Monday, February 21, 2011

Wisconsin union-busting politicos:
Brought to you by the Koch brothers

Andy Kroll, of Mother Jones documents the Koch brothers' boost to Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, whose bill to kill collective bargaining rights for public-sector unions has caused an uproar in Wisconsin.
...According to Wisconsin campaign finance filings, Walker's gubernatorial campaign received $43,000 from the Koch Industries PAC during the 2010 election. That donation was his campaign's second-highest, behind $43,125 in contributions from housing and realtor groups in Wisconsin. The Koch's PAC also helped Walker via a familiar and much-used politicial maneuver designed to allow donors to skirt campaign finance limits. The PAC gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, which in turn spent $65,000 on independent expenditures to support Walker. The RGA also spent a whopping $3.4 million on TV ads and mailers attacking Walker's opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Walker ended up beating Barrett by 5 points. The Koch money, no doubt, helped greatly.
     The Kochs also assisted Walker's current GOP allies in the fight against the public-sector unions. Last year, Republicans took control of the both houses of the Wisconsin state legislature, which has made Walker's assault on these unions possible. And according to data from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the Koch Industries PAC spent $6,500 in support of 16 Wisconsin Republican state legislative candidates, who each won his or her election.
     Walker's plan to eviscerate collective bargaining rights for public employees is right out of the Koch brothers' playbook...
Here's a list of products, the sale of which enriches and enables the Koch Brothers' right wing aspirations.

UDPATE: The New York Times reports that even before Walker was elected, the Koch brothers' $40 million AstroTurf nonprofit, Americans for Prosperity, "had worked behind the scenes to try to encourage a union showdown."

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