--- title: Charles Koch Jokes U.S. Can 'Bomb' Way to Prosperity description: Billionaire industrialist jokes that one way to grow the economy is to build more bombs and use them. canonical: https://time.com/3981574/charles-koch-bomb-economy/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-02T21:28:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T03:13:40.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Charles Koch Jokes U.S. Can 'Bomb' Way to Prosperity og:description: Building bombs and using them is one way to economic growth, the billionaire jokes og:url: https://time.com/3981574/charles-koch-bomb-economy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaef0bef3406afed9/69885d7e196cf437a80375e9/charles-koch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Charles Koch og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Charles Koch Jokes U.S. Can 'Bomb' Way to Prosperity twitter:description: Building bombs and using them is one way to economic growth, the billionaire jokes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaef0bef3406afed9/69885d7e196cf437a80375e9/charles-koch.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Charles Koch Mocks Common Measure of Prosperity > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e9889d6b-6239-470e-9170-6ff178df39f7&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: See Jeb Bush's Political Career Through the Years [Watch (HLS stream): See Jeb Bush's Political Career Through the Years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3nRIB78f.m3u8) (2:37)  _Published 2015-06-12. From his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 1994 through his decision to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, here are some of the top moments from Jeb Bush's political career._  by [Philip Eliott / Dana Point, Calif.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Eliott / Dana Point, Calif. Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 3:13 AM UTCPublished: Aug 2, 2015 9:28 PM UTC  Charles Koch, head of Koch Industries. Charles Koch, head of Koch Industries. Bo Rader—Getty Images  by [Philip Eliott / Dana Point, Calif.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Eliott / Dana Point, Calif. Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 3:13 AM UTCPublished: Aug 2, 2015 9:28 PM UTC Conservative billionaire Charles Koch is predicting average American incomes of $100,000 annually in roughly a decade if government is scaled back and regulations are scrapped. One way to get there? Building and using more bombs, he jokingly told about 450 donors to the political network he backs. “I think we can have growth rates in excess of 4%. When I’m talking about growth rates, I’m not talking about that GDP, which counts poison gas the same as it counts penicillin,” the 79-year-old industrialist said, veering off his prepared remarks. “What a monstrous measure this is. If we make more bombs, the GDP goes up — particularly if we explode them.” His audience laughed, clearly getting the joke. “Maybe we make more bombs,” he said, trailing off. “I’m just kidding. I won’t go there.” Koch was making the broader point that economic growth compounds from year to year. A modest gain early pays greater dividends later. To that end, Koch is trying to make 4% a target for growth. Koch is meeting with his allies in tony Orange County, Calif., for a three-day retreat. Participants in sessions ponied up $100,000 and most will shell out much more than that before the weekend is over. All told, Koch’s umbrella organization, Freedom Partners, plans to spend almost $900 million before the 2016 elections. In addition to seminars on criminal justice, campus free speech and young voters’ habits, guests are also set to hear from five Republicans seeking their party’s presidential nomination. Note: The headline on this story has been updated to more accurately reflect the content of the article. ## Transcript The younger Bush brother did not make the governor's chair in Florida. The older Bush brother, George W. Bush, did make it in Texas. This is a mixed night for the Bush family. I know we can do better. It requires a new style of leadership, commitment to service to others, and an ability to bring people together rather than divide I wanna be the governor that leads us there. And in Florida, Jeb Bush, 56 to 44 over Buddy MacKay, the Democratic candidate. My brother said in one of his speeches, my brother said he's gonna deliver Florida. [ LAUGH ] He did say That he said it more than once. Will he deliver it? He also told it was going to be a cold Thanksgiving dinner if I don't help him out, and then we're going to carry it. We could be in for a long night as voters decide whether Vice President Al Gore or Texas Governor George Bush will be the next president of the United States. It is that close. ABC News is now going to project that Florida goes to Mr. Bush. While the closest elections in American history Bush has won it. The rigor of the common core state standards must be the new minimum in classrooms. And so for those states that are choosing a path other than common core I say this. You should be aiming even higher. And be bolder and raise standards and ask more for our students and the system. The simple fact is there is no plan to deport 11 Million people. We should give them a path to legal status. Where they work, where they don't receive government benefits, where they don't break the law, where they learn English, and where they make a contribution to our society. Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion? I would of and so would of Hillary Clinton. Just to remind everybody and so would of almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got. By the way guess who thinks that those mistakes took place as well. George W. Bush. Your brother. Yeah. I mean so just for the news flash to the world that they're trying to find places that there's big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those. I'm running for president in 2016, and the focus is going to be about how we, if I run, how do you create high sustained economic growth where more people have a chance at our success. I don't know if I'd be a good candidate or a bad one. Kinda know how a Republican can win, whether it's me or somebody else. And it has to be much more uplifting, much more positive, much more willing to be practical now in the Washington world. Lose the primary to win the general. 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