An almighty Koch app: Democrat developer targets billionaire brothers
Darcy Burner developing smartphone app to allow shoppers to avoid brands owned by the Kochs and other rightwingers
David Koch, left, has interests in brands including Brawny, Dixie, Lycra and Stairmaster. Photograph: Jason Kempin/Getty Images
A former tech head turned politician is developing an app that will allow shoppers to avoid products made by the Kochs or other billionaires currently spending fortunes backing rightwing candidates and policies.
Darcy Burner, a Democrat politician running for Congress in Washington state, said she came up with the idea when she started looking at exactly what the Kochs own.
The brothers' interests include Georgia Pacific, a packaging and paper products firm whose brands include Brawny and Sparkle paper towels, Angel Soft and Soft n' Gentle bath tissue and the Dixie range of paper cups and plates.
Koch Industries also owns Invista, the world's largest fibre and textiles company and owner of Lycra, Cordura and the Stainmaster carpet brand.
"The Kochs have a record of spending enormous amounts of money to move very reactionary, rightwing policies. Most Americans disagree with those policies but they may be buying products that are bankrolling them," she said.
Burner said the app would allow "folks to make informed buying decisions."
"We talk about boycotts but with someone like the Kochs, they own so much that it's difficult to track," she said.
Burner, a Harvard computer science grad and former Microsoft programmer, said the app was still in the early stages. "We are talking to people but hopefully someone will take it on soon," she said.
Read it at the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/jun/23/koch-app-billionaire-brothers
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