As the GOP Congress continues to push a tax plan that is based on the lie that it will create jobs by cutting taxes on large corporations and the very wealthy, I think it’s important to understand how the tax “reform” plan came about. In reality, it was spawned decades ago by the libertarian billionaires who now fund Republican candidates. And it was released on an unsuspecting public by the conservative-controlled Supreme Court with its rulings in the Buckley v Valeo and Citizens United v FEC.
In the first of these decisions, the Court ruled that money = free speech. In effect, that gave the wealthy the ability to choose political candidates. In the second case, the Court ruled that corporations = people. And, since large corporations are controlled by wealthy executives and shareholders, the decision gave them even more power to choose candidates and to sway election results.
Not surprisingly, the Koch brothers and a few other billionaires seized the opportunity.
Until those Supreme Court decisions, the Kochs, Sheldon Adelson, the Mercer family, the Prince family, the DeVos family, and others had, for the most part, been unable to buy elections. Even when David Koch ran for president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1980, he could not use his billions to gather votes. So he chose a different strategy. He vowed to use his money to place candidates in state and local offices then bide his time until those people could work their way into higher offices.
The Supreme Court decisions gave him the opportunity to accomplish in a few years what might have taken decades.
Billionaires and corporations now control more than 30 state legislatures through the American Legislative Exchange Council, which writes most of their legislation. Billionaire-sponsored candidates now control the US Senate and the House of Representatives. Billionaire-backed candidates have proliferated in the court system. And with the help of the Russians, a billionaire-backed candidate now sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. (At least when he’s not golfing or spending his time – and taxpayer money – at one of his resorts.)
Given all of this, it seems that a look at David Koch’s Libertarian Party platform from 1980 might shed further light onto the GOP tax plan and the GOP vision for the future of the United States. Here are some excerpts from that platform:
• “We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
• “We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
• “We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
• “We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
• “We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
• “We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
• “We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
• “We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
• “As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
• “We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
• “We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
• “We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
• “We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
• “We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
• “We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
• “We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
• “We demand the return of America’s railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
• “We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called “self-protection” equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
• “We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
• “We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
• “We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
• “We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
• “We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
• “We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
• “We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
• “We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”
The Putin-led meddling in the 2016 elections by the Russians represents a very real threat to our democracy. But no greater threat than that of our billionaire-controlled GOP government.