Yesterday, a judge ruled that Kathy Konst cannot run on a second, minor party line this November.

Kathy Konst’s minority party candidacy in her race against State Sen. Dale M. Volker was invalidated Tuesday by State Supreme Court Justice Timothy J. Drury, who upheld Volker’s challenge to Konst’s nominating petitions.

The judge found that Konst’s Integrity Party petitions had 2,838 valid signatures, short of the required 3,000.

This isn’t going to influence the race one way or another, but I think this proves that electoral fusion is largely a distraction to political races.

A more serious problem for Konst is the revelation of evidence that she voted in Florida and in New York back in 1998.

Kathy Konst, the Democratic county legislator from Lancaster challenging incumbent Republican Dale M. Volker for the State Senate, voted on Election Day in Florida and New York in 1998, according to documents obtained by the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.

Federal prosecutors confirm that falsely reporting the place and period of residence for voting in a federal election violates federal law and constitutes a felony. But they also say the statute of limitations for any offense committed in 1998 expired five years ago.

Konst, however, vehemently denies the charges. She said she did not live in Florida in 1998 and claims the documents are “doctored.”

“It’s absolutely impossible,” she said. “I moved from there in 1992. It’s absurd. I swear on a stack of Bibles.”

While Konst may not be prosecuted, the charge is likely to become a major issue in the hotly contested election.

Officials of the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office confirmed for The Buffalo News that Konst voted at the polls in the Nov. 3, 1998, general election at polling place 407 in West Palm Beach.

Erie County records, meanwhile, also show her voting at the polls on the same day in Lancaster.

This potentially could be a big problem for her, but then again, if Sam Hoyt can win a primary despite his exposed affairs with interns I doubt that Konst committing a felony will severely hurt her standing among Democrats in the general election.

Could Konst have been the victim of fraud? Perhaps… but depending on much this is pursued, it certainly makes me concerned about the integrity of voting down in Florida — a battleground state — when a Democrat who is no longer a resident somehow manages to cast a vote. If Konst did not vote herself in both Florida and New York, then the real issue is how was a vote cast for her, and what other non-resident Democrats have managed somehow to cast illegal votes in the Sunshine State.

I think a federal investigation is in order here. Konst may be innocent, but the Democratic Party in Florida may be guilty of massive voter fraud.

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Looks like Sam Hoyt has been given a virtual pass from his buddies in the Assembly:

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt escaped the most serious punishment by his Assembly colleagues for his extramarital affair with an intern, but college interns have been banned from his Albany and Buffalo offices.

The ban, announced Friday by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, followed a finding by the Assembly Ethics and Guidance Committee that the Buffalo Democrat had engaged in an “inappropriate personal relationship” with the woman, who was an intern when the affair began.

But stronger penalties — a formal censure or loss of his committee chairmanship — was not taken because she no longer was an intern in 2004 when the Assembly banned fraternization between lawmakers and interns.

Well, another Democrats gets away. Big shock.

Gerry Studds would be so proud.

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There’s certainly a lot of chatter about the latest Siena poll showing New York being in play for John McCain. All the talk has certainly increased enthusiasm not just for Republicans, but for Reagan Democrats and Hillary Democrats who support McCain/Palin:

The “Palin effect” has given the McCain campaign a lift in [New York State], putting it within reach, according to Edward Cox, McCain’s state campaign chief. 

“We are doing much better among women and Democrats,” Cox said during a visit to Republican headquarters downtown. “These are Reagan Democrats and Hillary Democrats.”

Cox pointed to a Siena College poll, released Monday, that found McCain trailed Obama by 5 percentage points, compared with an 8-point gap last month and 13 points in July.

Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, has electrified many undecided voters, including local “hockey moms,” campaign officials said.

But other polls report a wider gap, and Obama campaign spokesman Blake Zeff dismissed the prediction of a close race as wishful thinking.

The last Republican presidential candidate to win New York was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Cox’s prediction may help boost Republican turnout and energize campaign volunteers, who were disappointed at McCain’s lack of a public appearance when he visited Buffalo for a fundraiser in July.

But Cox fell short of pledging a serious campaign for the state. He wouldn’t predict that McCain will visit the area, and said the McCain campaign has no plans for a television advertising blitz in New York unless the poll gap narrows further.

Even voters from Democratic strongholds, however, are calling with support, drawn by the energy that Palin has brought to the ticket, local Republicans said.

“They don’t want McCain signs; they want McCain/Palin signs,” said Russ Gugino, regional campaign coordinator.

“There are an awful lot of hockey moms in Western New York who can relate to Gov. Palin,” said James Domagalski, chairman of the Erie County Republican Party.

This story reinforces my earlier point that it will have to take a number of other polls showing a tight race in New York to merit either John McCain investing money here to score an upset, or for Barack Obama doing the same in order to hold his ground.

Still, the local Republican committees in New York state have a huge opportunity with this surge of enthusiasm. They should be signing people up for massive Get Out The Vote efforts in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Recent polls show McCain is ahead in Ohio, but not comfortably ahead. We’ll undoubtedly need a good ground game there. While I’m not worried about Ohio, it is vital to McCain’s chances of victory.

But, what could really help McCain is a surge of his supporters getting out the vote in Pennsylvania, where polls are very close. If McCain wins in Pennsylvania, he wins the election.

New York, as far as the presidential election is concerned, isn’t important. The Real Clear Politics Average for the state shows there’s no justifiable reason for McCain to waste any resources here.

If the Republican committees in New York don’t take advantage of the surge of enthusiasm by building up a massive Election Day GOTV army to send to Ohio and Pennsylvania, than they are only helping Obama.

For the sake of the county, I hope they aren’t squandering that opportunity.

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It is nice to know that some people are fighting for the taxpayers and not kowtowing to the unions.

Honoring a campaign pledge, Erie County Executive Chris Collins suspended the controversial, union-friendly apprenticeship law that business leaders felt unnecessarily drove up the cost of county-financed public works construction projects.

The Erie County Legislature enacted the apprenticeship law two years ago, despite concerns raised by the business community that the law favored unions, limited those who could bid on projects and, effectively, increased construction costs for the cash-starved county.

The law mandated any firm that bid on a county construction project had to have an approved apprenticeship and training program.

“It was the most anti-business, anti-taxpayer law in the county,” Collins said.

To suspend the law, Collins on July 21 submitted a new set of rules and regulations that withdrew the apprenticeship requirement to the Erie County Legislature. The Legislature’s majority had 60 days to block the new set of rules, but failed to do so.

“We did this in the open,” Collins said. “This has been in the light of the day for the past 60 days. We did not try to sneak it past anyone.”

Last summer, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer also suspended apprenticeship requirements for all state projects.

Erie County Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer, R-Clarence, said the apprenticeship law drove up construction costs between 20 percent and 30 percent.

“It was so un-American and so unfair,” he said. “There will be no more special treatments.”

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Looks like Jack Davis has reached the end of the line for his latest congressional bid:

A State Supreme Court justice Thursday rejected congressional candidate Jack Davis’ attempt to remain on the November ballot, ending his third attempt to win the job.

Davis said Thursday he left a voice mail with Democratic primary winner Alice J. Kryzan to congratulate her on her victory but would not commit to helping her in her campaign against Republican Christopher J. Lee.

Davis said he would help Kryzan in the campaign if he thought she accepted his anti-free trade message but expressed his doubts. “I don’t think she understands my message,” he said.

Justice Richard M. Platkin of Albany disagreed with Davis’ contention that his petition to form a minor party line called Save Jobs and Farms should have been accepted even though he failed to file a certificate of acceptance on time, as required by state election law. 

Davis argued that the state Board of Elections should have provided him an opportunity to submit the late application anyway and that the board acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in not allowing him to file. 

The judge ruled otherwise. 

Of course, while that settles that, we’re still waiting to hear what Jon Powers is planning to do.

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This news release from the Federal Election Commission apparently missed the radar of the Buffalo News: 

WASHINGTON — The Federal Election Commission (FEC) cited four campaign committees today for failing to file the Pre-Primary Report required by the Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act) for primary elections on September 9.

As of 5 p.m. September 5, 2008, the required disclosure report had not been received from Barb Davis White for Congress, the principal campaign committee for Barbara Davis White in Minnesota’s 5th district whose treasurer is Ly’neys Rita Hill; Higgins for Congress, the principal campaign committee for Brian Higgins in New York’s 27th district whose treasurer is Gary M. Kanaley; Friends of Graham Long, principal campaign committee for Graham E. Long in New York’s 3rd district whose treasurer is Anita Long; and Stark for Congress, principal campaign committee for Paul Stark in Wisconsin’s 3rd district whose treasurer is John Sackett.

The reports were due on August 28, 2008, and should have included financial activity for the period July 1, 2008, through August 20, 2008.  If sent by certified or registered mail, the report should have been postmarked by August 25, 2008.

The committees were notifed in early August of their requirement. So, why didn’t Brian Higgins file his reports, and why hasn’t this been considered newsworthy by the Buffalo News?

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The Albany Project gleefully reports that Baby Joe Mesi has “challenged” Mike Ranzenhofer to three debates.

“We owe the voters of the 61st an opportunity to hear more than sound bites from radio and television ads for such an important election.” said Joe Mesi.  ”I believe Albany is broken and I want to have a debate on how we’re going to fix it, and how we can make our economy work for us.”

Mesi proposes the following town hall debates, which will focus on challenges facing working families of the 61st Senate District:

Friday, October 10th 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm 
Wednesday, October 15th 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm 
Wednesday, October 22nd 6:00 pm -7:30 pm

“I believe that voters want new energy, new leadership, and a real plan that focuses on the issues our working families are facing today,” Mesi added.  ”For voters, the choice is clear: we can continue to elect career politicians who produce more of the same business-as-usual politics, or we can choose the change that we need, here at home and in Albany.”

This isn’t a bold move as Robert Harding suggests. This is an absolutely necessary thing for Baby Joe to do. Underdogs in campaigns are known to “challenge” their opponent to debate, because they have nothing to lose from the exposure. Baby Joe may have won the Democratic primary, but Mike Ranzenhofer is extremely popular in the district, and has an actual record to run on. All Baby Joe has to run on is his boxing career… and a charity that increased awareness about organ donation as much as it increased the bank accounts of Mesi’s family.

But, it’s obvious the kind of campaign Baby Joe is going run from now on. He’s clearly jumping on the whole anti-career politician B.S. line I’ve read too many times in various left-wing blogs that it’s as much a cliché as Baby Joe’s boxing metaphor for his campaign. But, Ranzenhofer is not an incumbent, and has actually proven himself to be agent of reform. As you may recall, it was Mike Ranzenhofer and Chris Collins who started the push for GPS systems in county vehicles, a proven method to save taxpayer dollars.

Albany does need a change. Despite the fact Republicans hold a razor thin majority in the State Senate, it’s undeniable that the Democrats are the ones who run the show in Albany and have for quite some time. If the Democrats gain control of the senate, they will have unchecked powers. And as someone who came to New York from a one party state, I can tell you with personal knowledge that a one-party state is is not one that puts the people first. 

Baby Joe may talk the talk about reform, but he’s a member of the party that stands in the way of reform and progress. That last thing we need is another rubber stamp for the party that’s over-regulating ans over-taxing this state.

The choice for 61st Senate District is clear. We need to elect Mike Ranzenhofer… not just for the district, but for the integrity of the state government, which needs balance, not one-party rule.

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Rochester Turning reportedly heard that meetings will be held today on whether or not Powers will continue his campaign, and appears to be concerned that Powers might continue his campaign, since he’ll be on the ballot in November.

Now it is about practicality. The DCCC just pulled support from Powers. The WFP party of NY supports Alice Kryzan even though Powers is on the ballot. Powers failed to win the large populous counties. He still is smarting from Jack Davis’ negative attacks. There is this solid post from swingstate project (which gave me the WFP link above). On the positive side, Powers has a bunch of money in the bank.

Even thinking about running on the WFP party is quite similar to Jack Davis attempting to form his own party just in case he lost the election. Is this, any party in a political storm? I should think not.

I believe the netroots has little to worry about. I don’t see Jon Powers moving forward with his campaign at this point.  If he has any desire for a future in WNY politics, he should concede, and move on with his life. I don’t see Powers actively campaign for Kryzan if he does end his campaign. What he really needs now is a new job so he can pay his rent.

Kryzan of course, is now starting to get the attention of various left wing groups.

But Democrats moved quickly to hail her victory, and the DCCC on Wednesday added Kryzan to its “Red to Blue” program for promising candidates running for Republican-held seats. She may also soon be endorsed by EMILY’s List, a Democratic fundraising powerhouse that supports abortion rights.

Something tells me that EMILY’s List isn’t exactly going to be extraordinarily helpful to Kryzan in the 26th District. Her association with Planned Parenthood certainly won’t resonate well with the voters of a Republican-leaning district. Of course, I don’t see abortion being a big issue in this particular campaign, but there are other issues that will be, and she’s on wrong side of them.

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I’m sorry, but I just can’t get my head around this. Sam Hoyt has affairs with interns in Albany, and yet, the Buffalo News, in their endorsement of Hoyt, is telling Democrats to ignore the scandal, and vote for the guy anyway.

Democratic Party voters in the Buffalo Assembly district now represented by veteran lawmaker Sam Hoyt have a difficult decision to make in Tuesday’s primary, and it has not been made any easier by a last-minute influx of ads supported by a high-sounding independent organization — an organization with eyebrow-raising ties to a political influence committee co-directed by an old political enemy of the assemblyman. This race has become a mess. Our recommendation — stay with Hoyt.

Beyond Hoyt’s deplorable personal conduct, there remains a solid record of service to Buffalo and of strong efforts to pass legislation of benefit to this region. Character is a key issue, but it is even more critical to choose candidates who can champion and accomplish important things for their districts, and Hoyt has proven he can do that for Buffalo. 

No, the Buffalo News, in endorsing Hoyt, are saying that character is not an issue. Instead of giving him the criticism he deserves, they paint him as the victim of a smear campaign, and he just merely provided the ammunition.

Whatever. If the Democrats want Sam Hoyt, they can have him. It speaks volumes about their hypocrisy.

Now, Buffalo Pundit, who has repeatedly attacked Tom Reynolds (with left-wing blogger talking points) saying he “covered up” the Mark Foley scandal, has also endorsed the intern hunting Sam Hoyt.

Go figure.

As I’ve already pointed out, the Democratic Party has a long history of elected and reelecting Democrats who have violated the public’s trust. Whining that Sam Hoyt, who has admitted to his affairs with interns, is the victim of a smear campaign, after spending the last two years smearing Tom Reynolds is just classic Democrat hypocrisy.

I guess for liberals, being a member of the Democratic Party is like having a Get Out Of Jail Free card… you can accept bribes like William Jefferson (D-LA), have affairs with underage congressional pages like Gerry Studds (D-MA), or be a pedophile like Mel Reynolds (D-IL) and get a free pass. 

If the Democrats have a moral compass, it’s leading them straight toward Sodom and Gomorrah. 

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The Albany Project reports that Jon Powers, an Iraq war veteran, has been endorsed by Iraq war veteran, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA).

Meanwhile, Buffalo 14228 reports that the National Organization for Women PAC has endorsed Alice Kryzan.

I don’t find either of these endorsements all that surprising. Kryzan being endorsed by a liberal women’s organization (which hardly needs to deliberate on whether or not to support a woman candidate who is pro-abortion) just doesn’t wow me… Nor does Powers being endorsed by a congressman who is also a fellow liberal Iraq war veteran. Powers was also endorsed by longtime Bush critic, Major General Paul Eaton.

More significant, in my opinion, was the endorsement Kryzan received the other day from former Rep. John J. LaFalce.

“I couldn’t stay silent any longer with such an exceptional candidate in the field,” LaFalce said.

Saying he is convinced Kryzan, a longtime environmental lawyer from Amherst, can win next Tuesday’s primary, LaFalce added: “You have to look at intellect, judgment, knowledge and character, and on any of these criteria, she is head and shoulders above the other candidates.”

LaFalce praised Jon Powers, the Iraq War veteran who has party and union backing in the race, but only to a point.

“I think Jon Powers is a fine young man, but I think Alice is 100 times better qualified to be the congressman from this district,” he said. 

Granted, from the times I’ve heard Jon Powers speak I can say that it doesn’t take much to be better qualified to be a congressman than him… still, this endorsement Kryzan has received comes at a time when she is undeniably the underdog in the primary, and is particularly significant given the fact that Powers has the support of the Democrat establishment. 

I still don’t think it’ll be enough for Kryzan, since experience and qualifications are not exactly prerequisites for Democrats this campaign season.

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Thus making it one of the highest in the nation.

More than one out of four people in Buffalo are poor, according to the latest estimates by the U. S. Census Bureau.

Figures released Tuesday on U. S. income and poverty show Buffalo still has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation — 28.7 percent in 2007.

That compares with 29.9 percent the previous year.

But given the margin of error figured into the estimates, Buffalo’s poverty really hasn’t improved from 2006 to 2007, said Wende A. Mix, an associate professor in the geography and planning department at Buffalo State College. “Statistically,” she said, “there’s no change.”

That also was true nationally, where the poverty rate was 12.5 percent in 2007, according to the Census Bureau report.

Census data released last year on Buffalo’s poverty sparked The Buffalo News to do an on-going series detailing the depths of the city’s poor.

In the report released Tuesday, Detroit’s poverty rate of 33.8 percent was the highest among cities with more than 250,000 people, followed by Cleveland, at 29.5 percent; Buffalo; El Paso, Texas, 27.4; Memphis, 26.2; Miami, 25.5; Milwaukee, 24.4; Newark, 23.9; Philadelphia, 23.8; and Cincinnati, 23.5.

Is Mayor Byron Brown going to write a letter to the Census Bureau now? Perhaps instead of whining when people note the city’s faults, the could take that energy and put it towards doing something to fix the problems.

But, I’m not confident that will happen.

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The battle continues...

U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny today refused to order the Seneca Indians to immediately shut down their temporary Buffalo casino.

The judge instead directed a federal agency — the National Indian Gaming Commission — to “carry out their congressionally mandated obligations” and decide whether the casino should be shut down.

Skretny said it was clear that the federal agency should review his July 8 ruling that gambling is illegal on the nine-acre site and issue the necessary notices of violation.

Skretny also denied a request from casino supporters to allow the federal commission to decide the ultimate question of whether casino gambling in Buffalo is legal.

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Dan Humiston, who is running against incumbent Brian Higgins in the 27th district, called on Higgins today to “promise the people of Western New York that he won’t take another vacation until Congress passes a comprehensive American Energy Plan that includes off-shore drilling.”

The Buffalo News reported on Saturday that Brian Higgins doubted the impact that offshore drilling would have on gas prices. I noted that Brian Higgins needs to face reality when it comes to drilling.

Dan Humiston was also concerned by the article. From a press release:

Following an article in Saturday’s Buffalo News in which Congressman Brian Higgins questioned the utility of domestic drilling, Humiston expressed concern. “Brian Higgins is against off-shore drilling, so instead of working to find a compromise, he voted to take a five-week paid vacation,” Humiston said at a press conference he held this morning. “Higgins made a serious mistake when he took a vacation instead of working to solve our energy crisis. His irresponsible behavior hurt Western New York families and businesses by unnecessarily keeping gas prices high all summer.”

Humiston acknowledged that off-shore drilling will not solve our long-term goal of fossil fuel independence. However, he added, “Off-shore drilling will certainly achieve our mid-term goal of foreign fuel independence. It will also immediately solve our short-term goal of lowering the price at the pump. The moment that we pass a plan to increase the supply of oil through off-shore drilling, the market will react and the price of oil will go down.”

After a five-week paid vacation, Congress will reconvene on September 8. They will then only have until September 26 to pass a comprehensive American Energy Plan before they’re scheduled to start a long three-and-one-half month paid vacation. “In July, the people of Western New York trusted Brian Higgins to make the right decision on his own, but he took a vacation and let us down,” Humiston said. “Apparently, when it comes to his vacations, we can’t trust him to do the right thing on his own. Therefore we now must insist that he signs a pledge that he will NOT take another vacation until Congress passes a comprehensive American Energy Plan that will provide immediate relief at the pump through off-shore drilling.”

Humiston is calling on all Western New Yorkers to insist that Brian Higgins sign the following pledge:

I, Brian Higgins, will NOT vote to start my scheduled three-and-one-half month paid vacation until Congress passes a Comprehensive American Energy Plan that includes off-shore drilling.

Sounds fair to me. If Brian Higgins won’t do something to lower gas prices, which has kept many in his district from going on vacation, why should he be able to go on a vacation of his own… which we’ll be paying for?

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A sad, but amusing article in the Buffalo News today says that with New York’s capital city, with its fair share of sex scandals, has earned the label of “Sin City.”

A former legislative aide accuses an assemblyman of sexually harassing her.

An underage intern accuses an assemblyman of raping her in a hotel room, then recants and says it was consensual, although he gave her alcohol.

An aide to the Assembly’s top leader is accused of raping two women, and the assemblyman stands by him until very recently.

The governor resigns as a federal investigation uncovers he had been seeking the services of high-price prostitutes. His successor admits that he and his wife had had affairs.

And now a Buffalo assemblyman admits he had been unfaithful to his wife several years ago but says his conduct did not violate any laws or State Legislature rules.

What is going on in Albany? According to longtime Albany insiders, the state capital has more than earned its nickname “Sin City.”

“Albany is a conducive environment to this kind of thing,” said Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, who has spent 28 years in Albany. “That may be true of every capital in the nation. You have a lot of powerful people, and young people tend to be attracted to powerful men.”

.

I moved to Buffalo the day before Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace. As much as I despised the man, it was unfortunate to be welcomed to New York when its top executive was forced to resign. It’s just really unfortunate Albany is more of a city of elected officials doing monkey business rather than the people’s business.

But, I guess they’re all private matters, right? 

UPDATE: More at Albany’s Insanity.

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A new control board study has found that the city of Buffalo “is more dependent on state aid than comparable cities in New York.”

But the same report also highlights some encouraging trends, analysts said Wednesday. Buffalo has the lowest property tax rate among larger cities, the fewest number of employees per 1,000 residents and the fattest budget reserves.

Board Chairman Paul J. Kolkmeyer said the study contains mixed results that showcase areas where Buffalo can be “proud,” and some trouble spots. He said Buffalo’s heavy reliance on state aid is a concern.

The city relies on the state to fund 43 percent of its day-today operations, a far higher percentage than what comparable cities receive. By comparison, the board said, state aid makes up 29 percent of the general fund budgets in Rochester and Syracuse, and only 22 of Yonkers’ budget.

Mayor Byron W. Brown went on the defense, saying the city’s ability to capture state funding is the result of effective lobbying in an “incredibly competitive” process.

“State aid isn’t a bad thing,” Brown insisted.

Brown also says that his using a city car isn’t a bad thing either.

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The Buffalo News has seen Jon Powers’ Form 990. From the tidbits of information they reveal (which doesn’t really expand much beyond what has already been reported) I still see some curious things.

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.”

Jack Davis’s campaign notes, however, that Powers paid himself a third of the revenues of War Kids Relief in 2007.

The War Kids effort, which Powers started as a Veterans for America project in 2005, was spun off as an independent charity in early 2007, a few months before Powers announced his race for the Democratic nomination to replace Reynolds.

The War Kids effort raised $68,336 while under the helm of Veterans for America, wrote Anita Keller, director of humanitarian affairs at Veterans for America, in her letter to Powers.

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.

That left approximately $13,667 for overhead. Gerken said overhead would have included office space and support costs for the War Kids effort, as well as the portion of Powers’ Veterans for America salary connected to it.

That would mean the bulk of the $60,000 Powers earned from Veterans for America was in connection with his job as vice president for policy. The Powers campaign said he took that title in May 2006 and testified at government hearings, worked on legislation and served as a spokesman for the charity. Officials at Veterans for America could not be reached to comment further on Powers’ duties there.

So, the War Kids effort raised $68,336 while under the helm of Veterans for America, and Powers was paid nearly 90% of that amount ($60,000) by the organization? That’s quite a lot of money for a poor performance.

Something tells me this issue is far from dead.

UPDATE:  War Kids… then and now…

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