Koch Industries Archives - Page 7 of 9 Voice For Liberty

Mar

Charles G. Koch: Why Koch Industries is speaking out

In today's Wall Street Journal, Charles G. Koch, who is chairman of the board and CEO of Koch Industries, writes that economic freedom -- not government spending and intervention -- leads to prosperity and economic well-being for all, even for our poorest citizens. Koch describes an "economic crisis" of increased spending and debt, at both the federal and state levels. The spending cuts currently being considered by Congress, he says, are "relatively minor," with few proposals for necessary cuts to military and entitlement programs. He describes Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as someone who takes seriously the challenge of controlling government…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Koch critics examined

Critics of Charles and David Koch allege that the philanthropists have tried to hide their political involvement and contributions over the years. While false, many uncritically believe it. And at the same time, the media gives Koch critics a pass on their lack of transparency. Not everyone, however. Here Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post takes a look at some of the figures that are attacking the Koch brothers. Here's part: From our brief inquiry into some left-wing groups, we've learned a few things. First, they share many of the same donors. Second, they often pursue the same agenda ("Get…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Koch executives respond to fraudulent call

This week a prankster called Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and pretended to be David Koch, who is executive vice president of Koch Industries. Responding to the fraudulent call in National Review Online, Koch executives pledged to continue supporting free enterprise, free markets, and economic freedom in spite of opposition generated as part of an "orchestrated campaign" headed by the Obama Administration and groups like Center for American Progress. Bringing in labor groups is an escalation not seen before. The prank call is described as "fraudulent." Koch Executives Speak Out on Wisconsin "We will not step back at all." By Robert…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Charles and David Koch v. George Soros: Free markets or not

Perhaps the best commentary on the recent conference sponsored by Charles and David Koch in California comes from Timothy P. Carney of the Washington Examiner. Titled The Kochs vs. Soros: Free markets vs. state coercion, it explains the difference between advocates of free enterprise and those who believe in using the force of government to achieve their goals. At the conference, protests were arranged by the left-wing advocacy group Common Cause. That organization recently launched an attack on Charles Koch, David Koch, and two U.S. Supreme Court Justices that has been found to be baseless and nothing more than a…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Koch Industries: Jobs created through market principles

Now that President Barack Obama has embraced job creation in his 2011 State of the Union Address, he might want to take a look at a company that has been successful in creating both jobs and value for its customers. Wichita-based Koch Industries Inc. has done this through an application of market-based practices as described in The Science of Success: How Market-Based Management Built the World's Largest Private Company, a 2007 book authored by company CEO Charles G. Koch. Koch's approach has been successful. Since 1960, the value of Koch Industries Inc. has increased faster than the value of the…

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Growth of Wichita’s Koch Industries profiled

Two recent Wichita Eagle articles profiled Wichita-based Koch Industries and its recent growth. In Wichita, Koch employs about 2,300 workers, and about 50,000 across the U.S. in nearly all the states. When standard economic multipliers are used, these Koch jobs support about 203,000 total jobs. While Koch's headquarters are in Wichita, Kansas ranks seventh among the states in the number of Koch employees, with Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Alabama, and South Carolina having more Koch employees. Of note in the article Koch cautious in acquiring other businesses: Koch has been cautious in its acquisitions, looking for acquisitions that provide a…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday November 16, 2010

Future of California. George Gilder, writing in the Wall Street Journal, lays out a grim future for California based on voters' refusal to overturn AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. Of the requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state, Gilder writes: "That's a 30% drop followed by a mandated 80% overall drop by 2050. Together with a $500 billion public-pension overhang, the new energy cap dooms the state to bankruptcy." He says that AB 32 may not be necessary at all: "The irony is that a century-long trend of advance in conventional 'non-renewable' energy -- from wood…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Friday October 22, 2010

My best tweet yesterday. I just uninstalled the NPR News app from my iPhone. #NPR #Juan Many have already voted. Wednesday Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Bill Gale told commissioners that his office had sent 63,000 mail ballots to voters in the county, and 20,000 had been returned. In the 2006 general election, a midterm election comparable to this year, 118,258 ballots were cast in Sedgwick County. Gale's numbers tell us that around half of voters will use the advance voting system, and perhaps 17 percent have already voted as far as two weeks in advance of election day. Goyle on…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Thursday October 21, 2010

Honest journalist too much for NPR. Juan Williams has been fired by National Public Radio. His offense: He spoke in a not-politically-correct way about Muslims. On Monday's O'Reilly Factor Williams said: "But when I get on a plane -- I got to tell you -- if I see people who are in Muslim garb, and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous." According to Williams, NPR said this is a bigoted remark that "crossed the line." Across all forms of media, this is sure to be a big…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Free political speech, with what restrictions?

A letter in today's Wichita Eagle discusses free speech and provides a useful starting point for examining political speech and its regulation. The writer states: "I believe in free speech and free enterprise, and I'm sure that [U.S. Representative Lynn] Jenkins, the owners of Koch Industries and Americans for Prosperity believe in these, too." But -- and isn't there always a "but"? -- then the writer calls for Jenkins to disclose how much she's received from Koch Industries in contributions, and also for Americans for Prosperity to reveal its contributions. I might remind the letter writer that the Federal Election…