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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Parent files complaint against Ashland schools Living Well can help with chronic conditions Missing teen clue search fruitless OSF courtyard redesign gets rave reviews SOU field trip uncovers body of Klamath Falls fugitive Education Parent files complaint against Ashland schools Learning on the job AHS speech and debate team headed north Willow Wind inquiry forms now available District to host parent meeting Environment Grant will help restore 'legacy' oak habitat in Southern Oregon and Northern California Mt. Ashland Ski Area crew dips to five Mt. 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Politics and elections Amid rising scrutiny, governor says fiancee won't have role in administration Ashland Fiber Network wants to be able to keep trade secrets Volunteer award, State of City address presentations Tuesday City's policy, efforts aim for diversity, but numbers show shortfall Kent Bush: The keys to decoding the State of the Union address State News Amid rising scrutiny, governor says fiancee won't have role in administration Two new wolves confirmed in Southern Oregon, state reviewing status of northeastern packs State records show number of big marijuana farms has increased New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon Nation - World Obituaries Geraldine "Gerry" Smith Death Notices Lily Hearn May Antonucci Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Raiders, at last Hawks keep streak alive, top Trail Blazers Raiders pulverize Simpson, bag first shutout in six years Raiders seek weekend sweep Seahawks consider the Gronk factor High school Raiders, at last Ashland swimmers sweep three-way Grizzly spirit Ashland girls remain winless in MWL Springfield takes advantage of Ashland letdown Southern Oregon University Raiders, at last Raiders pulverize Simpson, bag first shutout in six years Raiders seek weekend sweep Southern Oregon zeroes in on first men's soccer coach Howard named NAIA coach of the year Opinion Latest Stories Herb Rothschild Jr: Thoughts on the drug war Our View: Missing teen dilemma Guest Column: A Koch and bull story Matthew T. Mangino: The Fourth Amendment is going to the dogs Our View: Making room for all Editorial Our View: Missing teen dilemma Our View: Making room for all Our View: Honor well deserved Our View: Whole lotta shakin' ... Other Views: Managing wild horses Letters Letters to the Editor, Jan. 28 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 27 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 26 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 22 Guest opinions Guest Column: A Koch and bull story Guest Opinion: A New Year’s resolution you can keep: starting “the conversation” Chris Honoré: Modern media: the unreliable narrator Guest Opinion: The relevance of socialism in the U.S. Herb Rothschild Jr.: Support single-payer Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Share your love poems at Downtowne Coffee House Frisell brings fine-tuned act to Armory Community blog: Applegate Library offers self-publishing workshop Classics, premiers highlight 2015 season for OSF Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Theater Classics, premiers highlight 2015 season for OSF Roy Orbison tribute hits high note Insights into the gifts theater offers off the stage Music Frisell brings fine-tuned act to Armory The Farr Side: Trainor building a music niche A laid-back chat with Marilyn Manson Roy Orbison tribute hits high note Jeff Kloetzel at Belle Fiore Visual Art Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Whiplash' pounds out a riveting beat Movie review: ‘Mortdecai’ majorly misses the mark Movie review: Aniston’s performance is the icing on ‘Cake’ Movie review: ‘Cake’ showcases Jennifer Aniston at her best Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Living Well can help with chronic conditions The ultimate spiritual experience of samadhi Amy Gehrt: Change is hard but sometimes necessary Looking Up: Full moon, planets shine this week Health Watch: Don’t let your fitness resolutions fizzle out Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr: Thoughts on the drug war ... SOU field trip uncovers body of Klamath Falls fugitive ... Amid rising scrutiny, governor says fiancee won't have role in administration ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Thoughts on the drug war ... SOU field trip uncovers body of Klamath Falls fugitive ... Amid rising scrutiny, governor says fiancee won't have role in administration ... GUEST COLUMN Guest Column: A Koch and bull story Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jan. 30, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Jan. 30, 2015 @ 12:01 am What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Social News The big story this week relates to the plutocratic machinations of everybody's favorite libertarian mega-billionaires, Charles and David Koch. At a recent gathering of top-dollar conservative activists in Palm Springs, Calif., spearheaded by the Kochs, led to an announcement of an anticipated $889 million war chest for the 2016 presidential race. To give you some idea of what this amount represents, the Republican and Democratic national committees in the 2012 presidential campaign spent about $650 million combined. Thanks to Citizens United, the Kochs and their proxies are now in a position to run the Republican Party as though it were a giant game of Monopoly. And with their personal net worth up from $40 billion to $100 billion under the economy of the man they see as our "socialist" president, they can well afford it. These guys are everywhere. They're in your bathroom, your kitchen, and your living room. If you ever drank out of a Dixie cup, put on Lycra, or daubed up a spill with a Brawny paper towel, you've helped them out. So, what do the brothers want? David Koch ran as the vice-presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party back in 1980. You know, the party that hates big government, and is prone to standing at the side of the road that your tax dollars paid for, yelling loudly about the need for privatization. Charles and David believe Ronald Reagan was much too liberal. They're solidly against bringing the capital gains tax back to Reagan-approved levels, feeling that's too high a price. They want to repeal Obamacare. While they're at it, they're also keen to see "the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system" (the exact language of the libertarian platform in 1980). In a world where, according to an Oxfam study, the richest 1 percent of people will control half the wealth by next year, what the Kochs are doing represents a microcosm of that same toxic global structure. If they succeed, it would represent a giant leap of the top 1 percent, by the top 1 percent, for the top 1 percent. Whether you're Republican, Democrat, Green or Independent, if you're not in the top 1 percent, it's likely you would find yourself even less represented in the leadership of our fine country. The upside of the Koch announcement is that if it doesn't create significant blowback and action among the citizenry, then little probably will. It's time to take action. There are many grassroots options. Petitioning the Securities and Exchange Commission to require publicly traded companies to disclose their political spending is one option. Additional Federal Election Commission regulatory oversight is another. There's been a lot of talk about a constitutional amendment wherein regulation and reasonable limits are once again placed on campaign financing. An even playing field has been a staple of political rhetoric in America since time immemorial. A cynical response to that illusory field has been around for almost as long. The Koch agenda, with its heavy structural support from the Supreme Court, represents a throwback to the heady days of the robber baron for the top echelons of money and power in America, and a serious threat to long-term financial and social security for almost everyone else. There is still some hope that this issue will resolve itself, cleansed and rebalanced by the democratic process. If that fails to happen, then the land of the free will start to look more like a land that is free for those who can afford it, and very expensive for those who can't. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jan. 30, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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