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From John Rogan, Tillamook
During the 2014 and 2016 elections the Koch Brothers poured millions of dollars into Wisconsin. Their money was well rewarded. Not only did they get Scott Walker as governor, but perhaps more importantly they got Sonny Perdue as Trump’s agricultural secretary. The stated creed of Perdue is, “In America the big get bigger, and the small go out.” The moment of opportunity for the large agribusiness conglomerates had arrived. In Wisconsin in 2018 it cost the average dairy farmer $1.95 to produce a gallon of milk, whereas the giant processing conglomerates that control the milk market paid them only $1.35. As a result the median farm profit for the year was minus $1,500. In 2018 Wisconsin lost 638 dairy farms, and the trend continued through 2019. Dean Foods now controls 90% of Wisconsin’s dairy market.
With the fate of Wisconsin’s dairy farms in mind, serious questions must be asked as to why the Koch Brothers are now pouring money into Oregon’s 2020 election. What is in it for them? Do they have our small dairy farms and wineries in their sights? Candidates across Oregon, including here in Tillamook, are accepting Koch money. We need to ask these candidates what they are expected to do to earn this money, but it is possible that even they do not know at this point. The bill from the Kochs will only arrive after the election. The only safe course for Tillamook is not to vote for the candidate who has accepted Koch money.
Here are links to the Secretary of State’s Candidates information:
Debbie Boothe Schmidt – https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/cneSearch.do?cneSearchButtonName=search&cneSearchFilerCommitteeId=20556&OWASP_CSRFTOKEN=P41R-0OJJ-GT0A-HRJG-P326-EKDQ-E8YG-82MZ
Suzanne Weber – https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/cneSearch.do?cneSearchButtonName=search&cneSearchFilerCommitteeId=20337&OWASP_CSRFTOKEN=P41R-0OJJ-GT0A-HRJG-P326-EKDQ-E8YG-82MZ
