Buffalo News Reports on War Kids Relief 990 Filing
The Buffalo News had a story yesterday on Jon Powers’ War Kids Relief filing their 990 form with the IRS. Our friends over at the Buffalo Bean had a great post on it yesterday.
From the Buffalo News:
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.”
Nevertheless, the campaign of industrialist Jack Davis — another of the three Democrats vying to replace Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, RClarence — continued to trash Powers over his War Kids effort.
“Jon Powers has been running for Congress for over a year, marketing a success that doesn’t exist,” said Paul Rivera, a Davis campaign consultant who noted that in 2007, “Jon Powers paid himself more than a third of the revenues” of War Kids Relief.
The documents — forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service last week, as well as the letter to Powers from Veterans for America — do shed further light on a charitable effort that failed to thrive.
War Kids Relief raised $135,074 during the course of its existence, less than the $150,000 to $250,000 Powers previously said it raised and far less than the $7 million that he hoped to put together.
I really don’t understand the Democrats. It looks like none of them ever bothered checking up on Powers’ claims of the wonderful things he did for the kids in Iraq. His rolling disclosure ($150-250,000 vs the reality of 135,000 while he “earned” $75,000 for working on this project) is hardly the stuff that makes for successful congressional candidates.
One last point. What is designing a model for child care? From that same article:
Approximately 80 percent of that, or about $54,669, went to programs to design a model for child care for children abandoned as a result of the Iraq War, as well as a work study program, a youth conference and research, the letter said.
I’m at a disadvantage (I’m not a democrat) but designing a model sounds like some not for profit type sat in an office and wrote a report about what they could do if they had more government money.
Anyone could go to Washington and lobby for government money to spend. I really don’t see why Powers’ made this the central point of his campaign. This is an issue that will dog him for the rest of the campaign.
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“Approximately 80 percent of that, or about $54,669, went to programs to design a model for child care for children abandoned as a result of the Iraq War, as well as a work study program, a youth conference and research, the letter said.”
Maybe Jon Powers had drinking buddies that are involved with any of these fields that he kicked back the rest of the children’s money over to? Or, they all just got together for a kegger.
Musta been some party. Motherf***ing cops probably broke it up and wrote everyone tickets!
Equalizer Said:
Lets work to make sure he is only dogged until the September primary.
PS Jackson are you Ok? normally you would have three comments here already? Its a bad time to go on vacation buddy, Jon Jon needs you know.