Jon Powers (D-NY) for House
Only 29 years old, Jon Powers, an Army Captain and decorated Iraq War veteran, schoolteacher and nonprofit leader, is already a very impressive figure.
After serving in the ROTC while he studied for a degree in education, Powers was deployed to Iraq in the spring of 2003. Leading his soldiers through one of Baghdad's most volatile sectors, Capt. Powers witnessed firsthand the devastation and lost opportunities that resulted from the Bush Administration's mismanagement and lack of planning for post-invasion Iraq. He saw how his and his fellow soldiers' idealism, dedication and patriotism were dishonored by a government that sent them to war without proper equipment, training or a plan.
"We were sickened to think that we would be sent to battle without the proper equipment. My platoon and I were not the only ones to feel let down. Driving around the streets of Baghdad it became quickly evident that the Iraqi people were desperate for some basic social and economic needs. Sewage, waste, jobs and other basic requirements were not being met.
Ahmed, an Iraqi friend, asked me, "America has been to the moon, why can't you pick up our trash?"
I wondered the same thing as Paul Bremer's Coalition Provisional Authority rejected any efforts the ground troops made in preference to the American contractors who did not show up for months."
At the end of his deployment, Powers retained these devastating images. "The thing that affected me most serving in Iraq, other than the deaths of my friends, was seeing the extreme level of poverty that the children have to live with." Powers founded War Kids Relief, a non-profit that raises funds for educational and social relief programs for Iraqi children
Returning home to Western New York to resume his career as a social studies teacher, Powers saw how mismanagement in Washington was affecting the working families he grew up with. The country was at war, the area was losing jobs, and people were increasingly recognizing that they deserve better
Now, Powers is running against Republican Rep. Tom Reynolds in Western New York's 26th Congressional District. In 2006, Reynolds narrowly defeated his Democratic opponent in one of the country's closest elections. Reynolds is known more for his coziness to Washington lobbyists than for his legislative achievements, and Powers' impressive credentials make him a real threat to unseat this five term incumbent.
Powers' impressive credentials on the ground in Iraq give him a unique perspective on the use of America's military to secure our nation at home and abroad and redeem America's prestige around the world:
"We need fresh ideas and an honest discussion on the need to reform our approach to national security. The military is only one of our tools to protect national security, not the only tool as the Bush administration has made it."
Please help Powers bring his message to Washington, DC, by sending your check to:
and mail to:
Council for a Livable World
322 4th St. NE
Washington, DC, 20002
Or contribute online
This mailing is paid for by Council for a Livable World Candidate Fund and authorized by Powers for Congress Committee
Contributions are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes
