David and Charles Koch, two of the wealthiest men in America, have been contributing to Tea Party and libertarian causes for a long time.
But until the New Yorker's Jane Mayer wrote her detailed story last August, the brothers were frankly not that well known. But Mayer's story changed everything, and the Koch brothers have easily shot to the top of a list of progressives most loathed public figures.
Most recently, In These Times has published a story online alleging that the brothers foundation was behind an effort to defund public-sector unions in Florida and across the country.
Here in Florida, liberals have been aghast ever since it was reported in May that Florida State University signed a contract with the Charles G. Koch Foundation that allows the organization to screen candidates for two positions in FSU's economics department in return for $1.5 million over six years.
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2011.
