This is incredible. Last year, the state budget cut $99 million from our three state universities. This year, among the possible scenarios for the state budget is an extra $5 million for the university’s three “economic freedom centers.” Whoever inserted that item into the budget isn’t talking. No one will admit they know how it got there.

(Before I go further, I have to give a shout out to Hank Stephenson who wrote the article about this possible giveaway in the Capitol Times. Stephenson earned the wrath of David Gowan when he wrote about the House Speaker’s travel on the state’s dime—actually, “the state’s $12,000” is more accurate than “the state’s dime”—which led to Gowan’s revenge-banning of reporters from the House floor, an order that was later rescinded. This story might earn Stephenson another black mark from Republican legislators, but I say he deserves an award of journalistic valor for his recent reporting.)

You can’t get a degree at the “economic freedom centers,” which are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Koch Brothers: UA’s Center for the Philosophy of Freedom and ASU’s Center for the Study of Economic Liberty and Center for Political Thought and Leadership. The Charles Koch Charitable Foundation put up most of the money to fund the centers.

The state currently funds $500,000 per year for the UA center. Someone in state government who thus far has decided to remain anonymous wants to boost that number to $5 million. Our local state senator Steve Farley noted the irony of the state subsidizing privately-funded centers that push free market ideas.

“Why do we need to spend taxpayer money on an institute to study free markets? Shouldn’t they go to the free market for that?” Farley asked.

To that I would add, the move is in keeping with Republicans’ self serving double standard. They squeeze state budgets for education and state services, pleading fiscal poverty, then manage to find $5 million lying around to spend on three privately funded conservative-libertarian propaganda mills embedded in our state universities.

This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2016.

11 replies on “Is the AZ Legislature Planning to Give $5 Million to Koch Brothers-Backed “Economic Freedom Centers”?”

  1. “It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.” — (Saint) Ronald Reagan

    Pimp — 1) To serve as a procurer of prostitutes. 2) To compromise one’s principles*, especially in promoting the interests of another, for personal gain.

    *First, one has to have principles, something that Arizona legislators are sorely missing.

  2. Mr Safier wrote…

    “Is the AZ Legislature Planning to Give $5 Million to Koch Brothers-Backed “Economic Freedom Centers”?

    Clearly Betteridge’s law of headlines applies here.

  4. Given the other story about the UofA professor’s lecture on the evils of marriage, maybe the universities need some shaking up.

  5. Probably no Pulitzer Prize will be given out, but I can think of someone who may
    deserve one. I just hope if that should happen they present it to him on the Floor of the House.

  6. All one needs do is follow the oil that drips from the ‘dark Koch money” to its source and bingo; in Arizona it leads right to the State Capital which itself is almost flooded with the stuff. Why is anyone surprised that the goal of the Koch Brothers is to try to somehow infiltrate the educational system of 31 states in order to shape the still forming consciousness of bright students? Why is it a surprise that the Koch Brothers start their propaganda campaign against compassion and American values at the earliest possible stage of the life of the next generation of Americans? Its not insidious enough that Alec runs our legislatures in 31 States without anyone lifting a finger to protest? Folks; hopefully the Kochs and the other geriatric partners of Koch will be worm food long before their long term tactics take shape . They want an America of robots’; of the unthinking who will gratefully accept a fossil fuel based lifestyle, who will eschew humane values and ethics, who will mindlessly except a Corporate structure that is infused with greed and that their place in that structure is to mindlessly go about their daily routines without ever bothering to question what has happened or even consider what constitutes a meaningful life. This is the program of the Koch Brothers….a dark, evil, hellish existence. And every day that passes; the Range exposes just one more nuance of how it is coming into fruition. DON;T BE SURPRISED!!!!! do something about it!!!!!VOTE AGAINST ANYONE WHO TAKES DARK MONEY FOR THEIR CAMPAIGN!!!!!!

  7. THOMAS BORIN for the Legislature…finally some sound advice. Watch out you dark money politicians someone has your number. You have to be a little older than that picture or else you have to wait until you are 25.

  8. How can anyone be so intelligent and biting about Ducey’s use of tax monies at the same time as supporting Prop 123, which is geared and designed to make sure the state has more monies to give away to things like the Freedom Centers? Beyond the statewide tragedy of what taxes DO go for in Arizona is what they DON’T go for. The personal tragedy here is that I and other parents in Arizona are being told by institutions we should be able to trust, like PTA, ASBA and the Teacher’s Union to fore front our kids (to the tune of less than $200.00 per child, bringing us “up” to 48th in the nation) and screw our grandkids: All so that the state governor and legislature can fund their friends with our patrimony, now and in the future. With smart and compassionate pundits like this, who needs the evil ones?

  9. And now the Freedom center’s director, a philosophy professor, is teaching Phil 101 to high school students. Our state legislators say it can satisfy state requirement for economics and personal finance.

  10. It has been 30 years or more since the PTA and Teachers Unions were trusted. Nothing new for most of us. But if Safier’s voting for it, I’m all in.

  11. TUSD spends 53%+ ON NON-CLASSROOM TEACHING. EVERY INCREMENTAL $ IS 54% NON-TEACHING! VOTE no ON 123.

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