Charles Koch
Charles de Ganahl Koch ( born November 1, 1935 in Wichita, Kansas) manages the oil and chemical consortium Koch Industries, the second largest business conglomerate in the United States is privately owned. He had in 2013 - as his brother David Hamilton Koch - an estimated fortune of 34 billion U.S. dollars, making it the fourth richest man in the U.S. and # 6 of the richest people ever to The World's Billionaires.
Education, training and family
Charles 's parents were Fred C. Koch ( † 1967) and Mary Robinson Koch ( † 1990), who had four sons together Freddie, Charles, David and William. After the presentation of Charles 's father taught him at the age of eight years, a work ethic. While other kids were allowed to play in their free time in the pool, he had to work. This treatment have used him later in life. According to David the father of the children taught consistently above disadvantages of governments.
Koch attended a military school. In the 1950s, he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineering Nuclear and chemical engineering and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts / Science and Master of Science degree.
Charles Koch is married to Liz Koch, with whom he has two children.
Business
Together with David and Bill, he worked after graduation in his father's company. Charles soon took over the leadership, David was his deputy. Bill's career in the company was less successful. Frederick studied drama at Yale ( and supposed to have been punished financially from the Father because of what Frederick but denied by proxy ).
1967 inherited the four brothers, the company of her late father Charles and named it in his honor by Koch Industries.
1980 Frederick and Bill tried to take over the company, since Charles had developed an autocratic style of leadership. The power struggle Charles decided for himself, as he was able pull the shareholder David Koch and J. Howard Marshall on his side. Bill was released from the company. In response, the brothers were arguing in court. 1983 Charles and David bought the shares in the company of Frederick and Bill for a billion dollars and led the company without her.
The mixed company, which he was president in the following decades, operates among others in the sectors pipelines, refineries, fibers, fertilizers, forest products, consumer products and chemicals.
Shareholders who have a say and insights into the business activities, from cooking rejects; Koch Industries is one of the largest non- listed companies. According to a study by the University of Massachusetts, the company ranks among the ten largest air pollutants in the U.S..
2008, sales exceeded the limit of 100 billion dollars. In 2012, $ 20 billion his company became richer, according to estimates.
Policy
Positions
Charles G. Koch and his brother David H. Koch are followers of libertarianism and are among the main financers of the libertarian - conservative Tea Party movement. You want to drastically lower taxes, minimal assistance for the needy, and much less market regulation of the industry, particularly with respect to environmental regulations.
After Charles Koch was " a free society in danger, partly because of climate change alarmism ".
In addition, cooking is of the opinion that the policy of the economy is subject. He suggests that every law should be reviewed on an unspecified " promote prosperity growth," according to which 90 percent of all laws would fall through. Many critics accuse him of having amassed too much power. According to Koch, but believes he fight the power of the central government, would ruin the whole industries through taxation, forcing citizens to purchase health insurance and could force large corporations such as Koch Industries to its knees.
Foundations and institutes
In 1977, Koch along with Ed Crane, the Cato Institute, one of the most influential economic and political think tanks of the United States. Together with his brother he founded the Mercatus Center.
Together they have more than 30 institutes or foundations ( Foundations ) financial support, among them the Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the George C. Marshall Institute, the Reason Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Was also support for the Federalist Society.
How much money the Kochs spend in total for political purposes, is not known. From the part of the control files that are publicly available, it appears that the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation has so far spent more than $ 48 million, the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation ( which is controlled by Koch and his wife and three employees ) $ 28 million, the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation of his brother more than $ 120 million. Therefore, it is suspected, the Kochs have directed more than 100 million U.S. dollars in to various organizations. According to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy various Koch foundations act selfishly because they fund research and advocacy on issues that impact the profit margin of Koch Industries. Koch Industries has spent more than $ 50 million for direct lobbying, the KochPAC has supported various campaigns with $ 8 million. In addition, the brothers Charles and David Koch support the Tea Party movement financially and organizationally. As an ulterior motive for this is believed to make its own interests to support, but the conclusion of his own biography would be also suggest that it would constitute strong sense of conviction. According to Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity against abuse of power and corruption, the Koch brothers have a very large influence on politics. You would spend far more money on it than any other and have a consistent scheme of breaking the law, political manipulation, and obfuscation. David Koch objected to the depictions of the press, claiming that the influence of the Koch brothers would overestimate the policy.
Kochtopus
The Kochs have created an influential ideological network that organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, Mercatus Center, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Freedom Works includes. In the 1980s there was a debate within the libertarian movement. A group led by Murray Rothbard fought against the growing influence of the Koch -funded libertarian organizations. Samuel Edward Konkin III, known as Kochtopus (English for "Cook Octopus " ) The network should have received from the chef since 1997, at least $ 48 million. Since the extensive campaigns against initiatives of President Obama, including against health care reform and the stimulus due to the financial crisis from 2007 and the global economic crisis starting in 2007, the critical term for the ideological network has inter alia also established at liberals.
Climate debate
According to a Greenpeace report, the company is listed as a key player in the rejection of climate science. According to an investigative journalist, the Kochs have applied between 2005 and 2008 larger sums than ExxonMobil for Lobbyiniativen to combat political action on global warming.
The strategy of the Koch brothers, take the advice of Frank Luntz pollster that a successful campaign must focus on the people, to convince them that there is no consensus about global warming in science. Organizations of the chef put on their public relations a platform for climate skeptics ago, in particular by the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. The Cato Institute 2009 switched several major American newspapers full-page advertisements in which, inter alia, was rumored that in the last ten years, no global warming could have been measured. This statement was flatly contrary to the scientific consensus. At the campaign was according to Bill Press the bribery of politicians. In opinion polls, it turned out that the number of American citizens who hold global warming to be proven scientifically, had fallen from 71 % in 2008 to 57 % in 2009. During the 2008 presidential campaign was between Democrats and Republicans even agreed that something must be done to stop global warming, the Republicans are not this view since 2009. Charles Koch believes that " global warming is good for humanity, because it is thus warm longer in the northern hemisphere ".