linked to these three individuals.

Organization-Driven Political Activity

​

The Koch brothers’ company, Koch Industries, has been a big player in both campaign donations and lobbying. Koch Industries currently leads the oil and gas industry as the top contributor to federal candidates and parties, and is the fifth highest lobbying spender in the industry this year. Soros’ hedge fund, Soros Fund Management, has also lobbied at the federal level, but employees have not made campaign donations through a Soros-sponsored political action committee. Because of the notable lobbying involvement of a Soros-funded think tank, the Open Society Policy Center, this group’s data is also included for the purpose of this comparison:
Political Action Committee Spending (1989 to 2010)
Koch Industries: $5,938,993 (83 percent going to Republicans)
Soros Fund Management: $0
527 Group Contributions (2001 to 2010)
Koch Industries: $574,998

• $186,598 – Democratic Governors Association
• $150,000 – Republican State Leadership Committee
• $103,400 – Republican Governors Association

Soros Fund Management: $0
Lobbying Expenditures (1998 to 2010)
Koch Industries: $50,972,700
Soros Fund Management: $860,000
Open Society Policy Center (Soros-Funded): $11,930,000
According to federal lobbying reports, Koch Industries’ top issues include energy, environmental, tax and homeland security policies. The Open Society Policy Center has mainly lobbied on issues relating to foreign relations, civil rights, and law enforcement policy. The graph below outlines these organizations lobbying history since 1998 (click on graph for full size):

​

VERDICT: When it comes to the combination of institutional lobbying, 527 group donations and PAC expenditures, Koch Industries far out-spends Soros’ hedge fund and think tank, $57.4 million to $12.8 million. Most of this money is attributable to lobbying expenditures.​

Individual-Funded Political Activity​

Soros and the Koch brothers have all donated to federal political campaigns and committees. While Soros has far out-spent the Koch brothers in donating to 527 groups, especially when considering his incredible $23.7 million in donations to the groups between 2003 and 2004, the Koch brothers have donated more money to federal candidates and committees.​

The Koch brothers give almost exclusively to Republicans just as Soros donates predominately to Democrats and Democratic organizations. Overall, Soros has spent $34.24 million and the Kochs have spent $4.06 million. (Note: This study only covers donations to federal candidates – to see donations to state candidates, go toFollowthemoney.org and search for Soros and Koch. For example, as Ben Smith ofPolitico wrote recently, David Koch and his wife have given $74,000 to a Democrat, Andrew Cuomo, New York’s State Attorney General.)

Individual donations to federal candidates, parties and political action committees (1989 to 2010)
Koch Brothers: $2.58 million
George Soros: $1.74 million​

David Koch: $2,224,170

• $667,500 – National Republican Congressional Committee
• $555,000 – Republican National Committee
• $191,400 – National Republican Senatorial Committee

Charles G. Koch: $363,100

• $58,900 – National Republican Senatorial Committee
• $50,000 – Republican National Committee

George Soros: $1,748,627

• $252,670 – Democratic National Committee
• $147,216 – Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
• $259,716 – Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

David Koch’s Favorite congressional members:
$17,100 – Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.)
$7,600 – Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.)
$7,200 – Mark Foley (R-Fla.)
$6,600 – James Inhofe (R-Okla.)
$5,000 – Sam Brownback (R-Kan.)
George Soros’ favorite congressional members:
$6,500 – Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)
$6,200 – Jon Cranley (D-Ohio)
$6,000 – Ken Salazar (D-Colo.)
$6,000 – Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.)
$5,500 – Tom Perriello (D-Va.)

Individual donations to 527 organizations (2001 to 2010)
George Soros: $32.5 million
Koch Brothers: $1.5 million
So-called 527 groups are non-profit, tax-exempt organizations that are allowed to raise money for political activities including voter mobilization efforts, issue advocacy and other actions. They are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations and unions. Until earlier this year, they could not use these unlimited contributions to expressly advocate for the election or defeat of a federal candidate. Federal court rulings — including Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission — have broken down that restriction. For more information go here, here and here.​

As mentioned previously, Soros spent $24 million in under two years and did so in his determination to defeat George W. Bush in 2004. He told the Washington Post in November 2003, “America under Bush, is a danger to the world. I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.” Since December 2008, Soros has only donated $4,000 to these types of groups. On June 30th of this year, David Koch made a $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association, his largest one-time donation to date.
David Koch: $1,472,000

• $1,352,000 – Republican Governors Association
• $100,000 – Americans for Better Government

George Soros: $32,506,500

• $12.05 million – Joint Victory Campaign 2004
• $7.5 million – America Coming Together
• $2.5 million – MoveOn.org
• $3.65 million – America Votes
• $3.5 million – The Fund for America
• $150,000 – Win Back Respect
• $120,000 – Majority Action
• $100,000 – Campaign Money Watch

Soros certainly wins the 527 group spending battle, beating the Koch brothers $32.5 million to $1.5 million. A graph below show the history these donations (click on graph for full size):

VERDICT: Soros rules this category, having poured more than $34.2 million into political channels, compared to $4.06 million for the Koch brothers.

​

Think Tanks and Political Organizations
​

In addition to donating directly to political candidates, parties and committees, the Kochs and Soros have funded numerous political think tanks and advocacy groups. These groups are not required to reveal their donors, therefore making it hard to come up with a comprehensive list of organizations that have financial ties to these individuals. The institutions mentioned are those most well-connected with the Koch brothers and George Soros.
Charles Koch co-founded the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, along with Edward Crane in 1977. Charles and David Koch, along with Richard Fink and Jay Humphries, co-founded the Citizens for a Sound Economy in 1984. In 2004, CSE broke off into two groups: Koch-linked Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, headed by former congressman Dick Armey. According to its website, Americans for Prosperity “is committed to educating citizens about economic policy and a return of the federal government to its Constitutional limits.” In addition to those mentioned above, Charles Koch has helped to build the Institute for Humane Studies, the Bill of Rights Institute and the Market-Based Management Institute.
David Koch is currently on the board of directors at Cato, as well as the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a research center dedicated to “market-oriented ideas.” He is a trustee at the libertarian Reason Foundation whose goal is to advance “free minds and free markets.”
George Soros founded the Open Society Institute which is his primary philanthropy organization. According to the website, “The Open Society Foundations fund a range of programs around the world, from public health to education to business development.” While the foundation spends much of its resources on democratic causes around the world, OSI has also contributed to political advocacy groups such as the Tides Foundation. In 2004, Soros pledged $3 million to the progressive think tank, Center for American Progress. Soros is also a major financial backer of theDemocracy Alliance, an organization committed to drive progressive activist funding and the recently formed Institute for New Economic Thinking, which was jump started by a $50 million pledge from Soros.
Both the Koch brothers and Soros have given generously to nonpartisan charitable organizations. David Koch, who is still receiving treatment for prostate cancer has donated $120 million to cancer research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $40 million to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, $100 million torenovating New York City Ballet and Opera Theater, and $20 million to the American Museum of Natural History, among other donations. Soros recently pledged $100 million to Human Rights Watch, and he has made many other charitable donations such as $50 million for the Millennium Promise initiative to eradicate extreme poverty in Africa. In 2003, PBS estimated Soros had donated more than $4 billion since the 1980s.
VERDICT: Given the difficultly in tracking donations to nonprofits and charitable organizations, it’s almost impossible to quantify whether the Koch brothers or Soros dominate this political realm. That said, both the Kochs and Soros have spent incredible riches in this area with no sign of stopping.

 

[russ1945]

Blogs / Room 235

• 

[COLOR=#0066CC !important][FONT=Helvetica !important]Room 235

[/FONT]
Perspectives from a right-wing (common sense) point of view...

BY KEVIN_MCGINTY

---

Sun, 02/09/2014 - 4:31pm
Compared To George Soros The Koch Brothers Are Amateurs...









VIEWER WARNING: TODAY'S VIDEO IS ALMOST 10 MINUTES LONG SO I KNOW VERY FEW IF ANY OF YOU WILL BOTHER TO WATCH IT. THAT'S FINE. BUT THE TRUTH'S RIGHT THERE TO THOSE WHO AREN'T SCARED OF IT.
Anyway, it cracks me up every time I hear or listen to some leftist babbling on and on about those evil Koch brothers and their Americans for Prosperity (APF) organization.
According to the leftists peddling this nonsense the Koch brothers are the only billionaires in the political manipulation game and they'd like you to believe the democrats don't have anybody with the kind of money or influence the Koch brothers have.
Those who spin this obvious lie are either completely ignorant of the facts and really, truly don't know any better or they're willfully ignorant of the facts and are lying to you.
Personally, I believe it's the latter. But what do I know, I'm just an old guy.
But just for the fun of it let's play along and pretend they've never made the connection between the Democrats and the Hollywood elite. They've never heard of the guy named Warren Buffet. They've never heard that the Democrats enjoy the enormous fincancial backing of every public and private sector union in the country and they've never heard of The New York Times or MSNBC.
And every single one of them act like the guy named George Soros doesn't even exist.
Well he does. And he exists in a very big, spooky way.

The following is a list of organizations directly funded by none other than George Soros.
Read the list and then you decide.
Who's doing the most political manipulation? The Koch Brothers with their Americans for Prosperity (APF) of George Soros with his world wide network of radical activists.
Advancement Project: This organization works to organize "communities of color" into politically cohesive units promoting leftist policies.
Air America Radio: Now defunct leftist radio station.
All of Us or None: This organization seeks to change voting laws.
Alliance for Justice: This organization is best known for their work in the appointment of federal judges.
America Coming Together: This organization's mission is to organizes and promote pro-Democrat voter-mobilization programs.
America Votes: Another pro-Democrat get out the vote organization.
America's voice: Open borders group pushing amnesty for illegal aliens.
American Bar Accociation on Immigration policy: Another open borders group pushing for amnesty for illegal aliens.
American Bridge 21st Century: This group privides Democrat candidates information (dirt) on their Republican opponents.
American Civil Liberties Union: This group opposes almost every security measure taken since the attacks of 9-11. They're also big time open borders people and have been quick to defend suspected terrorists.
American Constitution Society for Law and Policy: A Washington DC based think-tank designed to recrute, indoctrinate and mobilize young law students.
American Family Voices: This group creates and coordinates media campaigns against Republican candidates.
American Federation of Teachers: This powerful teachers union works to make sure everyone adheres to left wing policies.
American Friends Service Committee: This group views The United State as the principal cause of human suffering. They're big open borders supporters, pro amnesty and abololition of the death penalty.
American Immigration Council: Another open border group pushing for amnesty.
American Immigration Law Foundation: Another open border group.
American Institute of Social Justice: Obviously one of Obama's favorite groups.
American Library Accociation: This group is working to repeal every aspect of the Patriot Act.
American Prospect Inc: This corporation recruits and trains left wing journalists.
Amnesty International: Yet another open borders and pro amnesty group.
Applied Research Center: This group sees The United States as deeply racist.
Arab American Institute: An Anti-Israel Pro- Palestinian group.
Aspen Institution: Environmental extremists who view The United States As a deeply racist nation.
MoveOn.org. This group help promote Democrat candidates.
The Tides Foundation: Funnels Soros money to dozens of other left wing groups.
And the list goes on and on and on.
Click on the link below for the entire list of George Soros funded left-wing groups to see for yourself.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=1237
Do the Koch brothers spend millions of dollars promoting convervative candidates?
Of course the do.
No one's saying they don't.
You see, that's the difference between right wing bloggers and talking heads and our counterparts on the left.
My side (conservative side) sticks to facts and places a premium on the truth and honesty.
The left?
Well, not so much...
Kevin McGinty
Contact information below:
email address: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
FaceBook Page: www.facebook.com/kevin.mcginty.315
Room 235 (underground Bunker) blog: www.rm235.blogspot.com





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[Dave007inVegas]

You might wanna check George soros charity.....careful ,it doesn't fit your narrative.

Alert! Alert!

This article comes to you courtesy of Foxnews so it must be a bunch of lies.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011...left-gives-550-million-to-liberal-causes.html

 

[russ1945]

[h=2]OPINION[/h][h=1]Why Don't We Hear About Soros' Ties to Over 30 Major News Organizations?[/h]By Dan Gainor
Published May 11, 2011 FoxNews.com


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Editor's note: This is the first of a two part series on George Soros and the media.
When liberal investor George Soros gave $1.8 million to National Public Radio , it became part of the firestorm of controversy that jeopardized NPR’s federal funding. But that gift only hints at the widespread influence the controversial billionaire has on the mainstream media. Soros, who spent $27 million trying to defeat President Bush in 2004, has ties to more than 30 mainstream news outlets – including The New York Times, Washington Post, the Associated Press, NBC and ABC.
Prominent journalists like ABC’s Christiane Amanpour and former Washington Post editor and now Vice President Len Downie serve on boards of operations that take Soros cash. This despite the Society of Professional Journalists' ethical code stating: “avoid all conflicts real or perceived.”
This information is part of an upcoming report by the Media Research Centers Business & Media Institute which has been looking into George Soros and his influence on the media.
The investigative reporting start-up ProPublica is a prime example. ProPublica, which recently won its second Pulitzer Prize, initially was given millions of dollars from the Sandler Foundation to “strengthen the progressive infrastructure” – “progressive” being the code word for very liberal. In 2010, it also received a two-year contribution of $125,000 each year from the Open Society Foundations. In case you wonder where that money comes from, the OSF website iswww.soros.org. It is a network of more than 30 international foundations, mostly funded by Soros, who has contributed more than $8 billion to those efforts.
The ProPublica stories are thoroughly researched by top-notch staffers who used to work at some of the biggest news outlets in the nation. But the topics are almost laughably left-wing. The site’s proud list of “Our Investigations” includes attacks on oil companies, gas companies, the health care industry, for-profit schools and more. More than 100 stories on the latest lefty cause: opposition to drilling for natural gas by hydraulic fracking. Another 100 on the evils of the foreclosure industry.
Throw in a couple investigations making the military look bad and another about prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and you have almost the perfect journalism fantasy – a huge budget, lots of major media partners and a liberal agenda unconstrained by advertising.
One more thing: a 14-person Journalism Advisory Board, stacked with CNN’s David Gergen and representatives from top newspapers, a former publisher of The Wall Street Journal and the editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster. Several are working journalists, including:
• Jill Abramson, a managing editor of The New York Times;
• Kerry Smith, the senior vice president for editorial quality of ABC News;
• Cynthia A. Tucker, the editor of the editorial page of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
ProPublica is far from the only Soros-funded organization that is stacked with members of the supposedly neutral press.
The Center for Public Integrity is another great example. Its board of directors is filled with working journalists like Amanpour from ABC, right along side blatant liberal media types like Arianna Huffington, of the Huffington Post and now AOL.
Like ProPublica, the CPI board is a veritable Who’s Who of journalism and top media organizations, including:
• Christiane Amanpour – Anchor of ABC’s Sunday morning political affairs program, “This Week with Christiane Amanpour.” A reliable lefty, she has called tax cuts “giveaways,” the Tea Party “extreme,” and Obama “very Reaganesque.”
• Paula Madison – Executive vice president and chief diversity officer for NBC Universal, who leads NBC Universal’s corporate diversity initiatives, spanning all broadcast television, cable, digital, and film properties.
• Matt Thompson – Editorial product manager at National Public Radio and an adjunct faculty member at the prominent Poynter Institute.
The group's advisory board features:
• Ben Sherwood, ABC News president and former "Good Morning America" executive producer
Once again, like ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity’s investigations are mostly liberal – attacks on the coal industry, payday loans and conservatives like Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. The Center for Public Integrity is also more open about its politics, including a detailed investigation into conservative funders David and Charles Koch and their “web of influence.”According to the center’s own 990 tax forms, the Open Society Institute gave it $651,650 in 2009 alone.
The well-known Center for Investigative Reporting follows the same template – important journalists on the board and a liberal editorial agenda. Both the board of directors and the advisory board contain journalists from major news outlets. The board features:
• Phil Bronstein (President), San Francisco Chronicle;
• David Boardman, The Seattle Times;
• Len Downie, former Executive Editor of the Washington Post, now VP;
• George Osterkamp, CBS News producer.
Readers of the site are greeted with numerous stories on climate change, illegal immigration and the evils of big companies. It counts among its media partners The Washington Post, Salon, CNN and ABC News. CIR received close to $1 million from Open Society from 2003 to 2008.
Why does it all matter? Journalists, we are constantly told, are neutral in their reporting. In almost the same breath, many bemoan the influence of money in politics. It is a maxim of both the left and many in the media that conservatives are bought and paid for by business interests. Yet where are the concerns about where their money comes from?
Fred Brown, who recently revised the book “Journalism Ethics: A Casebook of Professional Conduct for News Media,” argues journalists need to be “transparent” about their connections and “be up front about your relationship” with those who fund you.
Unfortunately, that rarely happens. While the nonprofits list who sits on their boards, the news outlets they work for make little or no effort to connect those dots. Amanpour’s biography page, for instance, talks about her lengthy career, her time at CNN and her many awards. It makes no mention of her affiliation with the Center for Public Integrity.
If journalists were more up front, they would have to admit numerous uncomfortable connections with groups that push a liberal agenda, many of them funded by the stridently liberal George Soros. So don’t expect that transparency any time soon.

 

[russ1945]

Alert! Alert!

This article comes to you courtesy of Foxnews so it must be a bunch of lies.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011...left-gives-550-million-to-liberal-causes.html

Once again the Tard opens a door he should have never opened. What's new LOL.

 

[russ1945]

This Is Why We Should Fear George Soros, Not The Koch Brothers

Image credit: Norway UN (New York) (Flickr)
Should we fear those who support the ideals that made America great?
Richard Larsen April 10, 2014 at 10:17am
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Judging from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s nearly daily diatribes on the floor of the U.S. Senate, George W. Bush has been retired as the most despised villain and the cause of all the evils that plague the world. Bush has been replaced by the Koch (a Dutch name, pronounced “Coke”) brothers, who are often maligned by the left for their pecuniary influence in politics. Since those on the left are not equally malevolent toward George Soros, who does the same thing, it’s clearly not the money in politics that bothers them — it’s the ideology.
The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize winning Fact Check granted a “Four Pinocchio” rating to Reid’s latest round of attacks. The Post says Reid is “setting a high standard for deceptive speech,” and concludes that Reid’s party is “reaching blindly” for someone to cast the blame of their own failures on. The paper, critical of the falsity of Reid’s claim, chides him with, “If you want to join a gun fight, don’t fire blanks.”

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David and Charles Koch are brothers who run Koch Industries, an oil refinery business that is the second largest private firm in the country. The brothers are tied at number 6 on Forbes top billionaires list with personal net worth of about $41 billion each. They’ve expanded and maintained their fortunes by successfully providing the refined product that keeps America moving – oil.
George Soros is chairman of Soros Fund Management, a hedge fund company. Soros is number 27 on Forbes list with a net worth of $23 billion. He’s made his fortune in large part by selling short against international currencies and collapsing financial institutions. In 1997, he was dubbed “the man who broke the Bank of England”; and he was blamed by the Malaysian Prime Minister for collapsing their currency during the Asian financial crisis. He was also convicted of illegal financial dealings in France. His big bet now is collapsing the U.S. dollar and the free enterprise system.
Economist Paul Krugman has been critical of Soros and others like him, “who not only move money in anticipation of a currency crisis, but actually do their best to trigger that crisis for fun and profit. These new actors on the scene do not yet have a standard name; my proposed term is ‘Soroi’.”

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The Koch brothers and Soros spend lavishly in politics. They support individual candidates, contribute to political party campaign funds, lobby politicians, bankroll political action committees, and have established foundations and think tanks to influence politics.
The Kochs spend by far the most, but the bulk of it goes to lobbying. The Open Society Institute is one of George Soros’ organizations, and they provide part of the funding of OpenSecrets.org; so even realizing that their data may be skewed toward a more pejorative coverage of the Kochs, I’m going to rely on their data. According to Open Secrets, the Koch brothers have spent (or as liberals typically describe it, “invested”) over $50 million in lobbying from 1998-2010. During that same time, Soros and his primary Lobbying organization, the Open Society Policy Center, spent about $13 million.
Donations to federal candidates, parties, and political action committees give a smaller advantage to the Kochs. They invested $2.58 million vs. Soros’ $1.74 million from 1989 to 2010. When extended to include the past four years, the Koch brothers have contributed $18 million in political donations. This sounds like a great number, until we look at the 58 organizations ahead of them, including 18 different unions, according to Open Secrets. Those unions’ political contributions total over $638 million, almost all of whose funds go to liberal candidates, and is more than 35 times what the Kochs donate. Among those are the American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees ($60,667,379), the National Education Association ($53,594,488), the United Auto Workers ($41,667,858), and the Service Employees International Union ($38,395,690.)
But from here, the money for political influence gets a little more shady. From 2001 to 2010, the Koch brothers invested $1.5 million in other political groups, called 527 organizations, compared to Soros’ whopping $32.5 million.
The proliferation and expanded influence of 527s was made possible by the problematic McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform of 2002, so named because of the tax code, Section 527, that they fall under. As described by Benjamin Dangl, the groups “operate as shadow political campaigns working indirectly for or against a particular candidate.” Once contributed funds get to these groups, they can go anywhere; and the audit trail is virtually non-existent. Some are run totally above board and are very straightforward in their objectives. Many others are not. As Dangl says, “Prominent think tanks and campaign finance reform lobbyists say 527s are ‘illegal loopholes’ that enable the privatization of political campaigns.”
The groups that these men contribute to tell an even more significant tale than the sheer dollar volume they pump into our dysfunctional crony-capitalist, or corporatist, political system. Since the Koch brothers are ideological libertarians, they’re driven by the classical-liberal Jeffersonian philosophy that America was founded on. Perhaps nothing defines this self-defined mission for the brothers better than the mission statement on the Cato Institute website, which states, “The mission of the Cato Institute is to originate, disseminate, and increase understanding of public policies based on the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.”
The Cato Institute, the Koch’s crown jewel, was established 40 years ago with seed money from Charles Koch, and his brother David still serves on the Board of the organization. Cato is recognized as the sixth most influential think tank in the nation, and number 14 internationally, with its scholarly and empirically documented research.
They also have contributed significantly to the Reason Foundation, publisher of Reason Magazine, applying reason and logic to economic and personal liberty issues. Nobel laureate Milton Friedman strongly supported the Foundation. And with a grant of $30 million, the Koch brothers were instrumental in the establishment of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, with similar objectives.
George Soros runs the Open Society Institute and the Soros.org website; and he contributes heavily to many organizations that ideologically are aligned with leftist causes, including Moveon.org. He is reviled abroad for his shady efforts to foment revolution and collapse currencies. His foundations have been accused of shielding spies and breaking currency laws, and he’s invested over $400 million in institutions of higher education to promulgate and teach his extremist ideology.
In short, the Kochs and Soros are heavily invested in politics and are, by all standards, prototypical “one percenters” in income, net worth, and political influence. And it would appear, at least ostensibly, that all three are playing the influence-for-money game according to the rules established by Congress. There is near universal contempt for the crony capitalism and corrupt corporatism that has tainted our political institutions and politicians (and adulterated our free-market system). But Congress has created the rules these players play by. Blaming the Kochs and Soros for using their resources to buy influence is like blaming collegiate athletes for the rules established by the NCAA.
Since most of the Koch’s political money goes into lobbying, their funds are well documented, as required by congressional accounting rules. With most of Soros’ political “investments” going into 527s, the funds are less traceable and has earned Soros the dubious honor of being dubbed the “Godfather to the left.”
The classical-liberal principles of individual freedom and free markets that are so fully embraced and advanced by Charles and David Koch are the very principles the nation was founded upon. They are the principles that made America great. The progressive socialistic agenda advanced by Soros is antithetical to America’s founding precepts; and it is heavily invested in the failure of not only the U.S. dollar, but the collapse of the U.S. economic system.
As distasteful as the pay-for-influence system is, the ideological objectives and uses of that influence should be of even greater concern. Should we fear those who support the ideals that made America great, or the one who seeks to destroy and fundamentally transform the country?

 

[PatsFan1283]

The Koch brothers are self proclaimed Libertarians, David even ran as a libertarian. So this shouldn't really surprise anyone. Do they try to buy elections? Of course they do, but that's the game. It's like Ice T says, "Don't hate the playa, hate the game."

Not sure how you can be a libertarian and not support free markets. Glad the tea party in Florida is telling these guys to fuck off.

Most of us would probably do what we could to protect our business interests as well but doesn't mean it's right.

 

[RenoChazz]

Not sure how you can be a libertarian and not support free markets. Glad the tea party in Florida is telling these guys to fuck off.

Most of us would probably do what we could to protect our business interests as well but doesn't mean it's right.

Like I said they're self proclaimed Libertarians. I don't keep up with all this stuff, but I thought they were for free markets, which is why they donate to Republicans. Still that's the way the game is set up though, when people can buy elections.

 

[Dave007inVegas]

Once again the Tard opens a door he should have never opened. What's new LOL.

Sometimes it's just too fucking easy.

 

[PatsFan1283]

Like I said they're self proclaimed Libertarians. I don't keep up with all this stuff, but I thought they were for free markets, which is why they donate to Republicans. Still that's the way the game is set up though, when people can buy elections.

They have a lot of interest in utilities. Since these interests are being jeopardized, they've spent a lot of money lobbying for various ways to stifle this disruption.

Obviously supplying the regulated monopoly utility model is a pretty nice gig to have going.

 

[vitterd]

Sometimes it's just too fucking easy.

Exactly

If you two dolts actually looked for the truth you would see the unreal generosity of Soros to many causes....matching employee donations to any charity....even those on the right.

You two dummies are such political hacks and bend over for the scumbag Koch brothers that you don't even see how dirty they are.

Keep lapping it up sheep.