Mr. Elfers in a recent opinion (“Concern for common good is buried by greed,” Jan. 24) quotes a 2010 article which accuses the Koch Brothers of using their vast wealth: 1) to guide the Tea Party movement; 2) to bankroll policies that benefited their industries, weakening environmental controls in the process and 3) to wage war on President Obama. Now let’s take a moment to look at each of these assertions. The Tea Party was a loose grouping of citizens like you and I that came together to petition the government primarily about their concerns regarding the growing national debt. There was no defined leadership structure. Their rallies were always peaceful, and they destroyed no property and left the site as clean as they found it. Compare that to some of the more liberal groups who riot and destroy public property and more. Secondly, most businessmen lobby the government seeking favorable treatment of their industries, does anyone really believe that Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, liberals all, don’t do the same? One look no farther than the current competition for a second Amazon headquarters. It means good jobs and tax revenue for the city, and state landing the site. What weakening of environmental controls? Obama was President in 2010 and I don’t recall any weakening of environmental controls, quite the opposite. Perhaps Mr. Elfers can provide some facts to back his claim? Finally, a war on Obama? That wasn’t too successful was it? Despite scandal after scandal, guns sold to Mexican criminals, IRS targeting “Tea Party” groups denying tax status, Benghazi, cash to IRAN, domestic spying and the list goes on, no special prosecutor. Why? The answer is clear, he was protected by the Main Stream Media.

Mr. Elfers references an article/book that accuses the Koch brothers of unfairly attacking the author. When a “journalist” does a piece on a person or organization in an impartial manner they gather and present information from across the spectrum and let the reader decide. When a journalist picks just one side to present which, as Mr. Elfers states, has “a progressive bias” that is known as a “hit job”. Obviously, those accused unfairly, inaccurately would choose to aggressively defend themselves. Wouldn’t Mr. Elfers?

“Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right?” Seriously, for every conservative billionaire there are at least as many, and I would argue many more liberal billionaires’ using “dark money” to wage war on our constitutional republic. Has Mr. Elfers heard of George Soros? Does anyone really believe that the Right Wing is in control of this country, seriously? Just look around at the culture today. There is nothing right wing about it. The fact that there are a few of us left to defend our republic from the onslaught of the liberal left is amazing. No, my fellow citizens, it is the liberal left that is destroying our republic. As I have stated in an earlier letter to the editor Mr. Mueller and his team’s problems are of their own doing and sadly reflect the depth of corruption at the highest levels of the DOJ, FBI and DNC. Yes, as Mr. Elfers says it is the big lie that is destroying our country, but it is not the plutocrats of the “Radical Right” but the deceptive, secretive statists of the liberal left protected by its accomplices in the Main Stream Media. No better example than the current Mueller investigation. Mr. Elfers needs to do a little better research before pressing his thesis.

The common good is promoted by ensuring individual liberty for all citizen’s free of coercion by the state. Citizens following their passions and dreams improve the lot for all. It is the American dream, something apparently that Mr. Elfers has forgotten?

Tim Vendettuoli

Bonney Lake