AStudentPerspective

TeachingintroductoryeconomicstoK16studentscanbechallenging.ThatiswhyKochIndustrieshasteamedupwithFlorida
StateUniversitytoofferaCommonSenseEconomics(CSE)curriculumthatiseasyandfunforstudentstounderstand.

Studentsloveexcitement,andwhatcouldbemoreexcitingthanriskingthelivesofcountlesscommunitiesforprofit?
Under
ReadingsReflectiveofCommonSense,
theCSEcurriculumfeaturesanessayentitled
Sacrificinglivesforprofits[linksto
each:
ow.ly/XVvFM
and
ow.ly/XVwdJ
respectively].

Thechargethatswaysjuriesandoffendspublicsensitivities[...]isthatgreedycorporationssacrifice
humanlivestoincreasetheirprofits.Isthischargetrue?Ofcourseitis.Butthisisntacriticismof
corporationsratheritisareflectionoftheproperfunctioningofamarketeconomy.

Corporationsroutinelysacrificethelivesofsomeoftheircustomers
toincreaseprofits,andweareallbetteroffbecausetheydo.

Thatsright,weareluckytoliveinaneconomythatallowscorporationstoincreaseprofitsby
intentionallysellingproductslesssafethancouldbeproduced.Thedesirabilityofsacrificinglivesfor
profitsmaynotbeascomfortingasmilk,cookies,andabedtimestory,butitfollowsdirectlyfroma
realitywecannotwishaway.

Theauthor,Dr.DwightLee,isaprofessoratSouthernMethodistUniversityand"scholar"forseveralKochfundedthinktanks,
includingthenotoriousclimatechangedenyingHeartlandInstitute.Dr.LeepresentedCSEtohighschoolinstructorsduring
FSUs2009ExcellenceinEconomicsEducationevent
[pg26,
ow.ly/UggOV
].

ThisprogramispartofawidelycriticizedagreementbetweentheCharlesKochFoundation(CKF)andFSU
involvingthe
violationofmanyacademicpolicies,facultycensorship,anda$105,000bribe,
thathas

allowedKochtogain
unprecedentedcontroloverhiringandcurriculum,CSEbeingjustoneexample

[ow.ly/UgkFI].

Whoareyourlecturers?
AretheyconnectedtoKoch?
DANIELWINCHESTER
hastiestotheInstituteforHumaneStudies.
TAWNIH.FERRARINI
teachesCSEinMichigan.
JOABCOREY
directlyfundedbyKochthroughtheExcellenceinEconomicsEducationstartedwiththe
CKFgiftandconnectedtoGeorgeMasonUniversitywhichreceivesthemostmoneyfromKochand
harborstheMercatusCenter.

QuestionsStudentsAskTheirProfessors

QuickFactsandResources

A
2008agreementbetweenFSUandtheCharlesKochFoundation(CKF)createdtheProgramfortheStudyof
PoliticalEconomyandFreeEnterprise(SPEFE)andtheProgramforExcellenceinEconomicEducation(EEE).
SPEFE/EEEpersonnelarecontractuallyboundbyKochsideologicalstipulations
(section1.ainthecontracts
below),andKochcanrevokefundingforlackofcompliance.Theagreementviolatesacademicpolicyanddonor
policybygrantingundueinfluencetotheKochFoundation.
Thememorandumoutlinesconditionsunderwhich
CKFwouldfund,butmaintaincontrolof,facultyandinstructorhiring,curricularandextracurricularprogramming
(includingtheEconomicsclub),andgraduatefellowshipswithintheDepartmentofEconomics.

Arecentlydiscoveredfacultyreport,whichhadpreviouslybeencensoredbyuniversityadministration,observed
thatKochfundednontenuretrackfacultyhavebeenassignedtoteachtheservicecoursesinEconomics.Criticism
ofthisadministrativemoveassertsthat
facultyoversightofthesepositionsandcontentnolongerrestswiththe
Economicsdepartmentatlarge,butwiththeSPEFEProgram.Thesecoursesteachapproximately7000FSU
students/yr.
Dr.JoabCoreyisamongtheseinstructors.

AmassivenewreportbytheCenterforPublicIntegrity
revealnewdetailsofwhoKochssecretivedonornetwork
(FreedomPartnersChamberofCommerce)isusinguniversitiesnotjusttoproduceprocorporateresearch,butasa
trainingandrecruitinggroundsfortheirpoliticalwork.RecentresearchhasrevealedthetrueintentionoftheCharles
KochFoundationshigheredphilanthropy,fromtopKochofficialsthemselves,VPoftheCharlesKochFoundation,
KevinGentry,wasrecordedinasecretsummitofdonorsdescribinghow:

The[Koch]networkisfullyintegrated,soitsnotjustworkattheuniversitieswiththestudents,butitsalso
buildingstatebasedcapabilitiesandelectioncapabilitiesandintegratingthistalentpipeline,hesaid.
Soyoucanseehowthisisusefultoeachotherovertime,hecontinued.Nooneelsehasthisinfrastructure.Were
veryexcitedaboutdoingit.

InvestigativejournalistJaneMayesnewbookDarkMoneyreveals
the3stepplanthattheKochnetworkusesto
manufacturepolicychange.TheStructureofSocialChangewas

drafted
byKochexecutiveRichardFink.
Academia(step1)servesasthebasisforpoliciescreatedatKochfundedthinktanks(step2),policieswhichare
pushedbyKochfundedgroups(step3).

2008contract
[ow.ly/UghTf],
2013contract
[ow.ly/Ugiq0],
UnKochreport
[ow.ly/UgkFI],
FalseFSUClaims
[ow.ly/Ugh89],
SPEFE/EEEfaculty(
pg26)
[ow.ly/UggOV],

Censoredfacultyreport
[
ow.ly/ReRu5
]
Centerfor
PublicIntegrity
[
bit.ly/cpi1030],
L
eakedKochsummitdocuments
[ow.ly/Ue4rg]