Kochs=Krupps.

[ejbrush]

And I am not referring to the coffee maker.

[bbinacan]

1. What are you referring to?

[KharmaTrain]

2. He's Refering To This...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp

Actually the Kochs are more like I G Farben...

[ejbrush]

4. Sure, technically, you're right.

But Kochs=IG Farben doesn't really roll of the tongue as well. The alliteration is lacking. Too many syllables.

[bbinacan]

5. Sorry

I don't see a parallel.:shrug:

[ejbrush]

6. No worries. We'll spell it out.

Krupps (and IG Farben, Bayer, Daimler, etc.) were major industrial players in Germany immediately after WW1. During the interwar period, they saw their economic, and ultimately political power, threatend by the questionable power Weimar republic and all of the socialists wandering around the area. So, early on, they started dumping a lot of funds into a rash of radical, right-wing political fringe groups.
A similar scenario played out in Italy, where cooperation between the budding Fascists and business interests grew out of the chaos of WW1.

[bbinacan]

7. I guess you need to

work on your spelling. I still don't get it. We're not exactly post WW I Germany, are we?

[ejbrush]

8. Geeze, lighten up Francis.

I simply wanted to make a pithy, simple to remember quip that would quickly summarize the concept that when a nation has an economic downturn, it gives room for very wealthy business interests to sow the seeds of right-wing radicalism, long before that radicalism turns itself into outright fascism.

The fact that both Koch and Krupps are short, sharp-sounding Germanic names starting with "K" was pretty low hanging fruit, if you asked me.

Is Scott Walker Hitler? NO. He doesn't have the charisma.

Is Wisconsin Wiemar Germany? NO. We have better beer.

Are the Koch brothers Krupp? Honestly, they are just like any other vastly wealthy interest that seeks to push down every living person on the face of the planet to pull in another dime. So I feel this is a valid comparison.

Is it even remotely possible to ever connect current events with past events that started in similarily innocuous circumstances, display similar charecters using similar tactics for similar goal. The Robber Barons in the guilded age, Mussolini, Franco, etc, etc, etc. Apparently not.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Will it help if you learn the Koch brothers

are related to the Koch brothers in Germany that helped run Krupp?

[bbinacan]

10. Nope

sins of the father.....

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Cousins, but very similar play book

so in this case it is the sins of the Koch brothers who are following a similar path. They learned well, I'd say. They are avoiding some of the pitfalls while achieving a similar goal.

[upi402]

3. good comparison

:toast:

but without the weps

[villager]

11. Like the "von Essenbeck's" in Visconti's "The Damned," eh?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064118/

Of course, they were based on the Krupps...

[head of joaquin]

13. Rancho Mirage Protest

I was at the Rancho Mirage protest last month, against the Kochs. The level of police protection was alarming. Clearly, these two billionaires are corrupting our politics and political system in a manner that rivals anything Krupps did.