The brothers partly behind tea party Libertarianism

[MotF Bane]

I'm sure Craig's writing you guys a bunch of nasty PM's right now.

I've been waiting for mine for a long time.

 

[ayabe]

No, sadly. Regardless of political party or ideology, the only people who run for public office are those you don't want there.

Sometimes I think we'd be better off if we simply drafted people into office. A totally random lottery with the option to decline. If they accept then they serve a single term and get a decent salary for life. Then ban all other forms of income or gifts so they can't be paid off.

There are ways around it, most of the junkets Congressmen go on are "educational", even if by the thinnest of justifications. "I had to go play golf for a week on GE's dime, because it was in the Marianas Islands and we've got some labor issues there and I needed to see it for myself", or somesuch.

 

[CycloWizard]

Colleges, Universities, and media are staffed by people of all political views. But to make it to the top in any of those endeavors take a combination of intellect and creativity in another field quite separate from politics.

And when most of the top people in those fields tend to be mostly left wing as a sideline, it somewhat says, smart and creative people on the cutting edge of society and technology are left wing because they realize its the correct choice for good governance.

Have you ever gotten to this point in a post and just thought you'd be better off not hitting that submit button? A closed mouth gathers no foot, after all.

 

[Lemon law]

Have you ever gotten to this point in a post and just thought you'd be better off not hitting that submit button? A closed mouth gathers no foot, after all.

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Sorry cyclowizard, has it ever occurred to you that a closed mind never gathers any pearls cast at swine!

Universities hire the best professors their limited salaries can get, take my word for it, their selection processes don't track political ideologies, and you have failed to explain why Universities end up with mainly liberals rather than conservative faculty members.

But then again, your closed mind gathers much moss. And instead of thinking, you attack me instead. Maybe if you thought some, you might come up with an alternate GOP politically correct theory instead to explain what amount to a overwhelming tendency, not just in the USA but also all over the world.

 

[Lemon law]

Have you ever gotten to this point in a post and just thought you'd be better off not hitting that submit button? A closed mouth gathers no foot, after all.

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accidental double post

 

[CycloWizard]

Sorry cyclowizard, has it ever occurred to you that a closed mind never gathers any pearls cast at swine!

Universities hire the best professors their limited salaries can get, take my word for it, their selection processes don't track political ideologies, and you have failed to explain why Universities end up with mainly liberals rather than conservative faculty members.

But then again, your closed mind gathers much moss. And instead of thinking, you attack me instead. Maybe if you thought some, you might come up with an alternate GOP politically correct theory instead to explain what amount to a overwhelming tendency, not just in the USA but also all over the world.

Really, you are going to lecture me on the hiring policies of universities? I don't think so. You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground on most issues, and this is certainly one of them.

 

[Lemon law]

Really, you are going to lecture me on the hiring policies of universities? I don't think so. You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground on most issues, and this is certainly one of them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
Says you and not me. I will stack my track record of being proved right in the end against yours any day of the week and three times on Sunday.

Now once again, cyclododger, please explain why Universities and the entertainment media tends to be predominately liberal?

The denial cat got yer tongue again?

But then again, according to cyclododger its always Lemon Law's fault. Even before I was born and long after I die.

 

[hal2kilo]

What about left wing think tanks?

You know, the New York Times? CBS? CNN? Washington Post?

Those aren't think tanks troll clown.

 

[CycloWizard]

Says you and not me. I will stack my track record of being proved right in the end against yours any day of the week and three times on Sunday.

Now once again, cyclododger, please explain why Universities and the entertainment media tends to be predominately liberal?

The denial cat got yer tongue again?

But then again, according to cyclododger its always Lemon Law's fault. Even before I was born and long after I die.

If you knew your ass from a hole in the ground, you'd know that it's impossible to be proved right (unless you're a mathematical theorem, of course). Maybe you should start by demonstrating your premise.

 

[Craig234]

Those aren't think tanks troll clown.

There are 'liberal' think tanks, but note that they work much differently - more honestly - than the right-wing 'think tanks' which are ideology weapons.

A liberal think tank tends to have an agenda good for the public and research policy for that; right-wing think tanks tend to operate to serve an ideology and the donors.

The money drives the agenda for them. They get seduced by the rewards.

 

[BoberFett]

There are 'liberal' think tanks, but note that they work much differently - more honestly - than the right-wing 'think tanks' which are ideology weapons.

A liberal think tank tends to have an agenda good for the public and research policy for that; right-wing think tanks tend to operate to serve an ideology and the donors.

The money drives the agenda for them. They get seduced by the rewards.

LOL.

Craig.

 

[BoberFett]

Quite good since we're nowhere near a double dip, but thanks for asking this weird question.

EDIT: Haha, just saw that you've been bumping my double dip comment in that thread. rofl, you know nothing's happened and nothing could possibly happen to prove that since I made it right, and you're only going to look stupid when I bump that shit when you're wrong. But who we kidding, one way or the other you aren't gonna make a prediction since you bitch out every chance you get.

Virtually zero chance, right?

It will be fun to keep bumping it.

 

[BoberFett]

Those aren't think tanks troll clown.

You're right. They're missing the "think" part. They're just tanks. Probably septic.

 

[First]

Virtually zero chance, right?

It will be fun to keep bumping it.

I think you're a tad confused as to the purpose of bumping.

 

[cubby1223]

Part of our political culture includes a few wealthy people who push their ideologies and influence our nation's politics.

This thread is about two others, the 'Koch brothers', who inherited much wealth and have spent decades as radicals - self-described - for their Libertarian ideology.

Libertarian as in destroy Social Security, the FBI and CIA, and more. One ran as the VP Candidate for Libertarian decades ago and they got about 1% of the vote

Okay, Social Security still exists, the FBI still exists, the CIA still exists, and they only managed 1% of the vote.

Wow, they have so much influence on our nation's politics!!!!! Thank you Craig for showing us all the damage these guys are doing to you! We must FEAR these powerful individuals!!!



You're also linking to an investigation by Rachel Maddow... the same Rachel Maddow who believes our government is secretly controlled by a Christian sex cult... can you say nut-job?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

There are 'liberal' think tanks, but note that they work much differently - more honestly - than the right-wing 'think tanks' which are ideology weapons.

A liberal think tank tends to have an agenda good for the public and research policy for that; right-wing think tanks tend to operate to serve an ideology and the donors.

The money drives the agenda for them. They get seduced by the rewards.

Craig, you amaze me more and more with every post. You can't even see how blinded you are by your own ideology.

 

[Corn]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_think_tanks_in_the_United_States

OMG you lie!!!!!!!!

.....and LOL at Jhnnn, LL, and Craig revealing their ideology colored stupidity for all to see. Craig set the perfect trap for himself and other like minded morons.

 

[Jhhnn]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_think_tanks_in_the_United_States

More lameness. What you offer is just *a* list, lacking references and sources. Shucks, it doesn't even list the Castle Rock Foundation, the Koch foundations or the Scaife foundations...

It's bunk.

try this-

http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/archive/information-about-the-right

Extremely talented and cynical people are being paid enormous sums to convince us all, to convince us that's what's good for the financial elite is good for all of us, and they've been doing it quite successfully for over 30 years.

Can't figure it out? You're not supposed to. That's the whole point of their efforts, to get the middle class to believe in and vote for people and ideas that are counter to their own interests, and to establish a state of denial among those who fall for it. Judging from many of the replies in this thread, the taking of refuge in ad homs and obfuscation, it's working as intended.

 

[manimal]

After being a professional student for 10+ years and teaching for another 15 I have to agree with Lemon on the predominance of Liberal's or more accurately Progressives in the education system here in the US and abroad. Funny most of the administrators and the board members would be more conservative in many cases though.

Mud throwing aside the Original post is very significant in the sense that the Koch brothers have been very influential in their actions and the entities created by them. While Liberal think tanks exist the recent actions of the Koch brothers are significant in their scope and their mission. To knowingly obfuscate truth for a political agenda basically describes thier modus operandi...



Take the republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida...

Rick Scott was the ceo of HCA when they were found guilty of the largest medicare fraud case in us history...he then went on to found Solantic pay as you go health care clinics..he then started the patients bill of rights campaign to first get rid of the public option then organized the scream fests at the town hall meetings in that wild and crazy summer.... basically he funded a "grass roots" organization to protect his business interests which in and of itself is not that bad..the bad part came when they knowingly lied and manipulated the weak to achieve ends to further their own self interest...

Is this your fathers republican party?

Its not mine.....

 

[JD50]

There are 'liberal' think tanks, but note that they work much differently - more honestly - than the right-wing 'think tanks' which are ideology weapons.

A liberal think tank tends to have an agenda good for the public and research policy for that; right-wing think tanks tend to operate to serve an ideology and the donors.

The money drives the agenda for them. They get seduced by the rewards.

This literally made me laugh out loud. You can't make this stuff up.

 

[JD50]

More lameness. What you offer is just *a* list, lacking references and sources. Shucks, it doesn't even list the Castle Rock Foundation, the Koch foundations or the Scaife foundations...

It's bunk.

try this-

http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/archive/information-about-the-right

Extremely talented and cynical people are being paid enormous sums to convince us all, to convince us that's what's good for the financial elite is good for all of us, and they've been doing it quite successfully for over 30 years.

Can't figure it out? You're not supposed to. That's the whole point of their efforts, to get the middle class to believe in and vote for people and ideas that are counter to their own interests, and to establish a state of denial among those who fall for it. Judging from many of the replies in this thread, the taking of refuge in ad homs and obfuscation, it's working as intended.

I don't understand how people can seriously post stuff like this. "Information about the right" by a progressive web site should be taken about as seriously as "Information about the left" from FNC.

 

[Corn]

OMG you lie!!!!!!!!

LOL, seeing the future is a cross I must bear.........

How silly is it that through Jhnnn's whines of "bunk" websites relating information regarding the political leanings of various think tank foundations, he references a left wing think tank website as his rebuttal.

You are certainly good for a laugh Jhnnn. Don't stop now!

 

[Jhhnn]

Heh. excellent examples of denial and willful blindness. Here's the other side from Commonweal, linked right at the beginning of the piece previously offered-

http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/progressive-infrastructure-information-page

Y'all are so well indoctrinated that you can't see what's under your nose, preferring to label and dismiss anything contrary to that same indoctrination... like I've offered, it's a self reinforcing denial loop... by design.

 

[Corn]

http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/rationale

Really now, what else needs to be said that isn't said right there?

 

[Jhhnn]

But you already said it was a left wing think tank, Corn, so they can't possibly be right about anything...