Back in 1980, the Koch brothers documented their Libertarian goals when David Koch ran for Vice President by preparing their campaign platform. Below are key “excerpts” from their platform. For contrast, I’ve added [my 2 cents].
“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.” [Thanks to the Citizens United decision, this commission has basically been neutered. The mission of the FEC is to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) that governs the financing of federal elections.]
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.” [Results in early death of seniors who can’t afford private medical care.]
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.” [This is a bone for getting Evangelical support. If you can’t afford health insurance, you have my “thoughts and prayers.”]
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.” [Most people can’t afford medical insurance as is. Mary and I are paying exorbitant monthly premiums for Dawn’s medical insurance.]
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.” [Privatizing SS puts seniors at greater risk of falling into poverty.]
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.” [Eliminating the Postal Service, reducing competition for the existing private services like FedEx.]
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.” [Elimination of taxes is really about defunding public institutions like our schools. As a citizen of America, I believe we must pay citizenship dues for the privilege of being here and helping those with worse luck than me.]
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.” [Without taxation, there is no way to control inflation. Our federal government can create unlimited dollars to boost the economy, but it needs taxation to remove dollars from an overheated economy.]
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.” [Don’t arrest those who refuse to pay citizenship dues.]
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.” [Get rid of minimum wage so employers can pay less.]
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.” [Privatize education to teach consumerism instead of citizenship.]
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.” [This is about tax reduction and education only for the wealthy.]
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.” [Our planet has limited “carrying capacity” and excessive use of natural resource exceeds that capacity. Speaking of unlimited Libertarian freedom, life on this planet, excluding humans, has lived freely but without destroying it’s environment. President Nixon, a Republican, signed the law that created the EPA. Nixon also signed the Clean Air and Clean Water acts into law.]
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.” [This department regulates much of their business.]
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.” [This also benefits the industries the Kochs own.]
“We demand the return of America’s railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.” [Imagine the daily cost of tolls you would pay during your daily activities if public roads were privatized.]
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called “self-protection” equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.” [Permit unsafe conditions that force everyone else to pay for the uninsured in the emergency room.]
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.” [Allow sale of unhealthy products.]
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.” [This is racist since it predominantly impacts the poor.]
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.” [Our level of poverty is growing and private groups cannot finance the needs.]
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.” [Protecting employees is costly. President Nixon, a Republican, signed the law that created the OSHA.]
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.” [“The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) protects the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under its jurisdiction, including products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children.” Corporations are removing themselves from our court system and trial by jury through forcing citizens to sign arbitration agreements when they buy products or services. Abba has an arbitration clause in every contract. For a company that ethically regulates itself per Libertarian philosophy, that’s not a problem for the consumer. But we all know there are unethical businesses that deserve to be sued.]
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.” [No limit on interest for loans.]
For more on their decades long, stealth, effort to implement this platform, without being elected to office and by forcing a Constitutional Convention to rewrite our Constitution, read Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean. The chapter titled “No Compromise” is about the Koch brothers.
https://history.duke.edu/book/democracy-chains
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