On Lipstick and Pigs

In a decidedly puffy piece in today's NYT, we are told the Koch brothers are trying to soften their image.  Instead of the new gilded age industrialists who have tried (and continue to) buy the political system with a blizzard of cash, they want to be seen as classic libertarian liberals who "feel our pain" and want to encourage everyone to strive for success the way they did.  As in Donald Trump's case, it certainly helps if your old man leaves you an empire worth billions and you manage to continue its upward trajectory.   Unfortunately, most of the rest of us don't have the leg up these paragons of virtue obtained in life's lottery.  We need the social programs they would love to gut and the safety net they have every intention of shredding.  The fact they can even make the case for a kinder gentler Koch brothers is a scary reminder of the world we live in.   Most of the Koch enterprises are connected with fossil fuels.  As a society, we need to stop the burning and use of this form of energy.  The Kochs and their fortune are inextricably bound up with oil.  Does anyone really think they will wind down their business for the good of the environment and future generations?  All the smiley faces and social media wizardry they bring to bear can't disguise the fact the Kochs are fundamentally opposed to all the policies needed to combat climate change and bring social justice to the majority of the population.