Dark Money

See my full review at The Emerald City Book Review. Fascinating, chilling, and infuriating, Dark Money is a must-read for anyone who wants to know what is behind some of the more puzzling developments of our time, such as the sudden drop in public concern about climate change, one of the most insidious products of the Kochs' ideological mill, and the rise of the Tea Party, an ersatz grassroots movement grown in the soil of big money. Mayer methodically and convincingly traces the fingerprints of the robber barons who profit most from our oil-based economy, and provides an essential awareness of some of the hidden forces that shape our lives.

Ugh, this book was my Everest and I would consider it one of the best books I never want to read again. I felt disgusted, enraged, and worried pretty much constantly while reading this book. As someone who considered herself fiscally conservative (to an extent), this book makes me reconsider some of the notions I'm espousing and who I would be aligning myself with on the grand scale. The level of infiltration and egregious influence the Koch brothers and their cronies have had on our political system through “charitable” avenues is pretty horrific.

“We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.” - [a:Louis D Brandeis 16778890 Louis D Brandeis https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]

Really good book, but unless you are very, very wealthy, it will upset you. The book does a good job proving one person, one vote just isn't true in American politics anymore. It actually made me more politically aware and active, especially since many of the people discussed in the book are now active in the current administration.