and you have the brain of a potato.
let the libs hike
- Thread starter feff f
- Start date
and you have the brain of a potato.
The Ruiner
Well-Known Member
No man, it's all good.
UncleBuck
Well-Known Member
potatoes don't have brains.
tell that to the wife with the black eyes. "yes honey, its the same principle, i beat your ass legally and wild bills wife has her own car, wears makeup, and goes to college. same principle indeed so shut the fuck up before i blacken your sisters eyes."
those guys are almost twins!
talk about faulty logic.
The Ruiner
Well-Known Member
When you are unwilling to accept the idealogy of others' there is little difference in the mentality of either.
False Attribution on Jeff. 10 yards from the spot of the foul, and a loss of down. 4th down.
dukeanthony
New Member
So How much are the COCK brothers spending to attack Global warming, alternative energy and natural gas
Can anyone answer that question?
Can anyone answer that question?
MuyLocoNC
Well-Known Member
Is it possible that a majority of the members on this forum don't obsess on the COCK (?) brothers? Don't know who they are, wouldn't care about them even if they did know who they are.
But to be fair, I'll take a straight up guess at your question.
My answer is, less than 1/1000th the amount that has been wasted/given as grants for the support of "The Phenomemon previously known as Global Warming". Am I close? I bet I am.
For every million they have spent, I'm sure a billion in tax payer's money has been pissed away, if not far more.
dukeanthony
New Member
The idea that Charles and David Koch are liberal bêtes noires is not new. Over the past year, the elderly brothers, head of the vast Koch Industries business empire, have occupied top spot in the demonology of the left.
Across a range of activities – from the birth of the Tea Party to undermining unions in Wisconsin, to opposing efforts to curb global warming – they have been believed by many Democrats to be forever lurking behind the headlines. Now, a brilliant piece of investigative reporting by the Washington-based watchdog Centre for Public Integrity has detailed the Kochs' vast political and lobbying operations. It makes sobering and deeply disturbing reading. After all, it is one thing to believe that out there somewhere the devil exists, but reading the CPI report feels a little like being given his phone number.
The sums of money spent in furthering Koch (pronounced like the drink coke, no matter how tempting it is to rhyme it with rock) interests and power are staggering. But what is most disturbing is how rapidly they are growing. In 2004, the CPI found, the Kochs spent a "mere" $857,000 on lobbying. In 2008, that had grown to $20m dollars. Over the next two years, they then spent a further $20.5m.
The causes are varied but self-centred around the vital interests of Koch Industries such as oil, energy, chemicals and financial products. Employing no less than 30 lobbyists in Washington, Koch Industries has lobbied to change more than 100 pieces of federal legislation. They included trying to loosen regulations on potentially poisonous substances like dioxins, benzene and asbestos. They have pushed back against restrictions on carbon emissions and funded thinktanks and groups that promote efforts to discredit climate change science. They tried to soften attempts at financial reform where the Kochs operate in the derivatives market. Wherever a law touched on a Koch corporate interests, there were the company's lobbyists trying to gut, deaden or defeat any attempt at regulation.
The Kochs defenders argue that none of this should be surprising. The Kochs are fiercely political libertarians and thus believe much of government is wrong and that companies should be freed from the shackles of regulation. They openly fund libertarian organisations and, surely, have every right to promote their political ideology in any (legal) way they can. Just as every other American does.
That is true. Or at least it would be if the Kochs' activities were consistent with their proclaimed ideology. But the genius of the CPI's work is exposing that it is not. The Kochs (who, remember, oppose government intervention as anti-capitalist) should have nothing to do with the heavily subsidised ethanol industry. Yet, in fact, the Kochs are responsible for buying and marketing about one tenth of all ethanol produced in the US, effectively cashing in on government largesse. Likewise, the Kochs have vociferously opposed a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions in the US. Yet, in Europe, the Kochs make millions from trading in emissions credits.
When fighting government regulation helps them maximise profits – even by putting the rest of us at risk from cancer-causing chemicals – they are all about libertarianism. Yet when government rules or subsidies provide an opportunity to make some money, that free-market ideology is quietly shelved.
No wonder Koch lobbyists also fought for the recent tax breaks for the rich. For the Kochs (tied at 18th place in Forbes' latest rich list) are worth $22bn apiece. The brothers must have been laughing all the way to the bank when those tax breaks got passed. Reading the CPI report, it becomes clear that the Kochs are not really ideological at all: what really motivates them is simply cold, hard cash.
So when it comes to worrying about the Kochs' influence on the political system in the US, conservatives should really be joining liberals in getting nervous.
Across a range of activities – from the birth of the Tea Party to undermining unions in Wisconsin, to opposing efforts to curb global warming – they have been believed by many Democrats to be forever lurking behind the headlines. Now, a brilliant piece of investigative reporting by the Washington-based watchdog Centre for Public Integrity has detailed the Kochs' vast political and lobbying operations. It makes sobering and deeply disturbing reading. After all, it is one thing to believe that out there somewhere the devil exists, but reading the CPI report feels a little like being given his phone number.
The sums of money spent in furthering Koch (pronounced like the drink coke, no matter how tempting it is to rhyme it with rock) interests and power are staggering. But what is most disturbing is how rapidly they are growing. In 2004, the CPI found, the Kochs spent a "mere" $857,000 on lobbying. In 2008, that had grown to $20m dollars. Over the next two years, they then spent a further $20.5m.
The causes are varied but self-centred around the vital interests of Koch Industries such as oil, energy, chemicals and financial products. Employing no less than 30 lobbyists in Washington, Koch Industries has lobbied to change more than 100 pieces of federal legislation. They included trying to loosen regulations on potentially poisonous substances like dioxins, benzene and asbestos. They have pushed back against restrictions on carbon emissions and funded thinktanks and groups that promote efforts to discredit climate change science. They tried to soften attempts at financial reform where the Kochs operate in the derivatives market. Wherever a law touched on a Koch corporate interests, there were the company's lobbyists trying to gut, deaden or defeat any attempt at regulation.
The Kochs defenders argue that none of this should be surprising. The Kochs are fiercely political libertarians and thus believe much of government is wrong and that companies should be freed from the shackles of regulation. They openly fund libertarian organisations and, surely, have every right to promote their political ideology in any (legal) way they can. Just as every other American does.
That is true. Or at least it would be if the Kochs' activities were consistent with their proclaimed ideology. But the genius of the CPI's work is exposing that it is not. The Kochs (who, remember, oppose government intervention as anti-capitalist) should have nothing to do with the heavily subsidised ethanol industry. Yet, in fact, the Kochs are responsible for buying and marketing about one tenth of all ethanol produced in the US, effectively cashing in on government largesse. Likewise, the Kochs have vociferously opposed a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions in the US. Yet, in Europe, the Kochs make millions from trading in emissions credits.
When fighting government regulation helps them maximise profits – even by putting the rest of us at risk from cancer-causing chemicals – they are all about libertarianism. Yet when government rules or subsidies provide an opportunity to make some money, that free-market ideology is quietly shelved.
No wonder Koch lobbyists also fought for the recent tax breaks for the rich. For the Kochs (tied at 18th place in Forbes' latest rich list) are worth $22bn apiece. The brothers must have been laughing all the way to the bank when those tax breaks got passed. Reading the CPI report, it becomes clear that the Kochs are not really ideological at all: what really motivates them is simply cold, hard cash.
So when it comes to worrying about the Kochs' influence on the political system in the US, conservatives should really be joining liberals in getting nervous.
BadDog40
Well-Known Member
The difference is the $40 billion isnt being used to brainwash you, whereas the $40 million is. Obviously it worked.
MuyLocoNC
Well-Known Member
Well, from the "sane" side of the fence I'd say the $40 billion did a pretty good job on you too. The only difference is the amount, but I guess it takes a couple 'o thousand times more when you're trying to shovel a steaming pile of horseshit. Were you up nailing spikes into the trees in Oregon during the <chuckle> spotted owl crisis?
BadDog40
Well-Known Member
No, I wasnt. Were you sending death threats to abortion doctors after O'Reilly went on his campaign calling them 'baby killers'?
MuyLocoNC
Well-Known Member
Nah, I'm not an O'Reilly viewer, don't watch TV at all anymore, unless I'm streaming it on my laptop and I'm not a "joiner" or a "protester". I tend to sit back and wonder in amazement at the equal stupidity of both the religious zealots and the Eco-Loons.
nog
Active Member
this thread is shite, started out shite and just gets shitter, moslems do not hate all christians, moslems do not hate jesus, real moslems and real christians and real jews do not hate anybody, just some people hate other people who have their heads up their arses and talk shite. because they hate themselves really.
nog
Active Member
i hate dogs they are fucking stupid, the will do anything for a crummy treat, they shit everywhere and next time the squad comes through your door, it will be the cute little spaniel that sniff out your stash and gests you busted, just think how many people would not have been busted if all dogs had been killed years ago, shit for brains???? if you say so, oh wisdom filled sage who's avatar speaks volumes. ,
dukeanthony
New Member
Not old enough to buy a gun heh