DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) — Billionaire industrialist and conservative political donor Charles Koch welcomed a group of roughly 450 like-minded fundraisers to one of his twice-annual conferences Saturday by challenging them to advocate for ending "corporate cronyism" - even if those policies help their businesses.
Koch, who along with brother David has long pressed for a federal government that collects fewer taxes and issues fewer regulation, said cutting back special treatment for business is the first step to ending a "two-tiered society" and encouraging "principled entrepreneurship"
"Where I believe we need to start in reforming welfare is eliminating welfare for the wealthy," Koch said. "This means stopping the subsidies, mandates and preferences for business that enrich the haves at the expense of the have nots."
Most recently, the Kochs have been strong advocates of the shutting down the federal Export-Import Bank, and their groups have spent money on advertisements and outreach to win senators and representatives over to their side on the issue.
The bank is a federal agency that helps U.S. companies sell products overseas by underwriting loans to foreign customers. Small-government activists have said it wastes taxpayer dollars to enrich the country's biggest companies.
The Koch brothers and their network of donors, many in attendance at the weekend event at a luxury resort south of Los Angeles, are preparing to spend $889 million to influence elections next year — much of it aimed at ushering a Republican to the White House. As such, among those in attendance were several of the GOP candidates for president, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former technology executive Carly Fiorina.
Walker compared the Koch donor conference with the tea party rallies of five years ago, saying both groups of people are motivated by the same frustration with politics and desire to see the country improved.
"I wish the whole world could see what goes on here," he told the donors, adding that he believes they're not giving to political candidates out of personal financial interests. "You're here because you love America."
Democrats would disagree, and have done so vehemently. The party has routinely portrayed the brothers — their Koch Industries is one of the largest private companies in the country — as greedy corporate tycoons whose work in politics is an end to padding their bank accounts. The brothers, who are billionaires many times over and rank among the wealthiest people in the world, dismiss the criticisms.
Other GOP presidential candidates — Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz — were scheduled to address the group Sunday. Each is being interviewed separately by Mike Allen, a journalist at the Washington publication Politico. Other Republicans mingling with donors over cocktails on a lawn ringed with palm trees and decorative columns that overlooks the Pacific Ocean included Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
Asked about some of his Cabinet choices, should he be chosen as GOP nominee and elected next November, Walker named fellow hopefuls Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, as well as former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent and former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who was also in attendance.
Leaders of two of the largest Koch-backed political entities, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, have said they will not spend money to influence the Republican presidential primary, instead holding back their resources to spend on defeating the Democratic nominee in November 2016.okay 450 like minded with the Kochs hmmmm, deregulation come to mind first saving money is making money so who's zoomin who??? cutting back on special treating of businesses, when you have your whole leg and foot into almost everything you don't need special treatment because you call the shots the treatment you get is mandated by you.
welfare well when you already have all the money and get that corporate welfare you look like Exxon-Mobil and the Koch Bros. and their bloodletting of America, are they trying to fool us into believing they are changing their spots?????
they still will continue buying politicians like scott walker to be the enforcers of their agenda which looks nothing like the image portrayed to the world, question is do they intend to try to take over the gov't or the entire country if that is the case then does that not make them the persons they tried to make Pres. kings???????
spending to defeat something is no different then supporting those with the same agenda the end game still the same WH occupation so mixing words might fool some but not all G W Bush, "you can fool some of the people all of the time and those are the ones you want to concentrate on" Koch money is no good without that factor in play.
if we all stayed home they can not buy every ballot boxes in every state or can they???? all the more reason for us to get on up because if we don't the news may show ballot boxes being counted with the name Koch emblazoned on the side. RECONIZE
is oligarchy an improvement to our gov't i think what improves the gov't is elimination of republican domination we didn't vote for it unanimously it was stolen via gerrymandering, voter purging, voter suppression and voters buying in to the racist rants of one party that has awakened the primal genes of racism and bigotry and i still defy any of those voter to give a legitimate reason specifically why they personally hate other American citizens and those seeking what their ancestors sought. and mostly they haven't done their jobs for 7 years while still getting paid.
finally walker wishes it could be seen what goes on there bet there were at least 450 wet pants after that crack. if serious from now on they should invite all the press and live cameras if you are doing what you say and there is no flim flam why not show the people transparency and save your 889 million and win with respect instead of clandestine resort meets with like minded, isn't that what the mob crime families use to do and wasn't there a big bust at a meeting in Appalachia by feds??? looks very familiar Kochs head of their family and 450 others how many families is that, that are trying to take over America buyer beware.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apalachin_Meeting
