The truth about Americans for Prosperity
Jan 29, 11:34 AM CST
A conservative organization called Americans for Prosperity held a meeting about health care on the College of St. Mary’s campus last night. This gathering was one of many that have been held across Nebraska over the last few months featuring Nebraska Republicans as guest speakers including: Congressman Lee Terry; State Senators Beau McCoy, Tony Fulton, Bob Krist, Scott Price, Scott Lautenbaugh; State Auditor Mike Foley; and State Treasurer Shane Osborn.
These meetings have been advertised as grassroots events with the Nebraska Republicans leading the way to mobilize “citizens as advocates in the public policy process.” Americans for Prosperity, however, is more than a bit deceptive about their background – they would like for Nebraskans to believe that they are a groundswell movement comprised of average, concerned citizens.
Guess again.
Americans for Prosperity is largely funded by the Koch Family Foundations. Sounds harmless enough, right? The Koch Family just happens to run Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately owned Energy Company in the United States. The profits of Koch Industries come from the oil business, including pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, and chemical technology. It seems a little more than coincidental that Americans for Prosperity’s first line of attack was to do a “Hot Air Tour” combating the issue of global warming in order to prevent climate change legislation.
Who are they?
The panel last evening discussing health care in Omaha consisted of Dr. Britt Thedinger, State Senator Beau McCoy, local business owner and Republican donor Rick Bettger, and Americans for Prosperity employee Brad Stevens.
What transpired at the meeting was an odd piece of political theatre.
•Americans for Prosperity employee Stevens urged that the group should protest the higher taxes created by President Barack Obama. Clearly Stevens missed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which brought tax cuts – not increases – for 95% of all working families.
•Rick Bettger spoke about the hardships his business has faced with increasing health care costs, while repeatedly dropping the name of said business.
•Dr. Britt Thedinger, a physician with an Ears, Nose, Throat practice, spoke regarding the current health care legislation in the U.S. Senate and asked, “Why can’t we have a 5 or 10 page bill that puts this all together?” Just as one example of Congress fixes a massive nationwide problem with a bill – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was 1,100 pages long.
•The strangest moment of the evening came from State Senator Beau McCoy when he said, “We want to make sure that we’re not paying a price for citizenship.” What an odd statement coming from an elected official, who should appreciate sacrifice and service for U.S. citizenship. Don’t Americans serving in the Armed Forces pay the ultimate price for our U.S. citizenship and freedom?
•State Senator McCoy went on to mention that he introduced LR289CA in the Nebraska Unicameral. He touted the resolution, which is a state constitutional amendment to prohibit laws that restrict or interfere with choice of health care plans or direct payment for medical services. McCoy repeatedly mentioned that 11 of his colleagues in the Unicameral had signed on to support this bill. While he claimed this bill to be “important,” McCoy verbally stumbled and could not offer a single name of a state senator who supported it.
Is this all about self-interest?
Perhaps the question really is – how much of their spiel is self-promotion with a business, a medical practice, the re-election of a state senator with higher ambitions, and the greed of a major corporation hanging in the balance.
To paraphrase the immortal words of President John F. Kennedy, they would be better served to ask not what our country can do for them but ask what they can do for our country.
– by Missy Wigley | Send this to a friend
