Letter: Koch goals

To the editor:

The April 5 Saturday Column headline asked, “Why do Koch contributions trigger such scorn?” As a lifelong Republican, elected thrice on a Republican ticket, I can answer that.

Although the two Koch brothers constantly belittle elected officials and our tax system, that system has enabled them to each amass a fortune of $38 billion. They’re tied for fourth place on Forbes’ list of wealthiest Americans. They and their heirs can live in perpetuity without working. Yet, for no good reason, they’re trying to strangle the system that made them rich.

It is very disingenuous to compare the Kochs’ $105,907,424 in political donations with donations from ActBlue. ActBlue has collected small donations from 7,900,000 contributors for an average of $61.73 per donor! Many have given ten bucks once or $5 per month for a year. It is no wonder those 7,900,000 citizens have donated more than two oligarchs.

The Kochs direct their money to candidates and elected officials that will support their goal to lower taxes for already wealthy corporations and stockholders; defeat legislation and regulations dealing with global warming and favor their oil and gas industry interests that have made them billionaires.

Republicans at every level have always touted the virtues of our society having self-reliant and industrious citizens. What few concede is that poorly educated citizens without access to health care can’t create that society. Lowering taxes for wealthy won’t change that.