I was just about to comment on your last post on the Brooklyn Paper and saw this more recent post.

I can't believe the Brooklyn Paper would endorse someone who is not even an official candidate! Is it amateur hour or what over there?

It looks like Powell did form a committe and submitted a statement of organization, but never a statement of candidacy...whoever their Treasurer is really screwed up!

The best part - According to the FEC, he hasn't even filed his pre-primary report that was due 8/28. 

Two FEC violations in one night!

Looks very bad for him.

Maybe The Brooklyn Paper will buy him the stamp he needs to send in his letter. Their endorsement should be worth at least that.

But as troubling as this is I'm still hoping somehow this is an error. I was really looking forward to a sound beating of Mr. Powell at the polls next Tuesday.

Manny Burgos,
Brooklyn, New York
"Más vale morir luchando, que vivir muriendo."

Not only did Kevin Powell suffer from "extreme poverty" he now suffers from "extreme illiteracy." How do you screw up the basic paperwork you need to run for the office you claim you are destined for?

There is a page 2 to the letter that is not apparant. I only found it because I was curious why it wasn't signed off or anything.

To go to the next page, look at the top for navigation buttons. Or click the PDF button for an easier to read letter.

Seems like there may still be time to get the filing done unless I am reading it wrong. That said, still a very sloppy misstep, one amongst so many.

Manny Burgos,
Brooklyn, New York
"Más vale morir luchando, que vivir muriendo."

Well doesn't seem like he's raising all that much money anyway!! I read in the Village Voice he had a "Women for Powell" fundraiser with like 25 people there... And there are pictures of musicians and such... I wonder if many of them are even from the District. And where's his biggest cheerleader Gloria Steinem at?

I think you have til just after the primary to officially "file" but I could be wrong. Either way, not filing your fundraising totals by the deadline is a total election-no-no!! Between the ridiculous typos in some of his press materials and the lack of ability to follow the FEC's directions, it seems like it's totally amateur hour over at the Powell campaign headquarters.

 Hire some people who know what they're doing already!! Or, oh, wait... you don't have any money to do so, apparently. Or at least you aren't filing it.

What I don't understand is that Powell had fundraisers. I went to the Dave Chappelle event. At that time I thought I was going to vote for him. I even forgave Chappelle not showing up (he's not the most reliable entertainer), but when I didn't get my money back I did get curious. But this...I'm trying to stay involved in the poltiical landscape of my new home and borough (I live in Clinton Hill) but it just seems that Powell is alot of hot air.

Here's my question: I asked for my money back after the Chappelle event and didn't get it. Now this. Can I finally get my $75 back? Where's my money? Where's my refund?

Powell is a joke! Why would he wait until after the primary to correctly file as as a candidate for office? It looks incompetent at best, duplicitous at worst. He is either an idiot or a fraud.

to 10:48 - that is FALSE. As an election lawyer i can tell you that you are only partly accurate. when running for an office, you must submit documentation stating your desire to run...whether an exploratory committee or if you are running. powell is clearly running. he has stated it publicly and he has had fundraiser stating the race he is running for. therefore he had to submit the proper documentation...that is where he messed up. once he announced, he had to submit the registration to the fec. if he only had an exploratory committee, then he didn't have to submit anything, but he has gone on tv, had fundraisers, done interviews, posters, etc. its a minor infraction true, but whomever his treasure and/or campaign manager is, these people have done him a disservice. anyone who has given him money (like janet1982) technically gave him money under false pretense because he has not registered as a candidate. you can see examples of what/when you file here:

http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/candregis.shtml

what's even more disturbing though is that he has failed to file his fec donation report which was due last friday.

Let's Clap it up for a job well done at getting passive and gullible folks who probably don't even live within the district excited.

What you need to know: Powell is on the ballot and he will win next Tuesday.

What you also need to know: Powell has already gone through intense scrutiny and close examination by the electoral committee and certainly the opposition. If there was a doubt about the actual illegitimacy of his candidacy, he would have been exposed a long time ago.

 So, let's clap it up for the brainless and his listeners.

POWELL FOR THE PEOPLE! 

Hey, BrooklynLaw92 or other experts, I gotta question: if Powell isn't officially a candidate, does that mean he is obligated to return campaign money when his campaign ends?  I just hope this isn't some ploy or anything for him to pocket any unused campaign cash at the end of all this since, if he is just a normal citizen, he probably won't required to hand the cash back.

Is that possible?

I think the only brainless ones are the ones who still remain ignorant of the true Kevin Powell. I started off as someone very undecided in this race. I found Powell's message appealing, but then I started to scratch off some of his polish and was appalled at what I found. Here is a partial list:

- Many friends of mine were stood up by Dave Chappelle and then told by Kevin Powell's staff that they had to pay extra to get into the VIP room if they wanted to see Chris Rock. Man of the people no more.

- He wrote a 200,000 word essay about how horrible Ed Towns is and how great a person he is. My 12 yr old nephew could have written it better or at least edited it for him.

- His staff when responding to credible concerns about Powell's many instances of violence has resorted to name calling as their only defense. 

- Kevin Powell himself tried to bribe volunteers of his opponent, and then insulted and embarassed them on his own website blog.

- His campaign sends out press releases about platforms that are poorly written and don't even spell our Presidential nominee's name correctly.

- Kevin Powell promised he would campaign tirelessly in the final weeks of the campaign, but then jetted to Texas to promote one of his books.

- He is not even filed as an official candidate with the FEC and is delinquent in releasing his latest report on contributors (or lack there of). 

My friend, the brainless people are the ones who have contributed to Powell's campaign, bought into his self-serving tirades, and stood blind as he continued to harass and embarass people in Brooklyn. 

I am looking forward to not hearing about Kevin Powell for awhile.

Whatever you are smoking, I want some of it if you think Powell is gonna win anything on Tuesday. Who the hell sits on the electoral committee? Uhmm, that would be no one because there is no such thing as an electoral committee. So you should be careful who you call brainless because you make up things to suit your argument. Are you any relation to Mr. Powell? I'm noticing many similiarities......

In this youtube video, you will see Anthony Ribustello and Jay Savino pull the New York sign away from an elderly veteran republican. What is Mr. Ribustello doing at the republican convention, when he is supposed to be working at the Bronx Board of Elections preparing for the Sept. 9 primaries. Fighting with elderly people is not good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haXxXPOtCvg

    As a long time Brooklyn resident, I find it disturbing that when selecting a congressional candidate we have nothing to discuss but paper work. Does the fact that we have been under represented on a congressional level even matter? Does Kevin's filing mishap out weigh decades of missed votes and no real legislative agenda by our current congressman? I actually read Kevin's agenda, not as an editor, but as a citizen. I think that we could use assistance with our student loans.  I also think  the program that he is proposing to lower the high school drop out rate has been successful in other cities and we could sure use it in Brooklyn. The solution shows that he actually did research into what has worked and could benefit us.  In additon, I agree with his proposal to develop a legislative agenda to combat the growingHIV/AIDS rate, something that Charles Rangel has been outsoken on. NOT OUR CONGRESSMAN! I have not seen the same type of specific proposals from the current congressman and he has been in office nearly three decades. Not only have I not seen it in this election, I have not seen the results of his labor. On Tuesday, that’s what I am going to focus on. I am tired of African American polititians who we vote into office every year ignore our issues until Election Day.They work hard for one month campaining!  But more importantly, I am tired of the community that continuously allows this to happen. Come on people! We need to demand some respect. Even if you do not know if Kevin Powell is the best candidate what we know for sure in that the current congressman has shit on Brooklyn. He has ignore us in a way that is blatantly disrespectful. The best way to demonstrate that we deserve some respect is to not vote for his ass! I personally am voting for Kevin Powell because I need help with my student loans and I want members of my family to have incentives to stay in school. And, I at least appreciate a candidate who feels  that he should court me with addressing real issues. This might not be important to you but, being ignored by your current congressman should be.

    As a long time Brooklyn resident, I find it disturbing that when selecting a congressional candidate we have nothing to discuss but paper work. Does the fact that we have been under represented on a congressional level even matter? Does Kevin's filing mishap out weigh decades of missed votes and no real legislative agenda by our current congressman? I actually read Kevin's agenda, not as an editor, but as a citizen. I think that we could use assistance with our student loans.  I also think  the program that he is proposing to lower the high school drop out rate has been successful in other cities and we could sure use it in Brooklyn. The solution shows that he actually did research into what has worked and could benefit us.  In additon, I agree with his proposal to develop a legislative agenda to combat the growingHIV/AIDS rate, something that Charles Rangel has been outsoken on. NOT OUR CONGRESSMAN! I have not seen the same type of specific proposals from the current congressman and he has been in office nearly three decades. Not only have I not seen it in this election, I have not seen the results of his labor. On Tuesday, that’s what I am going to focus on. I am tired of African American polititians who we vote into office every year ignore our issues until Election Day.They work hard for one month campaining!  But more importantly, I am tired of the community that continuously allows this to happen. Come on people! We need to demand some respect. Even if you do not know if Kevin Powell is the best candidate what we know for sure in that the current congressman has shit on Brooklyn. He has ignore us in a way that is blatantly disrespectful. The best way to demonstrate that we deserve some respect is to not vote for his ass! I personally am voting for Kevin Powell because I need help with my student loans and I want members of my family to have incentives to stay in school. And, I at least appreciate a candidate who feels  that he should court me with addressing real issues. This might not be important to you but, being ignored by your current congressman should be.

Seems like the Powell shills are out in force today, last weekend before the primary.  Wonder if it has anything to do with Powell finally - FINALLY - publishing a legislative agenda.

You know, Tony and Anonymous, he could've shown a little courage by publishing this to voters of the NY-10, oh I dunno, more than 2 business days before the primary.  Kinda smacks of a campaign ill-equipped and ill-prepared to handle questions.

I'm sure Powell say, "But, these are the plan I would have raised to Towns if he had consented to debate me, that old dirty bastard!"  Regardless of what Towns did, though, shouldn't this at least have been made available to voters weeks ago so they could actually read it and question it?

You know what they say in politics: when you have bad news, break it on a Friday so no one'll pay attention.  It seems that's what Powell's doin here.  When you have a plan you are unready to defend, what do you do?  Break it on a Friday. 

And btw, anonymous, "Does Kevin's filing mishap out weigh decades of missed votes and no real legislative agenda by our current congressman?"

You cant compare the two.  But what it does do is re-inforce the idea that Powell is a sloppy, inept candidate with a sloppy, inept circle of cronies.  You tell people you're running for office, but don't even bother to file the right paperwork ... ON TIME?!  Boy, that shows a real committment to the cause.  It's like saying, "Oh yeah, I was educated at Rutgers University," but not telling folks you didn't actually finish.  Oh, wait, Powell did that too.  Damn!

And what did slothman do?!  Bribe the FEC?  Shit no!  The FEC stuff was on their website!!! I'll bet anything that if it hadn't been caught, that Powell wouldn't have let voters know he couldn't be bothered to declare his candidacy officially.

I didn't see any Powell blogs saying, "Hey everyone, just to keep it real, we had a recent issue with our paperwork which you may have seen on the FEC website.  This was just an admin error, we are fixing it now and come September 9 it'll be all fixed so I can focus on represent BK."

No.  We get Powell blogs telling us he played hoops, what he had for breakfast, what he saw that day, The only thing Kevin hasn't blogged about is the number of times he takes a shit in a week (I can only assume that's cause he's saving that information for the general).  Yet, Powell didn't think it might be smart to preempt any issues over something that was already public?  Not even a quick heads up ?  Gimme a break.

Do we really need someone who is so deceptive BEFORE getting into office?  How stupid does Powell think the voters are!

And what do you mean, who is slothman?!  His picture's right there!!  LOL!

I am saddedned to hear that you have been charmed into believing Kevin Powell can actually deliver for Brooklyn. I haven't finished digesting his newly released "plan" yet - which btw seems weird that he would wait till a few days before the primary to release, but maybe that's because his first attempt was filled with spelling and gramatical errors - Anyways, back to my main point...

At first glance of Powells "plan" it seems to me he is arguing for many things that Towns has spent his career working on, and with many other of his big goals he provides no explanation on how he plans to accomplish them as a freshman member of Congress. For example he says he will "Fight to eradicate HIV/AIDS", with no example of how he plans to accomplish that.

I personally have heard Congressman Towns talk about the legislation he has worked on to address the issues of HIV/AIDS, and illness in general, and I think if you took the time to research or contact his office, you would be surprised.

That being said, I have always maintained that Congressman Towns could do better, and I hope this Primary race drives him to do so....I will agree with you that he doesn't spend his waking hours writing about everything he is going to do, oh, and jetting around the country to make money off his writings...

The simple fact is that Mr. Powell will do FAR LESS for Brooklyn.

I hope you revisit your decision in the primary and not base it off of empty words and a smile. 

Tony, you got me - fair enough. You did it, the one thing that no one has done so far, asked who I really am. So, I'll just answer you since inquiring minds want to know.

So, who am I? Well, this is me:

Yup, it's true: I'm Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns. I have taken to the internet to sow discord and attack Kevin Powell. And it was the perfect cover too. All y'all assumed I was too OLD and OUT OF TOUCH with BK to know how to use a computer.

I even gave you a hint and picked a fake picture which looks just like my real photo too! And you didn't catch on?!

But the joke was on you! You do realize that the fastest growing segment of 'net users are 65+ folks, the "silver surfers."

And I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for you snooping kids!!!

But seriously. As I have said several times, I'm just a voter that cares about Brooklyn (and have since Schumer), and am not affiliated with or compensated by anyone in this election.

Maybe you guys should spend more time focusing on shaping up your campaign, and less time wondering who I am.

I'm just sad that I have to hide behind the internet because I'm afraid Powell will come to my home in BK and bite me.

By the way, how is that FEC filing coming? I still don't see it up on the FEC website. Hope writing that manifesto Charlie mentioned didn't keep you from getting your late paperwork in, otherwise it's gonna be a loooooong weekend.

as a 31 year old black woman, born and raised in fort green (but now living in bed stuy), i find powell and his cronies offensive. not because ed towns is so terrific, but because powell thinks he can speed talk his way in to a federal office.

mary alice: it doesn't matter if the nyc board of elections says he's a candidate. no one said he didn't get the proper amount of signatures to run. he's running for a FEDERAL office and as such, he is required to file proper paperwork with the FEC. the city's board of elections merely rubberstamps that he got the proper amount of signatures. that's it. he's not running for city council for crissakes.

back to my previous comment...my family still lives in fort green and yes, they have on occasion either seen powell or someone affiliated with his campaign. but in the heart of bed stuy - and in other parts of the district...east ny, parts of crown heights, etc - no one even knows who powell is. they do, however, know who ed towns is.

with the changing demographics of the district and more gentrification happening in the brownstone belt and fort green and clinton hill, powell has chosen to stake his claim and create his base there. that's fine. that's his strategy. but let's stop saying that ed towns is "out of touch." he probably is out of touch with the new voters of the district - those that moved here within the last 5 years and are more upwardly mobile (the folks that have helped raise the cost of living in central brooklyn 3-fold) and never set foot in any neighborhood beyond atlantic and vanderbilt (if you don't know where that is, get a google map). but even i, a young woman who makes above 50K (slightly), a college graduate and from central brooklyn can no longer afford the neighborhood where i grew up.

i'm not talking about race, although there are more white people walking on myrtle avenue (formerly "murder avenue" in the late '80s) than ever before. i'm talking about class.

the real issue with this race is how do we in the 10th address the disconnect with the classes to benefit all of us. powell may have some soldiers and following in clinton hill, but in east ny and other 10CD neighborhoods where the cost of living is driving families out of the district, ed towns is better positioned to help us - and he really has.

i read powell's plan for the district, too. he uses superfluous language and says how he would like to see the end of hiv/aids...who doesn't? as a freshman congressman, how does he plan to address the 25-points he put in the monstrosity of a document (note to powell's campaign: if you really want people to read the document, i suggest providing a summary page with the most important points. two days before the primary and you want folks to read 58-pages of wonk? get real).

and much of what powell said is no different than what towns has been calling for. in fact, some of what powell said, towns has already done. towns passed, under a republican administration no less, legislation to provide more money for IT services and programs for historically black colleges and universities. this includes my alma mater, medgar evers college. this is going to help more black student get better jobs...so what is powell talking about? did he do any homework or just write down his dreams?

look, for 8 years this country has been under the rule of that idiot bush. now we will finally have a democratic president. we can ill-afford to have a freshman legislator in congress who can't even figure out how to file his paperwork. not to mention, after 20 years of therapy, powell is biting people.

powell is running on the "change" ticket (and let's not forget, obama will not be on the ballot on 9/9) but not all change is necessarily good or productive.

let's be honest with ourselves: we can hold ed towns more accountable if that's the argument. but he has seniority on the hill.

i'm just not willing to give that up now for a guy who neither knows how to legislate nor the district.

Inept at what exactly? Filing? Is this learning to navigate through  the FEC filings and making mistaks unheard of for new candidates?

And for the website, he addresses what he thinks is important: the issues. You must be a Republican. Lets do a great job of avoiding the important issue of who is offering legislative solutions. With all the ineptness he is the only candidate with solutions. The current congressman had years to come up with something. Maybe he missed all those important votes and has a poor record of legislating because he was filing paperwork. I can see where that has really been helpful. I mean after all the drop out rate is increasing, the HIV and AIDS rate is increasing, unemployment is on the rise so lets focus on filing. Are you serious? Go kill a moose!

Politics 101-The way to hold elected officials accountable is to stop voting for them! After almost 30 years in office it is amazing that all you can say about that man is that he brought money to Medgar Evers! Almost thirty years for that? Raise your standards. And yes everyone agrees that HIV and AIDS need a legislative agenda. But this senior congressman has not authored one. Its not just that he did not get the legislation passed. He has not authored one. And he is so in touch with his community his supported Hilary Clinton when the district overwhelmingly supported Barak Obama. That sure does not sound like synchronicity to me. As a community we have got to demand respect. The only way to do that is to not vote for the people who do not respect us. To take our vote and support for almost thirty years and produce next to nothing is down right disrespectful. I will not vote Ed Towns and hope that he has a change of heart. I would rather take my chances with Kevin Powell. Ed Towns has shown me he can't deliver. I'll take a chance on something new. I'm voting for Kevin Powell on Tuesday.

How do you know he went to Texas to promote one of his books?

How do you know about his staff arguments?

Who did he try to bribe?

Is this really true?

Bribe with what exactly?

Everyone keeps saying he has raised no money. Did he offer them a book? Maybe an autographed copy? 

You sound a little J Edgar Hooverish to me. How do you know these things?

Hey Anonymous, maybe you wanna do your own homework:

http://www.tulisoma.com/authors/powell.htm

http://www.dallasexaminer.com/cgi-bin/examiner/display_story.cgi?front_Page/story2.txt

I'll bet Powell hated that a bigger star than Powell - Terrell Owens - showed up too.  Meant the kids couldn't give their full attention to Powell during a rousing reading of "Son2Mother," hahaah.

Gee, you spelled "Barak Obama" the same as it was spelled in the Powell campaign's infamous 1888 Press Release document:

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/congressional-candidate-kevin-powell-releases-statements-o-pr-68990.html 

"Taxes- Kevin Powell supports presidential hopeful, Barak Obama’s, tax proposal of cutting taxes for middle-class Americans and shifting the tax burden to those making over $200,000 a year."

I hope your pro-Powell posting was not because you are the same person from the campaign that wrote that.  If so, use spellcheck.

And again, for the Powell shills out there, if you are gonna attack Towns for being a good-for-nothin do-nothing, you are gonna have to learn to do what you constantly fail to do: FACE THE FACTS!!

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny10_towns/AIDS.html 

58 pages of empty rhetoric is still empty rhetoric.

I would imagine you are more likely the person to buy "talking points" then the rest of this. Even though Kevin Powell and his staff are able to write 58 pages, does not mean any of it actually says anything. It is clear alright, clearly BS - For example -

"Kevin Powell will propose and support growth strategies that target the creation of local businesses by funding community entrepreneurs. He will focus on investments in manufacturing and services that are underrepresented or cannot be effectively or
conveniently outsourced. This can be done through public‐private partnerships with businesses, unions, and government and community organizations."

You probably read that, get halfway through the paragraph and decide because of the many words, it actually means something. I read that and see someone who has no idea of what Congress can do to actually help the economy, and certainly has no idea that Congressman Towns already does those things pretty well. I read that and believe that Kevin Powell thinks it is a lot easier than it actually is.

Why don't you read this for more background before opening your mouth again - http://reelectedtowns.com/issues.html - it is not as long, but it is a decent snapshot of where Towns stands and what he has done. 

If you read the following article it will be clear why that bill failed. It wasn't even targeted at a national AIDS agenda. It was global. It demanded that countries have a national legislative agenda before they receive funding. The whole Democratic party is clear that there is not a national agenda on AIDS in the African Amercian communtiy. Even Barack Obama spoke about it. I do not know why you are Ed Towns are so misinformed. But at least you have raised the bar a little to talk about issues. 

http:/f/www.blackaids.org/ShowArticle.aspx?pagename=ShowArticle&articletype=DIRECTOR&articleid=32&pagenumber=1

The question was how did you know that?

Were you just googling Mr. Powells intinerary?

And what about your other claims?

How do you come across these things Mr. J Edgar Hoover?

Oh, and by the way, think link you posted had a very favorable article about Mr. Powell.  

First off, I am not someone who believes Congress will cure the AIDS epidemic overnight, no matter how many times you write or talk about it. I don't always agree with Congressman Towns, but I have heard him talk about how it affects Brooklyn many times.

It seems like he has been talking about it for awhile as well - 

http://www.solidgroundministry.com/sg_news/Congressman%20Edolphus%20Towns%20PR.1.htm

Can you please post a link a little less byass than the Re Elect Ed Towns web site?

I've lived in the district for a long time. Ed Towns has been the congressman for all of my adult life. I have not seen the benefits of his labor. I have heard of and been to many programs where he was scheduled to attend and did not show. I have heard many stories from elders in the neighborhood about programs that were promised but never delivered. I have heard about his absence all my adult life. Maybe we need to raise our expectations. Maybe we should be demanding more from our elected officials.  These are serious times and resources are limited. I need to know that when they are being divided up that my congressman will at least be there. For real. This man is in the top 10 percent of the most absent congressman. Where else can you have a serious attendance problem and still keep your job? If I have to get up and go to work or get up and go to vote I certainly want the person who is supposed to be representing me to do the same thing. Show up. If you loved black people and your community you would demand that your elected officials at least show up. Aren't we worthy of at least that?

I would never argue otherwise. What I do argue is that Kevin Powell would be a disaster for Brooklyn. He is narcissistic, he has a very violent past, and his plan is nothing but empty words. I hope Kevin Powell continues his community work after the cameras are turned off, but he simply is not fit to be my Congressman.

Towns is going to have to do more or we will find a better candidate than Powell in 2010.

Shit Anonymous, what more you want?  Many, MANY people have pointed out that Powell went running off to Texas to make money instead of cempaigning, instead of the "non-stop campaigning" powell ahd promised.  He promised that to the votres himself!! http://www.kevinpowellforcongress.org/featured_blogs2/2008/08/20/

So, you ask slothman with "How do you know he went to Texas to promote one of his books?"  And another person puts up an article from a newspaper in Dallas confirming Powell was there!!!  Waht more do you want?!?  Damn, you're either dumb or doing this purposefully cause you work for "Mr. Powell."

I think alot of people just don't understand what Powell is capable of for the district.  This is actually a pretty good summary of the type of service he's gonna bring the BK-10: http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4276

 No one believes that Congress can cure AIDS overnight. But, they can do more than talk about it. There are organizations  who have very detailed plans with proven strategies that need legelative assitance in getting funding and resources. IT have to be practical. The global Aids bill was a start but not practical. We need forward thinking new leadership. Towns had a good run. But sinnce he is absent alot anyway he must not really want to do the job. Lets give it to someone else. I like Kevin Powells proposal for paid internships to deter the high school drop out rate. I know someone who's son did a similiar program in Newark. They were in a dental program.  It kept him in school and he graduate with some college credits. They also had a similar program in DC called the stay in school program. It helped reduce the crime and drop out rate. That to me is a very real solution that I know my cousins need. It also shows me that Powell is reserching real practical solutions.

I know I myself could benefit from my student loans coming out of pre taxed dollars. My student loan payments are high as hell. If my payment came out before I was taxed I would be taxed less. That seems really practical and helpful to me. I know that democrats just passed legislation that is supposed to help with student loans but mine are to old and I do not qualify. So there is only one candidate that is proposing something that I can clearly see will help me and my family. What is more important than that?

If you think that Towns had a good run, why would you want to vote for a man who will be in a position to do less when we finally (hopefully) have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress. I would argue that Towns and Democrats in general will be in a much better position in 2009 to help with the problems facing Brooklyn. I think with Powell representing us, our voice will be behind even Alaska.

As for student loans, I sympathize with your high payments, and hope you know there are current solutions out there that could help you.

As for Powell's idea on pre-tax, I'm worried about my job right now because the economy is so bad, and I knwo the government has alot of money problems with having to bail out fannie mae and freddie mac. It's a good idea, but without the research behind it, I just don't think Powell (as a new congressman with little sway) will be able to close the deal with 434 other egos and get the votes to pass that. 

Ouch, collecting donations in an unregulated fashion can't sit well with anyone. How is Powell doing now?

Sincerely,

ChooseWhat