David Koch’s recent death illuminated an evergreen truth: people love to hate billionaires.
The Koch brothers, Charles and David, sat at the center of the Left’s vitriol for decades. Their fortune through Koch Industries allowed them to donate prolifically to right-leaning think tanks and political campaigns. During their time in the public eye, the Kochs’ opposition often accused them of buying elections and contributing to modern environmental problems.
George Soros, the left’s philanthropic equivalent, has been similarly criticized by the Right. While both the Kochs and Soros have contributed significantly to political organizations and policy institutes, neither are the boogeymen that the media makes them out to be.
It is true that both Koch and Soros became exorbitantly wealthy from their enterprises, but these men are not two-dimensional characters. They are multi-faceted citizens with values and ideals that guide their actions just like any other American. It is naive and dishonest to reduce them to caricatures who spend their days performing intentional evil or looking for ways to spite the poor. Their philanthropic donations of choice should not make them fair game for public character assassination.
Bill Maher recently opened his show by stating “David Koch of the zillionaire Koch brothers died of prostate cancer. I guess I’ll have to reevaluate my low opinion of prostate cancer.” Not only is the statement shockingly distasteful, it mischaracterizes David Koch’s legacy. Just like Soros, Koch had a right to use his money to support his values. Moreover, the causes he supported might surprise you, considering his starkly negative rap in the media.
David Koch supported lowered taxes, gay rights, smaller government, drug legalization, and decreased foreign intervention. He also donated vastly to the arts. He has given $20 million to the Museum of Natural History, $65 million to the MET, $100 million to Lincoln Center, and $87,000 to the campaign of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.
His brother, Charles Koch, is currently teaming up with the famously progressive George Soros to start a think tank dedicated to decreasing U.S. military involvement abroad. This bipartisan effort is coming at a time when politics is becoming more polarized than ever, with right and left coalitions increasingly rare. However, the two men are putting aside their differences to bankroll what could be an encouraging return to a more sensible U.S. policy abroad.
Indeed, Soros and the Kochs are billionaires. They have fortunes at their disposal and they generously give to causes they support. But the argument that they are intensifying partisan divides through their philanthropy is as simplistic as it is erroneous. Their policy interests and legacies are multi-faceted, and should not be boiled down to sweeping statements about their moral character.
Condemning billionaires based on their wealth and political leanings is a straw man. In this country, we are allowed to support causes with our resources as we see fit. Next time you hear Bill Maher thanking prostate cancer for killing a billionaire, ask why. Are Soros and Koch being justly condemned, or are we burning their effigies out of habit?
Elizabeth Nealon is an undergraduate at Clemson University and editor of the on-campus newspaper The Sensible Tiger.
