Bullshit

[Matthew Yglesias] uses actual data to point out that the surge in government spending noted in the [Koch response] to [Warren Buffett's tax op-ed], doesn't really exist.

Much of what the government spends money on does more harm than good; this is particularly true over the past several years with the massive uncontrolled increase in government spending. I believe my business and non-profit investments are much more beneficial to societal well-being than sending more money to Washington.”
— Charles G. Koch, Chairman and CEO, Koch Industries, Inc.

- [Matthew Yglesias: The Nonexistent Government Spending Surge]" - "But it is worth pointing out that the Obama-era surge in government spending is largely a figment of the conservative imagination.

So the "increased government spending" line is bullshit but the rest of the comment is bullshit too.

Much of what the government spends money on does more harm than good

Any proof or data? What spending is bad? What is good? Why? More harm to Who? How do you know that government taxing money away from a rich person and spreading it around to a bunch of old retirees in the form of a social security check does more harm than a rich person buying an island with the same money? How do you know?

I believe my business and non-profit investments are much more beneficial to societal well-being than sending more money to Washington.

He believes that? So what? People believe in a lot of stupid shit, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, space Aliens, the great sky daddy. Belief does not make it true. Most people understand that private investment can't, or won't, give an economy every thing it needs to function efficiently. There are things like rural electricity, clean air and water, a highway system, the military, some social safety nets that private industry doesn't do as well as government.

Koch spews his "government is always bad" line like it's fact but it's not, it's just something he believes or he knows. I think it was Bill James, the baseball sabermetrician/writer who said something like "bullshit is something you can't prove or demonstrate, it's something you just know to be true". I'd say Koch's response fits that definition perfectly. It was bullshit.

These kind of comments need to be challenged by our media. Buffett defended his argument with a pretty good set of data. Koch responded with bullshit. Our media should drag Koch up in front of the cameras and make him defend his position.

tnb