Koch's Shift Left Disappointing, Sad

Billionaire Republican donor Charles Koch criticizes a “two-tiered tax system” which he says provides “corporate welfare” and subsidizes the wealthy.

Let’s get one thing straight: Corporate welfare only occurs when the government forcibly takes from one group of taxpayers and gives to another group. Government subsidies for “green energy” companies constitute corporate welfare. A government bailout of a poorly-run automobile company is corporate welfare.

All bailouts are corporate welfare.

Individuals or companies — rich or not — that take advantage of legal tax loopholes are not receiving corporate welfare. They are merely holding on to some of their rightfully earned income. Of course, it’s not surprising to hear the very politicians who exploit “us-against-them” class warfare, such as Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton utter such things.

But it’s a bit disappointing to find a supposed advocate of the free market and limited government such as Charles Koch doing so. This confusion probably extends to whatever twisted rationale he is invoking when he suggests that Hillary Clinton would be a better president than any of the remaining GOP candidates.

To use the old Communist analogy that all nations would eventually adopt their ways: “another domino falls.” Communism may be in the ash heap of history, but the ideas underlying Communism, such as hostility toward capitalism and the system of wealth creation, appear to have taken over both the political left and right.

Koch opines that the U.S. has to “get rid of all” tax breaks. “I don’t hear any of the Republican candidates talking about this two-tiered system and getting rid of it. So that’s why we haven’t supported any of them,” he complains.

Tax breaks are a form of relief that politicians provide to overtaxed businesspeople; the rich as well as the middle class.

America heaps the planet’s highest corporate taxes on top of income taxes, capital gains taxes, and a host of invisible taxes that are part of government regulation. A better way to provide relief would be to cut taxes across the board, which means doing something that no politician, including Ronald Reagan, has proposed to date: Massive cuts in government.

The only way to do that is to confront the biggest problems of all: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Unless or until these programs are set on a path to privatization, there’s nothing the government can do to bring itself under control.

Why doesn’t the very, very rich Charles Koch complain about this, instead of acting like “tax breaks for the rich” are the biggest threat facing America; compounding laughable disingenuousness with plain old ignorance.

It’s easy to complain about the rich. If only “the rich” didn’t have a two-tiered tax system, we’re told, then everything would be well. How, exactly? If we impose even more of a burden on “the rich” (which includes a sizable number of middle-income earners); taxing and regulating the private economy to a painful standstill, we’re only hastening the end of economic growth and innovation.

Once the poster child for leftist hatred, Koch now spouts the Obama-Hillary Clinton line on foreign policy as well. He whines that Trump’s proposal to create a register of Muslims in America is “reminiscent of Nazi Germany. I mean, that’s monstrous.”

Regarding Cruz’ suggestion to carpet-bomb terrorist strongholds in the Middle East, Koch continues: “I mean, that a candidate, whether they believe it or not, would think that appeals to the American people, that is frightening.”

But what about the brutal slaughter of innocents perpetrated by Muslim organizations every day? Do 9/11, Paris, San Bernardino, and all the other attacks yet to come not qualify as monstrous?

You don’t have to agree with Trump’s or Cruz’ specific proposals, but why does the suddenly delicate Mr. Koch find it “frightening” to talk about dropping bombs on ISIS when they stand ready to behead every infidel on the planet?

In what hole is this man living?

Charles Koch is an amazingly capable individual who earned his great wealth.

He used to stand for good ideas. It’s a sad spectacle to watch him cave to the legions of wealthy people who can afford to vilify the very ideals that made their wealth and productivity possible.

Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D., LCSW is a psychotherapist and author with a private practice in coastal Delaware. He is the author of “Bad Therapy, Good Therapy (and How to Tell the Difference).” For more of his reports, Go Here Now.