Like many other longstanding friends of the Cato Institute, I am appalled to learn of the Koch brothers' attempt to take it over and convert it into some kind of weapons factory for conservative and Republican organizations. Over the last 35 years, a combination of strong libertarian principles, sound leadership and integrity have built Cato into the pre-eminent libertarian think tank on the planet. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone who supports the principles for which Cato stands would wish to mess with such a successful formula and risk destroying it all.
A Koch-controlled Cato would no longer be the same Cato Institute, and would strike a major blow at some of Cato's key principles, not least its commitment to nonpartisanship and libertarian non-conservative causes (such as support for gay marriage, an end to the war on drugs, opposition to overseas adventurism, etc.). It would also strike at Cato's independence and institutional integrity, and do enormous and probably irreparable damage to its stellar reputation. This reputation took decades to build up, but could be destroyed in an instant.
The most likely outcome of a Koch takeover is that Cato would be eviscerated, the brand would be destroyed and the Kochs would take over an empty shell -- in short, the outcome would be a catastrophe, and even the winners would gain nothing.
Cato's succcess is due in great part to the quality of its existing leadership and to the confidence that that engenders in those of us who work for or with the Institute -- as I have had the honor to do for almost a quarter of a century. One thinks especially of Ed Crane, David Boaz, Jim Dorn and the late and much missed Bill Niskanen. If a Koch takeover were to lead them to step down, then I (and doubtless many other affiliates of Cato) would have no choice but to follow them and sever our links with the Institute as well, before rejoining them in a new start-from-scratch Cato II. But it would be a real shame if it ever came to that.
Message to the Koch brothers: Cato ain't broke; please don't try to fix it.
The Koch brothers, as free market advocates, have decided to buy this organization to meet what they see as a need.
They earned the money, they want the product.
This seems to be simple, next thing you know Cato will be asking for Government intervention!!!
It’s all fun and games sitting on the side lines pontificating, a little different when you are on the field.
The conservatives who have the ideas are the Libertarians. And their ideas come often without the political baggage and corruption of the Church, Oligarchy or State. This makes them strong going forward against both parties, but especially strong the next time we swing back to the right and that is exactly why they need to be bought and bullied now.
The Oligarchy combined with Nixon's southern campaign strategy, Reagan's embrace of evangelicals, the Norquist no-tax pledge, and W being in office for eight years has killed intelectual conservatism by trampling it and ignoring it.
Now they have a useless shell of a party more associated with Fox News than contitutional federalism, more Rush Limbaugh than states-rights, more Sarah Palin than Margaret Thatcher.
The result is a country swinging leftward on the electoral pendulum, we will elect democrats for a while and inevitably they will piss us off leaving a new opening on the right. A "right" the Oligarchy wants to control when that time comes.
The oligarchy, now about 1-2 generations further along from the early days of the JBS, has strangled unionization and regulations while decreasing their taxes and expanding trade in ways designed for corporate profit. They have done this by buying or bullying congress either through campaign corruption or no-tax pledges. The Supreme Court has now sanctioned the oligarchy to spend without limit, they themselves having been nominated on behalf of the oligarchy by the politicians the oligarchy has bought or bullied.
"We the People" are wising up. The grassroots true believers of the Tea Party know they've been used. Almost everybody knows congress is bought and corrupt, and a growing number of us see that one party seems to be more alligned with the oligarchy than the other.
The Republicans have sold their soles to two institutions no free man wants governing America.
The Oligarchy and the Church
Motivated by lost wealth thanks to anti-trust laws, progressive taxation, the Federal Reserve System and the New Deal (especially worker's rights), a large portion of last century's oligarchy decided to join the JBS. Using communist fear, human greed and nationalist pride to slowly manipulate the public to their cause, they secretly went about trying to corrupt and buy our political system and courts.