Although the Tea Party began as a grassroots conservative movement, it was hijacked by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries, who spent more than $50 million to stage national rallies and fly and bus in participants and handpicked speakers from all over the country.

The Koch brothers and their cohorts are not even genuine Republicans, but counterfeit libertarians whose agenda is to shrink government enough that it can no longer protect the rest of us from them.

Contrary to the propaganda churned out by the foundations they fund, such as American Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute and Americans for Prosperity, they are not really interested in individual freedom. The liberty they’re after is freedom from accountability for their oil spills and abuse of consumers, workers, taxpayers and the environment. Their clever anti-government rhetoric plays to popular bias and fuels fear and distrust to further their takeover agenda.

If they and their friends succeed, “libertarian ideals” will be among the first casualties.

Gene Bullock
Poulsbo