Charles Koch eyes sentencing reform as a 2015 priority

[Joe Magarac]

Charles Koch eyes sentencing reform as a 2015 priority
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/228145-charles-koch-eyes-sentencing-reform-as-a-priority

Conservative mega-donor Charles Koch says reforming the criminal justice system to make it more fair to the "disadvantaged" will be a major one of his priorities in 2015.

The businessman said that the criminal justice system needs reforms aimed at “making it fair and making [criminal] sentences more appropriate to the crime that has been committed.”

“Over the next year, we are going to be pushing the issues key to this, which need a lot of work in this country,” Koch told The Wichita Eagle in an interview published Saturday night. “And that would be freedom of speech, cronyism and how that relates to opportunities for the disadvantaged.”

Koch’s top lawyer noted that federal and state-level criminal justice policy has had an outsized impact on minority communities.

“It definitely appears to have a racial angle, intended or not,” said Mark Holden, Koch’s chief counsel.

...

Not sure what to make of this.

[bravenak]

1. He is also giving much needed funds to the United Negro College Fund.

[brer cat]

4. That is good,

but I have to wonder why. He surely can't expect to buy the black vote, but supporting UNCF and calling for prison reform, which will help blacks more than any other group, doesn't sound very "republican" to me. There must be an angle I am not seeing.

[bravenak]

8. He's a sneaky MF.

He's been doing a whole bunch of selfless shit lately. I have no idea what to think.
Thank you for the money, but, you can keep your crazy politicians?
They're putting money into STEM training for young black college students, men I think. They say black families are poor because of men being in prison and not being able to support their families and lack of science and math focus in education.
They want to look like the good guys an are willing to do nice things to prove that their way is better.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. He's got a strong libertarian streak, iirc.

In most cases, that winds up in support of policies on the right end of the spectrum, but every once in a blue moon it coincides with the left, even if he's arriving from a different starting point.

[babylonsister]

3. Sure sounds like he has his pols bought and paid for. I don't

recall him being elected to anything...

[marym625]

5. I'm scared.

[onehandle]

6. Libertarian asshole lines his pockets on the backs of the 99%...

...and dips into his lunatic 'philosophy' when it's no skin off his nose.

Fuck Libertarians. Fuck the Kochs.

[mazzarro]

7. Is he trying to do like a "make up sex" thing for politics -- n/t

[Sunlei]

9. yeah koch don't jail them, fine the crap out of them get them on chain gangs to pay off their debts.

[LiberalArkie]

10. I don't think the Kochs make any money from prisons and jails. I think they look at it as costing

them money.

[hatrack]

11. He'll flaunt "fairness" for Blah People, and give corporate crooks a reach-around off-camera . . .

Sentencing guidelines for "non-violent" crimes - you know, like mail fraud, pump 'n dumping shit stocks, cooked books, Enron accounting, selling worthless mortgages, etc. - will be in for lots of "reform" under the radar.

I put nothing - nothing - past this sociopathic asshole.

[blkmusclmachine]

12. +1. There's no good to come from the Kochs writing law.

[blkmusclmachine]

13. Here are the Koch brands in your local grocery store:

Angel Soft
Brawny
Vanity Fair
American Greetings
Sparkle
Georgia Pacific
Zee
Dixie
Soft n Gentle
Mardi Gras
Quilted Northern

[Jeff Murdoch]

17. I agree, and with any Koch plan, probably has multiple goals.

1. Your mention of gutting "white collar" criminal penalties.
2. PR blitz, "We're really not bad guys!" Have you seen those puke inspiring TV ads?
3. Not sure of his religious beliefs, if any, but at his age he may be coming down with a case of Carnegie/Mellon disease. In other words, after a lifetime of screwing over everyone (especially the poor) to increase his wealth, fear of his own mortality leads to an increase in philanthropy (buying your way into Heaven.)

[Kablooie]

14. He's trying to distract the public from the evil reputation he's earned.

he finds out who is against him and makes a move to please them so they will forget about his true motives.
It's a smokescreen.

[joshcryer]

15. More Koch rebranding to win over the liberal vote.

And it will work, lots of white straight males wanting to get on the "libertarian" bandwagon. See Ron Paul in 2008/2012. I'm sure he will bolster Rand Paul's run, and lots of white straight young males will be happy to jump on board.

[MFM008]

16. nothing

He's still an ass. hat.

[SunSeeker]

18. He's limiting the reform efforts to "nonviolent" felons. Like Rep. Grimm.

He doesn't want to help all felons, just white collar criminals and drug offenders. Just in time for the convicted tax cheat, Staten Island's Congressman Grimm.

[craigmatic]

19. Looks like he's getting image conscious. I don't think he believed he would get famous giving

money to crazies. Now it maybe hurting his bottom line and he has to do some damage control. Stealing oil from Indians doesn't help his cause that much either.

[davidpdx]

20. I don't trust him as far as I could throw him

And that wouldn't be that far. Personally I'd rather see him deep fried in a vat of oil.

[krispos42]

21. "Hey, look at that distraction over there!"

Followed by cackling laughter as he drags away even more bags of money.


I trust him as far as I can throw an excavator.

[Recursion]

22. He's also dumped a lot of money on overturning the PATRIOT act

And (less) money on advancing marriage equality

[Odin2005]

23. This is classic Libertarian PR tripe.

[geek tragedy]

24. PR-driven lip service. "See, we LOVE black people"

How much will they spend on electing people who favor this?