[Peace-discuss] When thieves fall out: Forbes on Koch bros

[C. G. Estabrook]

Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions
Feb. 18 2011 - 6:45 pm
By RICK UNGAR

As the nation focuses on the efforts of Governor Scott Walker to take away 
collective bargaining rights from public employees in Wisconsin, new information 
is coming to light that reveals what is truly going on here.

Mother Jones is reporting that much of the funding behind the Walker for 
Governor campaign came from none other than uber-conservatives, the infamous 
Koch Brothers.

What’s more, the plan to kill the unions is right out of the Koch Brothers play 
book.

Koch-backed groups like Americans for Prosperity, the Cato Institute, the 
Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the Reason Foundation have long taken a 
very antagonistic view toward public-sector unions. Several of these groups have 
urged the eradication of these unions. The Kochs also invited Mark Mix, 
president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, an anti-union 
outfit, to a June 2010 confab in Aspen, Colorado;

Via Mother Jones

If you are reluctant to believe that this is a coordinated attack, consider this-

This afternoon, Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin Public Workers 
Union, sent a message to the Governor’s office agreeing to the cuts to pension & 
welfare benefits sought by Walker in his bill. The governor’s response was 
“nothing doing.” He wants the whole kit and kaboodle – the end of the collective 
bargaining rights of the public unions.

As noted in my earlier post, this is, indeed, the first shot in the final battle 
to end unionism in America.

UPDATE: The Americans for Prosperity group, a Tea Party group that is a Koch 
Brothers front, has put up a website and petition called 
www.standwithwalker.com. The website attacks all collective bargaining – not 
just for public employees’ unions. Americans for Prosperity is also organizing a 
rally tomorrow in Wisconsin to support Gov. Walker.

Why are the Koch Brothers so interested in Wisconsin? They are a major business 
player in the state.

This from Think Progress:

Koch owns a coal company subsidiary with facilities in Green Bay, Manitowoc, 
Ashland and Sheboygan; six timber plants throughout the state; and a large 
network of pipelines in Wisconsin. While Koch controls much of the 
infrastructure in the state, they have laid off workers to boost profits. At a 
time when Koch Industries owners David and Charles Koch awarded themselves an 
extra $11 billion of income from the company, Koch slashed jobs at their Green 
Bay plant:

Officials at Georgia-Pacific said the company is laying off 158 workers at its 
Day Street plant because out-of-date equipment at the facility is being replaced 
with newer, more-efficient equipment. The company said much of the new, 
papermaking equipment will be automated. [...] Malach tells FOX 11 that the 
layoffs are not because of a drop in demand. In fact, Malach said demand is high 
for the bath tissue and napkins manufactured at the plant.

You really have to wonder how long it will take for Tea Party devotees to 
realize just how badly they are being used.

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/02/18/koch-brothers-behind-wisconsin-effort-to-kill-public-unions/