Young Candidate in New York

Thirty year old Jon Powers never anticipated running for office, but after his military service in Iraq he knew that he needed to do something more. So, he started a non-profit that aimed to help keep kids from turning to extremist groups.

"War Kids Relief worked with Iraqi ministers to develop programs for the Iraqis to implement. It provided needed research on the state of Iraqi youth. It brought Iraqi youth to the attention of a Washington devoted solely to military tactics.

War Kids Relief worked to prevent a future generation of terrorists from growing in Iraq. It briefed Marine commanders on counterterrorism and the importance of engaging Iraqi youth." According to the site.

But Powers didn't stop there. He decided to run for Congress to continue his efforts to give back. One reason his site says he is running hit home with me. Evidently not all of New York is Manhattan or the Hamptons. Indeed there are many parts of New York that are just as rural as parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. Powers says that in his travels throughout Western New York he has met "folks who are worried that their sons and daughters are leaving the area because there are not enough job opportunities." Those are definitely tough issues that both parties work to navigate here in my home state.

Powers approaches issues in much the same way as people do around here. His enthusiasm as a young candidate brings something unique to the table. I caught up with him making care packages to send overseas to the soldiers as part of the Netroots for the Troops program.

Keepin' it Rural

What is up world! You've met me before - now hear me when I tell you I'm going to bring you some hot blogging action right here at Rock the Vote!

This election season I'm covering some of the hottest issues from rural America. That's right, I'm keepin' it rural, baby! Everything from the coolness of food and cows to things like broadband and wifi in the sticks. Not to mention some great info about the environment and how folks are "greening" our world with green jobs, alternative fuels and energy, and the efforts implemented by our own generation to save the planet our parents have totally screwed up. That's right, ya'll, its up to us!

Specifically I'm excited to look at why there is no broadband internet access in rural areas. Another highlight for me is that I will get to report from the first ever green city in Greensberg, Kansas! I also hope to speak with young people living on Native American reservations about their involvement in their communities. Most kids want to get out of town as soon as they graduate from high school. I'd like to talk to young Native Americans about how they manage to push away that common urge to fly from the nest and instead choose to stick around and make their community stronger and better.

I'm also addressing the serious concerns we all have about our economy. Times are tough and our generation is getting hit hard with soaring gas prices, student loans, home foreclosures and you don't even want to get me started on the price of coffee.

Other important issues are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'll be talking specifically with soldiers coming back home, some folks who are headed that way, soldiers from the first Iraq War and their perspectives, as well as taking a serious look at the ways in which we can step up to take care of our troops. We hear a lot of stories about what is happening, but we don't ever get any kind of follow up on what has been done, how people are organizing around specific issues, or the end result. I hope to bring you that information and comments from the troops themselves.

This is a great upcoming election for us! Not only do we have a multitude of issues that our generation is becoming involved in, but we are standing up to take action on those issues. We also have a number of folks our age running for office to make a difference that way. I will strive to bring you all the information on young candidates that I can find and perhaps even help you see how their perspectives are different from the older candidates'. Who knows, maybe my stories will inspire you to run some day, too!

Hit me up with ideas and questions - but comment and keep the convo going. Its all about the conversation!