The War Kids 990s
The Buffalo News has seen them, and confirms:
Congressional candidate Jon Powers released documents Wednesday showing that he earned $15,000 from his Iraq children’s charity in the first five months of 2007 — a year in which the organization raised only $41,738.
But the Powers campaign also released a letter from Veterans for America, the huge veterans organization where Powers worked, showing that the $60,000 he earned in 2006 was tied to his job as vice president for policy for that organization, as well as the War Kids Relief effort he ran there.
“Our opponents keep trying to frame it as if Jon was trying to rob War Kids blind, and it’s patently false,” said John Gerken, Powers’ campaign manager. “The claim that he took $77,000 from War Kids is patently false.”
Davis and whoever else can paint War Kids as a failure if they’re so inclined, but the original smear was false on its face. I think definitely it helps Davis in the primary. If he hands out $50 bills with his lit. Powers has the grassroots. Davis has the gasroots.
The sad thing in all this is that Jack Davis has taken something noble, something that Powers really believed in, although it didn’t accomplish everything it set out to, but did good nonetheless, and threw it in the mud and spat on it. To me, as a voter in that district, Jack Davis has revealed himself to be worse than just a flawed candidate with ugly views. He’s human filth.
UPDATE: To all of the commenters who have done so much more than Jon Powers to address the plight of the young Iraqi kids affected by the war, here is a list of War Kids’ accomplishments under Powers’ watch:
On Friday, August 15th, 2008, Jon Powers submitted the IRS form 990 to the Internal Revenue Service to comply with filing requirements for War Kids Relief. The form shows that for the fiscal year 2007, War Kids Relief raised $41,738. Powers also made available an IRS form 990 in anticipation of fiscal year 2008 showing that War Kids Relief raised $25,000 prior to being reorganized under another 501(c)(3).
Powers also furnished a letter from his former employer, Veterans For America, detailing their involvement with War Kids and his role with both organizations. Under VFA, War Kids Relief was able to raise $68,336.
Below are the facts with regard to the financial numbers for War Kids Relief:
• Total Raised: $135,074;
• Total Spent on Salary: $18,900, of which $15,000 went to Jon Powers;
• Total Spend on Educational, Advocacy, and Service Programs: $100,303.80;
• Total Spent on overhead at VFA: $15,870.20. (20% per VFA’s government approved NICRA rate)
The $100,303.80 spent on educational, advocacy, and service programs went toward:
• Collaborating in Baghdad with UNICEF, USAID, Department of Defense personnel, the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Iraqi Child Welfare Council, and the World Bank to design a model for child care for children abandoned as a result of the Iraq War;
• Research and presentation to the RAND Corporation regarding Positive Youth Development to Deter Youth Radicalism;
• Research and publication of “Iraq’s Youth at a Time of War,” in Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies Review Journal.
• Development and pilot of the Youth Center Work Study Program with the Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sports to engage Iraq’s out of school youth;
• Development and pilot of a Youth Conference between American and Iraqi Students in coordination with Iraq Embassy personnel.
• Developing programs with Iraqi youth oriented NGO’s in Kurdistan to provide crucial links between Iraqi and American youth.
While with VFA, Powers was paid to work on the following:
• July 2005 – Started at VFA as program manager of War Kids Relief.
• May 2006 – Vice President of Policy for War Kids Relief (paired with his role as program manager of War Kids Relief)
• Generally: Provided research and program development with fellow Veterans to publicize and correct the problems facing returning soldiers and veterans. Helped develop legislation with VFA colleagues and fellow veterans.
• Summer 2006 – Witness to National Institute of Health on PTSD DSM-4 hearings.
• December 2006 – Witness to Department of Defense Mental Health Task Force under Lieutenant General Kiley. Provided research and testimony on suicidal veterans prior to the Joshua Omvig Bill.
• Specific legislation that Powers worked on:
- Lane Evans Bill requiring VA to do reports on the War.
- Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act – Extending Health Care from 2-5 years.
- Homelessness Prevention Act.
• VFA worked with Bob Woodruff on his work at ABC – To Iraq and Back
• Spokesperson on BBC, CNN, CBC, and other major news outlets
• February 2007 – Toured Walter Reed Hospital the day after the Washington Post broke the story.
• January 2007-March 2007 – VFA decides to refocus on Veterans issues exclusively and War Kids Relief becomes its own 501(c)(3).
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Sorry for long post, but Free NY tried to survey the candidates about real issues but received no replies.
Free New York Candidate Survey
United States Congress (2008)
• Free New York, Inc. is a non-partisan, not-for-profit New York State corporation. We do not support or endorse candidates or political parties.
• The results of this survey will be widely distributed, including to our database of about 1000, sent to the media and published on our websites, including FreeNewYork.org and Blog.freeny.org.
• Please return this survey by June 1st to jameso@apollo3.com
• Please add comments or explanations as necessary.
1. Should the United States pull our troops out of Iraq as soon as is safely possible, spending the funds necessary to insure a safe withdrawal?
No___________ Yes_____________
2. Should the United States pull our troops out of Afghanistan as soon as is safely possible, spending the funds necessary to insure a safe withdrawal?
No___________ Yes_____________
3. Does the Second Amendment guarantee an individual right to bear arms?
No___________ Yes_____________
4. Should the federal government continue to subsidize exports?
No___________ Yes_____________
5. Would you eliminate any of the following federal agencies or programs or any others not named? (Check those you would eliminate.)
Agriculture _________
Commerce _________
Education __________
Energy _________
HHS ___________
HUD ___________
Interior ___________
Labor ____________
FEMA ___________
Foreign Aid _________
World Bank ____________
International Monetary Fund ___________
NASA ____________
SBA ___________
Others—please list_____________________________________________
6. Do you oppose or favor corporate welfare (cash grants, loans or special tax breaks to certain businesses)?
Favor____________ Oppose_____________
7. Should the federal government prosecute those who use marijuana for medical purposes?
Favor____________ Oppose_______________
8. List all foreign states on whose behalf the United States should go to war if they are invaded or attacked?
______ All 191 foreign states (http://www.un.org/members/list.shtml)
_______None
Only these countries:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
Please explain the legal rationale for doing so, including constitutional provisions and/or treaties.
__________________________________________________________________
9. Which best describes your view of government’s role in health care.
a. I like the current system, where health care is highly regulated at all levels of government and heavily subsidized by states and by the federal government._________
b. I favor movement toward a free market in health care, greatly reducing government subsidies and carefully deregulating health care and insurance to eliminate lucrative legal monopolies and to give consumers greater choice.___________
c. I believe that the government should fund and control all health care as in England and Canada.____________
d. Other_______________________________________________.
10. Which government spending programs would you enlarge, if any?
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
who in their right mind would fill that out? there’s no room for an explination – like they’d even use it.
how in depth is right to bear arms? is a bazooka reasonable? or just a hunting rifle or hand gun?
I thought the Supreme Court recently answered the question on the 2nd Amendment.
This questionaire has set up written all over it. I really like question 8 with the one line to explain legal rationale including constitutional provisions. I also like the list in 5, especially including the IMF and World Bank.
I like how it says ‘non-partisan’ and then goes on to ask how much of a crazy libertarian the candidate is.
The only question missing is ‘Do you live in a secluded shack, stocked to the brim with assault rifles hoping for an armed revolt because you don’t want to pay taxes?’
“who in their right mind would fill that out?”
But they would put meaningless slogans and clichés into 30 TV ads. With no explanation.
The survey is on a Word file. They can put any explanation in they wish. But the survey is designed to be user-friendly so they have no reason not to fill it out.
What is the purpose of an election in which no candidate makes any concrete proposals?
There is nothing libertarian in the survey. The gun question is always with us and this was written while the Supreme Court case was pending.
Wow, you guys love to argue about nonsense.
“how in depth is right to bear arms? is a bazooka reasonable? or just a hunting rifle or hand gun?” That’s what the candidates need to answer.
“I thought the Supreme Court recently answered the question on the 2nd Amendment.”
First, the survey was written before the decision. Second, anyone is free to disagree with the Supreme Court. Congress has lots of authority over the courts and those people are expected to exercise their own judgment. Certainly, Senators may wish to vote against nominees whose views on the Second Amendment they do not share.
As for the comments about the survey being a “set-up,” I’m lost. Who is asking candidates which government agencies they would abolish a set-up? We also ask which they would “enlarge.” The point is, many candidate say would cut taxes but few ever specify any spending cuts. Again, the goal of the survey is to force the candidates to actually say something meaningful. So far we failed.
This is all spinning wheels about nonsense. Let’s talk about issues and concrete proposals if these candidates have any. I’ve seen little evidence.
A survey with as much insane libertarian framing like that is as useful as tits on a bull.
The questions look perfectly legitimate to me. I guess if Jim O. had asked “what’s your favorite Bible passage” like St. Russert, that would have been better?
If your real intent is to get candidates to talk about something meaningful, concrete proposals and issues, just ask them what issues are most important to them and why. What do they plan to propose to do about them? Instead, what you’re asking the candidates is to talk about your proposals and whether or not they agree with your issues. That’s the set up.
No Russell, you’re wrong. The survey does not say what Free NY’s views are. And even if everyone knows what they are, so what? The candidates are free to state their views. In fact, if our views are as unpopular as some imply, they should be happy to oppose them.
The reason for a survey is to compare. Elections are choices. Also, if you ask the candidates to state their views, they will, if experience is any judge, give us blather and sound bites.
Example, “running government like a business.” Someone was recently elected on that “platform.” Since it is not in any sense possible to do so (it’s a misleading metaphor), we will never know if that person fulfilled his promise.
That person by the way refused to answer our survey which would actually have pinned down that person so the voters could know if he did what he promised.
“A survey with as much insane libertarian framing like that is as useful as tits on a bull.”
This refutes itself. The survey would allow this illibertarian to sniff out anyone who believes in individual freedom and vote against them.
@ Ostrowski:
7. Should the federal government prosecute those who use marijuana for medical purposes?
I wasn’t aware federal prosecution of medical marijuana users was such a “burning” issue (sorry for the pun) for the voters of NY-26.
Can we expect future surveys on the candidates’ opinions on abolishing the federal government?
70-80% in some polls favor medical marijuana. If you are dying of cancer and writhing in pain, it might be a big issue. I think it’s a good symbolic issue as well about a range of things: federal role in law enforcement, civil liberties, war on drugs, spending priorities.
There’s a method to our Reefer Madness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?emb=0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3Dmedical+marijuana+romney&v=NY6UTnS6Z-A
First of all, you just admitted it’s a set up. You want to have their answers in writing so you can use it against them later when you think they didn’t follow through on it.
Secondly, wouldn’t blather and sound bites be better than nothing? It sounds like you haven’t gotten any response from your survey ever, so why is that a better idea than mine?
If you dying of cancer and writhing in pain, are you really concerned at that moment about who you’re going to vote for. Avoid the hyperbole. Besides, there are other medicines used to treat that.
Gosh, I miss filling out meaningless questionnaires that lead to no endorsement and no money. So, I’ll take a stab at it:
1. Should the United States pull our troops out of Iraq as soon as is safely possible, spending the funds necessary to insure a safe withdrawal?
No___________ Yes_____X________
2. Should the United States pull our troops out of Afghanistan as soon as is safely possible, spending the funds necessary to insure a safe withdrawal?
No___________ Yes______X________
3. Does the Second Amendment guarantee an individual right to bear arms?
No___________ Yes______X_______ (but only as to firearms available for purchase in 1791).
4. Should the federal government continue to subsidize exports?
No___________ Yes_____________ WTF Does this mean? ______X_______
5. Would you eliminate any of the following federal agencies or programs or any others not named? (Check those you would eliminate.)
Agriculture _________
Commerce _________
Education __________
Energy _________
HHS ___________
HUD ___________
Interior ___________
Labor ____________
FEMA ___________
Foreign Aid _________
World Bank ____________
International Monetary Fund ___________
NASA ____________
SBA ___________
Others—please list_____________________________________________
6. Do you oppose or favor corporate welfare (cash grants, loans or special tax breaks to certain businesses)?
Favor_____X_______ Oppose_____________
7. Should the federal government prosecute those who use marijuana for medical purposes?
Favor____________ Oppose____X___________
8. List all foreign states on whose behalf the United States should go to war if they are invaded or attacked?
______ All 191 foreign states (http://www.un.org/members/list.shtml)
_______None
Only these countries:
Countries with whom we have executed a multilateral or bilateral treaty for mutual defense, including but not limited to members of NATO.
Please explain the legal rationale for doing so, including constitutional provisions and/or treaties.
Duly ratified and executed international treaties are the Supreme law of the United States. US Constitution Article II, section 2, clause 2; US Constitution Article VI.
9. Which best describes your view of government’s role in health care.
a. I like the current system, where health care is highly regulated at all levels of government and heavily subsidized by states and by the federal government._________
b. I favor movement toward a free market in health care, greatly reducing government subsidies and carefully deregulating health care and insurance to eliminate lucrative legal monopolies and to give consumers greater choice.___________
c. I believe that the government should fund and control all health care as in England and Canada.____________
d. Other___A free market system that also contains provisions for subsidized comprehensive health care coverage for those who cannot afford it.
10. Which government spending programs would you enlarge, if any?
infrastructure (highways & rail)
We now know a lot more about your views than we do about Powers, Davis and Kryzan.
I don’t believe there is a defense treaty with Israel, but I could be wrong.
Would you really go to war for Estonia against the Russians, the only nation that could wipe us out with nukes. I would not.
If Russia invaded Estonia (as it has in the past), we have a treaty obligation to defend it. Luckily, mutually assured destruction renders unlikely any Russian invasion of a NATO member.