So why the intense focus by Right Wingers on Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania

[rufus dog]

All of the states in the Great Lakes region. What is with the focus of privatization in this region?

[DJ13]

1. This is an example of their tactic here

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/dice/dice.html

In that game you build up areas of strength, then you attack weaker next door neighboring areas, until you have taken over the entire board and won.

Try it, you'll get a good idea of the GOP's reasons for trying to secure that region.

[Arctic Dave]

2. Not just there, up here also.

For an answer: resource states.

[rufus dog]

4. ah, great point

We have Alaska too.

What resource is abundant in those States?

[shraby]

3. Don't they surround the largest bodies of fresh water in the country???

[rufus dog]

5. Exactly

I wonder why they are trying to control the states around the largest fresh water source in the Nation.

[longship]

6. Country? Ha!

We control the largest bodies of fresh water on the planet!* And when we Repugs take over it, nobody else's gonna get any. Ha ha ha ha ha!


*if you ignore the glaciers and ice fields, but we're gonna melt those and then we'll be able to control the world. Mwa-ha-ha!

[HereSince1628]

12. I don't think it's the water per se, I think it's simply shared histories and economic circumstance

International agreements between the states and provinces of the Great Lakes Basin prohibit moving significant amounts of water outside the basin. So, basically the water must be used in situ.

I think the issue is basically that these are RUST BELT states of former heavy manufacturing regions. The economies of once thriving industrial centers are now pretty rotten, and people are near desperate for recovery and redevelopment.

Yet, Great Lakes states like Mn, WI, MI, and Ohio are states which have histories and laws linked to the era of America's Foundry and consequently we have labor and tremendous environmental legislation that was a response to the excesses and harms caused by the industrial barons of the Foundry era.

People like the Kochs understand that desperate populations will do desperate things...like removing all manner of labor and environmental protections. The Kochs and other industrialists realize that this is their moment of historic opportunity to destroy all that progressive legislation. They sell things like 'Right to Work' (for much less), and rolling back clean water standards (very important to the Koch paper product empire) as mechanisms to bring jobs back to the region.

People like Scott Walker see it as a time to 'unburden' government of public assets like parks, water systems, hospitals, schools, and airports. His masters look to buy these things for pennies on the dollar.

It all comes together as a perfect storm. Desperate people teamed with greedy people, tearing apart a century's work to build public infrastructure and labor and environmental protections.

[magical thyme]

17. that was my first thought nt

[Egalitarian Thug]

7. 66 electoral votes with enough rednecks for plausible deniability.

If you thought 2000 & 2004 were fun, you're in for a real treat later this year. They believe, with good cause, that the administration has blown the goodwill it enjoyed in 2008, those states bring them up to 247. Any one of FL, NC, or VA puts them over the top with these 4.

In case you missed it, our party has completely ignored the whole issue of election fraud and falsified election results since 2006. Part of the whole "looking forward" thing, I suppose.

[MrSlayer]

9. This is the correct answer.

It's all about the EV's. They want to corner the market forever.

[AndyTiedye]

10. They Control Enough States to Steal the Election

The only thing that can stop them is if they're losing by a landslide.

[TomClash]

11. This

The single most important danger Obama faces, though few seem to get it. There's another phrase for it.

A coup d'état.

[emulatorloo]

15. Yes.

[libtodeath]

14. Exactly this

they are setting up the theft of the white house.

[Egalitarian Thug]

16. Again. n/t

[librechik]

22. it wouldn't be sporting to accuse our esteemed colleagues of wrongdoing

let it continue, since we don't have the guts to confront it out in the open. They would probably cry and accuse us of doing the same thing! (without evidence) And of course we couldn't fight that. It would be embarrassing.

[freshwest]

8. Everything I've read is that the focus is on possessing the Great Lakes themselves.

People don't think about stuff like that, because the theft would be so massive they can't comprehend it. But that is what several stories I've read said. The Koch brothers want to control that water because it will be essential.

Others may offer other reasons on why this is happening. Until I'd read stories about how important the Great Lakes are as reservoirs of water, and all of that water taken for granted to be used for the public good, I'd have thought it had to do with iron ore or oil.

There was a film made called Water Wars, I think. On a planet that is undergoing climate change, it will be worth more than oil or gold, some predict. We have seen what happens in Africa in drought, with massive displacement, famine and death on a nightmarish scale.

We know from history that desertification was the end of civilizations. Some people or corporations are making use of that knowledge while we spat over other things. Those are the people that control things.

IDK, honestly.

[magical thyme]

18. agreed

I was reading that water would be the oil of the 21st century before I moved to Maine 9 years ago.

It's not by chance that W purchased 10,000 acres in Paraguay, which sits on top of one of the world's largest pure water aquifers.

One reason I moved to Maine is because we're sitting on top of a major pure water aquifer. We've been fighting attempts by Poland Springs (now part of Nestle of Swizterland) to stop them from taking more water. They were suing one small village at a time; I fear it's just a matter of time before someone or other sells out.

[JNelson6563]

13. Water and labor.

We've got all the fresh water and some of the last vestiges of the once mighty labor movement. They want to take the water and break the labor.

Just the usual motherfuckers up to their usual motherfuckery.

Julie

[bighughdiehl]

19. I have figured for a while...

the great lakes. They are setting the stage for perhaps the biggest
corporate resource grab ever. They must be defeated.
They are going to use the world's largest bodies of fresh water
to wreak havoc on the ground in my state(PA) and elsewhere
by using the remaining fresh water to "frack" and burn the remaining
oil into the atmosphere. This will facilitate turning the whole
fucking planet into a dystopian wet-dream of theirs.

[malthaussen]

20. They're well on their way, too

Since Corbett already gave them the Susquehanna.

Back in the '70s, there was a great fear that Lake Erie was going to "die." Massive ecological effort kept the lake alive, but it looks now like it was just a stay of execution.

-- Mal

[Drew Richards]

21. I am sorry, I don't have the links in front of me but...

The objective is total control and ownership of oil, mineral, power generation and FRESH WATER rights by the Koch Brothers.

The Great Lakes is the LARGEST source of fresh water in the US.

They already now own all of Wisconsins' power and water rights and are working on the rest as we speak.

There were numerous articles back from October to present day about the "sale" of power and great lakes water rights all being purchased by the Koch's and Walker's greedy little hands doing quick sales.

I really don't have the time to go research it all but, you can probably google search some articles about the sale of power and water rights to the Koch's in Wisconsin and Michigan.

[rufus dog]

23. thanks, no need for the links

My intent was to plant the seed and get people thinking about why they were doing these massive power grabs in the Great Lakes Region. All while paying for studies to refute Global Warming.

[jwirr]

24. 66 electral votes, fresh water, bread basket, etc. All of the above.