How much longer will we allow this to continue??
To help end it; End Dark Money, End Citizens United. Unscrupulous billionaires use non-profit corporations to fund politicians, who in turn, allow them to literally write laws. A Corporation was never a Person. So end Corporate Welfare,
This is what doing nothing looks like.
Amazon is paying $0 in taxes on $11+ billion in profit.
$0 for schools. $0 for firefighters. $0 for infrastructure. $0 for research and healthcare.
Why should corporations that contribute nothing to the pot be in a position to take billions from the public?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC - Feb 14, 2019
What #AOC didn’t mention — Amazon received a $129 million tax rebate aka refund.
Why pick on AMZN? Because they’re a publicly traded company. While the Koch Brother’s Koch Industries and non-profits are private! And they pay good money to keep their finances hidden from the public. Just ask #KochSucker Mitch McConnell and Republicans!
The Koch’s and their #KochNetwork were #NeverTrump EXCEPT when it came to tax cuts for the rich and corporations — and of course SCOTUS justices; Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh!
In spite of the network’s decision to stay out of the presidential race, it will still support candidates for Senate and governor through its various groups like Americans for Prosperity.
Koch network Spokesman James Davis told the Post the organization plans to “significant investment to support policy champions in Senate, House and state races, build broad-based policy coalitions, and to launch a major new initiative to fight poverty in America.”
From the Washington Post
The snub of the president is likely to reinforce the personal divide between Trump and Koch.
At a meeting of top Koch network donors last summer, senior network officials criticized the “tremendous lack of leadership” in Trump’s Washington, saying “the divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage.”
The New York Times dropped a major story Tuesday evening: “President Trump told the White House counsel in the spring that he wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute two of his political adversaries: his 2016 challenger, Hillary Clinton, and the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey.” According to the Times, Donald McGahn II, the counsel, told Trump this would be an abuse of power and that Trump had no authority to launch such prosecutions. McGahn also had White House lawyers draft a memo for Trump warning that such a move could lead to impeachment.
Whitaker was the President of FACT, a nonprofit funded by the Koch’s #DonorsTrust. One of his jobs was to target and smear Hillary Clinton, so that, Trump and Republicans could win in 2016.
Steven Mnuchin and Trump taking Citizens United to the next level, legalizing tax scams from so called nonprofits. The Koch’s gave Paul Ryan $500k for passing tax cuts. What will Mnuchin be getting? Trump?
Notice the similarity in the language between Mnuchin and the nonprofits aka Koch’s. This is what happens when Oligarchs and Corporations write and pass the laws.
Americans for Prosperity and other 501(c)(4) organizations in the Koch brothers’ network of advocacy groups were among dozens of such nonprofit groups to sign onto a letter sent in May to Mr. Trump and Mr. Mnuchin declaring a policy change “an issue of utmost importance.” The letter accused the I.R.S. of “targeting of nonprofit organizations on the basis of ideology.”
“Americans shouldn’t be required to send the I.R.S. information that it doesn’t need to effectively enforce our tax laws, and the I.R.S. simply does not need tax returns with donor names and addresses to do its job in this area,” Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary
The change, which has long been sought by conservatives and Republicans in Congress, will affect thousands of labor unions, social clubs and political groups as varied as arms of the AARP, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association and Americans for Prosperity, which is funded partly by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.
Such groups have played an increasingly prominent role in American politics in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in a case brought by the nonprofit group Citizens United, which empowered them to spend unlimited money on campaign ads.
“It’s a clear signal that the I.R.S. and now the Treasury Department are not interested in any significant oversight of nonprofits. What they’re doing is excusing them from filing information that is of material importance for determining whether organizations are operating appropriately and within the boundaries of the rules.”
- Marcus S. Owens, a Washington lawyer and former director of the I.R.S. division for tax-exempt organizations.
This article is excellent. The author uses the tragedy of what is happening to SNAP to connect the artificially created and maintained cycle of poverty to the societal destructiveness of Republican policies.
When Republican’s are in power the stock market crashes, banks fail, and poverty soars.
Republicans ramming the Farm Bill through while they’re in control. Their final act of repaying their patrons, the Koch brothers, before the Blue Wave in November.
The Farm Bill is not just about economics, it reflects the moral values of our country. I trust that even in the era of Trump there are still some left, especially for our neighbors in need.
Congressional Republicans are continually dreaming up ways to build more hurdles into the system, so they can cut benefits in the name of fiscal conservatism. This time it is new work requirements and stricter income eligibility. A small increase in income, like a raise of just over $1.00 per hour, could push a person “over an economic cliff” and reduce their monthly income because they would no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits since their income surpassed 130 percent of the federal poverty level.
— Citizens for Ethics @CREWcrew - Apr 12, 2018
Voted Most Likely to Commit Crimes against Humanity
The Koch’s are using a small portion of their $1.4 BILLION in tax cuts for 2018 to create jobs - Republican jobs in the House and Senate. Proof that Winning and Power are intoxicating.
Never forget, the Koch’s will be receiving $1.4 Billion EVERY YEAR.
The Koch network will spend 60% more on the 2018 cycle than it did on the 2016 presidential election, the largest midterm investment it's ever had, Tim Phillips of Americans for Prosperity told reporters Saturday. This includes up to $20 million on “communicating the benefits of tax reform," along with other policy and politics efforts. The network spent about $250 million on policy and politics in the 2016 cycle.
Midterm elections are typically very difficult for the party in power, even without the scandals that have occurred under the Trump administration. The network sees the regulatory and legislative victories of the administration as hugely important and are going all-out to protect them.
Guess what Wisconsin and America, the Koch’s and GOP donors are going to use their Billions in tax cuts to do the same at local, state and federal elections #BuyingVotes #BuyingDemocracy #RiggedElection #Plutocracy
Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus are Wisconsin’s other repressive sh*thole Republicans. #GOPComplicit #SoldAmerica
After grabbing power in the “Republican-wave” election of 2010—with a massive boost from heavy spending by the Koch brothers and other out-of-state donors
The governor is deliberately denying Wisconsinites representation in the legislature by refusing to call special elections to fill open seats in the State Assembly and the State Senate.
In doing so, he is rejecting the clear intent of Wisconsin’s statutes, which declare: “Any vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the Assembly occurring before the 2nd Tuesday in May in the year in which a regular election is held to fill that seat shall be filled as promptly as possible by special election.”
Ryan was elected by Republicans, Independents, Protest Voters and of course those BERNIE Bros and Bernie or Bust People.
Tom Cotton is the Koch whore n chief.
Paul Ryan should be insulted. He didn’t even receive the 15% minimum tip.
The Koch’s will get between $1 to $1.4 Billion EVERY year while Ryan only received $500K — 0.00035 percent. #CorruptIdiot
Charles Koch and David Koch, the billionaire industrialists and right-wing mega-donors, stand to save between $1 billion and $1.4 billion in income taxes each year from the tax law passed last month by Republican lawmakers and signed by President Donald Trump
The new report by the Americans for Tax Fairness details how those estimated tax savings would come from a combinations of the Koch's personal liabilities and that of the business empire, Koch Industries.
The Koch groups spent over $20 million promoting the tax bill that ultimately became law, according to a fact sheet they provided to the Wall Street Journal.
As reporting last week exposed, and ATF also noted, FEC filings show that the Koch Brother's network made a $500,000 contribution to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) the day after the Republican's won final passage of the tax bill in December. Given to "Team Ryan"―a joint fundraising committee which benefits Ryan, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and a pro-Paul Ryan political action committee―the donation appeared to many as a return on investment.
On top of the gift to Team Ryan, the Koch's also gave an additional $250,000 directly to the NRCC.
Kentuckywired is a project to run fiber between cities in Kentucky, creating a high speed network for the state’s operations. It involves a lot of expensive public works – digging up streets and highways to lay down relatively cheap fiber and conduit (the digging is the expensive part).
A citizens’ group worked with Louisville Metro Council to take advantage of the public works project: they proposed to lay down some extra fiber during the buildout that could serve the people of Louisville, as well as laying the groundwork for a smarter city: connectivity to wire up traffic signals, public safety agencies, and so on.
Louisville is one of the most segregated cities in the country, and the poor people of West Louisville suffer all the maladies of poverty, like ill health. Not coincidentally, they are dramatically underserved by the telcoms monopolies of Kentucky.
By combining a municipal fiber network with the statewide effort, Louisville could shave the cost of running fiber from $15m to $5m, and jumpstart its new life as a city where the internet was truly world-class.
But as the plan started to move through the city council, it met stiff resistance from a mysterious group called “Taxpayers Protection Alliance,” who created a misinformation campaign suggesting – hilariously – that the whole idea of wiring up the city was a plot by Google to trick taxpayers into subsidizing its Google Fiber product.
This Taxpayers Protection Alliance is lavishly funded by Koch dark money, laundered through other groups the Kochs fund. The TPA spends that money in dirty fights to carry water for cable and phone company internet duopolies in cities across America, contributing to America’s status as one of the worst-provisioned countries in the OECD.
Once the TPA’s connection to the Kochs was revealed, Louisville council started paying attention to the substance of the debate, and voted to lay down the network.
Believe it or don’t, but Koch believe that access to internet makes people less likely to support a fossil fuel economy.
Senate #Plutocracy
Congress #CronyCapitalism
This is from Fox! The Koch’s investing millions to get back BILLIONS.
Republican mega-donors and billionaire brothers, Charles and David Koch, plan to spend millions of dollars to promote the Trump administration’s tax reform agenda.
Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips on Thursday discussed how his organization plans to promote President Trump’s tax reform plan and why he wants it passed by the end of the year.
“It’s important for the economy, the Trump plan is a good one and so we’re announcing a multi-million dollar effort, it’s going to include digital media, broader advertising, our grassroots muscle, we have full time staff and tens of thousands of volunteers in 36 states,” he told FOX Business’ Neil Cavuto.
“We want to make sure that the tax reform gets done, if it all possible, by this year…It’s tougher to do in 2018, an election year,”
More proof that the Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell Tax Plan (Tax Cuts for the Rich) was created by mega rich Republican Donors
The Intercept obtained a messaging memo from the Koch brothers’ network on how to sell tax reform legislation. The memo went out to members of the network of likeminded Republican donors, which includes dozens of wealthy investors and business executives.
The talking points suggest that backers of the tax cuts feel vulnerable to the charge that the tax cuts will jack up the deficit.
“In case it is helpful to you in your own discussions with lawmakers and others, below is a list of talking points that address some of the key hurdles to passing tax reform this year.”
The memo goes on to encourage lawmakers to avoid becoming distracted by deficit concerns when passing the GOP tax reform package (emphasis added):
“Avoid getting distracted on revenue neutrality; economic growth increases revenues. Some Republican Senators have expressed concern over supporting comprehensive tax reform that adds to short-term deficits. Though we fully appreciate those concerns, the long-term economic growth that would result from the first comprehensive tax reform in a generation would help to offset short-term deficits over time. That was the result of the Kennedy and Reagan tax reforms—there’s no reason this time will be any different.”
