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The Koch is Dead
David and Charles Koch have been the majority shareholders in Koch Industries, a multinational based in Witchita, Kansas dealing primarily in fossil fuels. David died 2 days ago (23 August 2019) at the age of 79.
If you live in the UK you may well have never heard of him, his brother or Koch Industries but if you live in America and have a pulse you probably have. The Koch brothers have often been referred to by Bernie Sanders and were singled out by Harry Reid, previous Democratic leader, calling them un-American for “trying to buy America”. Their influence in American politics has been enormous and both Harry and Bernie would assert that it has not been for the good.
However if you read the obituaries you might be led to believe that David’s legacy is more positive than negative. While the brothers spread their influence far and wide and oiled their politicial operations with, er, oil, David is well known amongst the New York elite, to be a large contributor to the arts. He and his brothers also have been intimately involved with justice reform placing them at odds with the current president. They have campaigned for open borders and reducing the rate of incarceration in America’s arachnean prison industrial complex.
They helped form the ‘Tea Party’, of which Ted Cruz is probably the best known adherent. The party got their name from the Boston Tea Party which…