He also criticized the obvious dishonest and propagandist nature of the many attacks against him, in that they are normally personal, rather than an attempt to present positive alternatives, or even identify what he is advocating --
https://www.google.com/#q=Koch+fighting+to+restore+free+society
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303978304579475860515021286
I have devoted most of my life to understanding the principles that enable people to improve their lives. It is those principles—the principles of a free society—that have shaped my life, my family, our company and America itself.
Unfortunately, the fundamental concepts of dignity, respect, equality before the law and personal freedom are under attack by the nation's own government. That's why, if we want to restore a free society and create greater well-being and opportunity for all Americans, we have no choice but to fight for those principles. I have been doing so for more than 50 years, primarily through educational efforts. It was only in the past decade that I realized the need to also engage in the political process.
A truly free society is based on a vision of respect for people and what they value. In a truly free society, any business that disrespects its customers will fail, and deserves to do so. The same should be true of any government that disrespects its citizens. The central belief and fatal conceit of the current administration is that you are incapable of running your own life, but those in power are capable of running it for you. This is the essence of big government and collectivism.
More than 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson warned that this could happen. "The natural progress of things," Jefferson wrote, "is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." He knew that no government could possibly run citizens' lives for the better. The more government tries to control, the greater the disaster, as shown by the current health-care debacle. Collectivists (those who stand for government control of the means of production and how people live their lives) promise heaven but deliver hell. For them, the promised end justifies the means.
Instead of encouraging free and open debate, collectivists strive to discredit and intimidate opponents. They engage in character assassination. (I should know, as the almost daily target of their attacks.) This is the approach that Arthur Schopenhauer described in the 19th century, that Saul Alinsky famously advocated in the 20th, and that so many despots have infamously practiced. Such tactics are the antithesis of what is required for a free society—and a telltale sign that the collectivists do not have good answers.
...
On April 3, 2014, Michael Memoli, writing for the Los Angeles Times in response, helps prove Koch's complaint is valid (more fun irony from the main stream media).
Memoli propagates the myth that Republicans belong to the party of the wealthy, when Democratic political contributors typically give as much, if not more, than Republican contributors --
https://www.google.com/#q=Memoli+democrats+target+republican+ties
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-democrats-koch-20140404,0,6877752.story#axzz2xxYwvll2
Democrats struggling to combat a flood of outside money pouring in to defeat their candidates have found at least a temporary solution: If you can't beat them, brand them.
...
With no elected Republican holding the same notoriety as Pelosi, the Kochs —
ranked No. 6 and No. 7 on the Forbes list of the world's billionaires —
offer a convenient target, particularly because of their prolific spending on races across the U.S."
...
This is obvious red-herring fallacy kind of bating, in that references to wealth and spending (even if true) reveal nothing about the quality of one's actions. http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
Koch complained about this kind of useless dishonest reporting in his piece --
https://www.google.com/#q=Koch+fighting+to+restore+free+society
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303978304579475860515021286
...
Rather than try to understand my vision for a free society or accurately report the facts about Koch Industries, our critics would have you believe we're "un-American" and trying to "rig the system," that we're against "environmental protection" or eager to "end workplace safety standards." These falsehoods remind me of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan's observation, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Here are some facts about my philosophy and our company:
Koch companies employ 60,000 Americans, who make many thousands of products that Americans want and need. According to government figures, our employees and the 143,000 additional American jobs they support generate nearly $11.7 billion in compensation and benefits. About one-third of our U.S.-based employees are union members.
Koch employees have earned well over 700 awards for environmental, health and safety excellence since 2009, many of them from the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. EPA officials have commended us for our "commitment to a cleaner environment" and called us "a model for other companies."
Our refineries have consistently ranked among the best in the nation for low per-barrel emissions. In 2012, our Total Case Incident Rate (an important safety measure) was 67% better than a Bureau of Labor Statistics average for peer industries. Even so, we have never rested on our laurels. We believe there is always room for innovation and improvement.
Far from trying to rig the system, I have spent decades opposing cronyism and all political favors, including mandates, subsidies and protective tariffs—even when we benefit from them. I believe that cronyism is nothing more than welfare for the rich and powerful, and should be abolished.
Koch Industries was the only major producer in the ethanol industry to argue for the demise of the ethanol tax credit in 2011. That government handout (which cost taxpayers billions) needlessly drove up food and fuel prices as well as other costs for consumers—many of whom were poor or otherwise disadvantaged. Now the mandate needs to go, so that consumers and the marketplace are the ones who decide the future of ethanol.
Instead of fostering a system that enables people to help themselves, America is now saddled with a system that destroys value, raises costs, hinders innovation and relegates millions of citizens to a life of poverty, dependency and hopelessness. This is what happens when elected officials believe that people's lives are better run by politicians and regulators than by the people themselves. Those in power fail to see that more government means less liberty, and liberty is the essence of what it means to be American. Love of liberty is the American ideal.
If more businesses (and elected officials) were to embrace a vision of creating real value for people in a principled way, our nation would be far better off—not just today, but for generations to come. I'm dedicated to fighting for that vision. I'm convinced most Americans believe it's worth fighting for, too.
The 'Center for Responsive Politics' shows political contribution totals at the links below, for the 2012 election cycle, and for the years 1989 to 2014 (as of August 2014, when this was written). Note that 'Koch Industries' contributed a much smaller amount than many Democratic contributors.
And the top political contributors from 1989 to 2014 are either Democratic or moderate, directly contradicting Memoli's description.
http://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/topcontribs.php (Koch Industries #32, as of August 2014)
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php (Koch Industries #58, as of August 2014)
In the 2012 election cycle, the Democratic organization 'ActBlue' was by far the largest contributor, with total contributions over 10 times as large as the total shown for 'Koch Industries' --
It's also interesting that Google, a Democratic supporter, contributed slightly more than Koch Industries in that election cycle — I wonder if journalists like Memoli will ever describe Google as 'agressively seeking a more influential role in American politics', as Memoli described Koch Industries.
Too bad the media won't report on this accurately, but the public loves this 'the man is keeping me down' kind of talk.
Notice the absurdity of the opening sentence of Memoli's piece in the Los Angeles Times, regarding 'Democrats struggling to combat a flood of outside money pouring in to defeat their candidates', given the numbers shown at opensecrets.org.
The Democratic organization 'ActBlue' is far and away the largest contributor, both overall and for the 2012 election cycle, so if Democrats are 'struggling to combat a flood of outside money', as Memoli put it, they can start by refusing contributions from their own supporters.
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