Tag Archives: ntfm

Buffett Request

People’s Lobby Inc. (501c4)

People’s Lobby Education Foundation (501c3)

www.PeoplesLobby.us

5/11/2018

Mr. Warren Buffett:

Because of my service as a Peace Corps Urban Community Development volunteer  in Mumbai, India from 1966-1968, I write hoping you will pen some supportive words for People’s Lobby’s   nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM).  The NTFM will fund fielding 21,000,000 Americans into peaceful, healthy national service over the ensuing 27 years via enacting its American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposal.

Peace Corps service exposed me to the engrained disparities of life and provided the “why” that has me pushing People’s Lobby’s   American World Service Corps Congressional Proposal for over 10 years.  The AWSC is a simple, effective means to involve the super-rich in funding millions of Americans to reduce ugly disparities.  Those engrained disparities remain with me, like…  Giving the few rupees I had to men scavenging through an  8’ mound of garbage piled in Bombay’s streets at midnight, watching a woman dying on the  curbside of a well-traveled bridge with only a rag covering some of her breast and a white textured substance covering her pelvic area, staring at a child a few feet away from me while lying on my backpack at the train station as the child scooped and licked its own diarrhea…

I served in an era where working as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) garnered one extra respect among a growing number of world citizens and humbled us PCVs via the enlightenment such service bestowed.  It was an era when Americans could safely roam just about anywhere.  It made me understand why John Kennedy wanted the Peace Corps to grow rapidly and robustly.

President Kennedy often expressed his visionary desire that “I would rather send the Peace Corps than the Marine Corps.”  Today’s Peace Corps, at about 7000, is less than half the size it was when it reached its peak of about 15,000 from 1966-68.

Today the world Increasingly sees the United States as the world’s preeminent War Corps.  Kennedy envisioned creating the world’s preeminent Peace Corps, inspiring other nations to build similar Service Corps.  Dealey Plaza bled out that vision of Camelot.

During the Vietnam War era, 9+ million served on active duty in the military.  Imagine how different the world would be if 9+ million Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) had done active duty, rather than today’s meager 225,000 RPCVs sense its 1961 inception.

With climate weirding, violence, disasters, inequities, hatreds, etc., growing, isn’t it time that an Army of Gun-free Americans:

  • implemented the vision JFK had for the Peace Corps (and later VISTA, AmeriCorps, etc.)?
  • helped those who have little to live more securely?
  • Initiated a healthy competition among fellow Americans and the rest of the world that emanated from the good their peaceful National Service programs produced?
  • got to know fellow Americans and other nations citizens better via joint Peace Corps programs, such as Congresswoman Boxer’s HR 1807 of 1989, the US-Russian Peace Corps, which People’s Lobby inspired?
  • walked the talk about “greatness” that we so often bestow on ourselves?

I write with the hope that you may lend your stature to the envisioned nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM) as a visionary, worthy, and doable mechanism that could provide billions of donated dollars from billionaires and celebrities; which would field millions of Americans doing good at home and abroad.

If enacted as written, annually for the first seven-year ramp-up, approximately 140,000 additional Americans would voluntarily choose to serve full time for a year or two for modest pay in their choice of:

Listed below are some of the peace building platoons of AWSC that would be dramatically enlarged and invigorated by fielding a million volunteers a year to their worthwhile efforts, after the initial seven-year ramp-up of the AWSC to a million.

Peace Corps AmeriCorps Habitat
Doctors Without Borders Head Start Mercy Corps
Oxfam Americans Friends Service Committee TechnoServe
Heifer Red Cross International Rescue Committee
Mercy Ships UN Volunteer Center Fuller Center for Housing
Boys & Girls Clubs State Conservation Corps In-need Schools
Hospitals Therapy Wards Homes for the Elderly Local Do-good Non-profits
Under-staffed needs Community Health Clinics Carter Center… Etc.

By the seventh year, one million American World Service Corps volunteers of all ages, or less than four-tenths of 1% of those aged 18-70+, would annually serve for a year or two at home or abroad in existing governmental and non-governmental organizations.  Only after 20 years could Congress consider sun-setting the AWSC legislation.  Therefore, over 27 years about 21 million Americans would have peacefully served producing good and goodwill at home and abroad organizations such as those above.

Written in a mix of legalese and laymanese, the American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal  is at http://peopleslobby.us/awsc-congressional-proposal

To regain, retain, and rebuild our nation’s strength and stature, we need a robust AWSC to augment our proud military early in the 21st century.  The AWSCNS will:

  • Help keep us out of future trillion-dollar wars.
  • Make service less dangerous for our military.
  • Cost only a fraction of what the Iraq War has cost us.
  • Recycle most of its investment into the American economy by rewarding volunteers with their choice of four years of college tuition or equivalent investment in IRA and Medical Savings Accounts, home down payments, or tax credits.
  • Begin rebuilding our character, world image, and public policy IQ.
  • Respond more quickly and competently to climate weirding and natural disasters with an AWSC that can more quickly help rebuild after disasters.
  • Re-knit America’ s fraying unity by having Americans from different parts of the country address problems throughout the country and world. Serving together addressing needs provides a true picture of the world that peacefully educates and binds us together, making us saner and healthier.

Nontraditional funding mechanisms

The proposed legislation has traditional and non-traditional funding mechanisms.  If visionary leadership pushed and educated the nation on our nontraditional revenue streams, they could potentially eliminate any reliance on traditional tax revenue funding.

Funding raised by the non-traditional and voluntary funding streams would go directly into an escrow account dedicated to funding the AWSC, as outlined here http://peopleslobby.us/awsc/financing-awsc and depicted via power point here http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/powerpoints/forbes006funds.

With individuals like yourself, Gates, Turner, Nader, et al., calling on billionaires to give more, now is the time to offer the AWSCNS as a perfect place to invest their money in a safer, more prosperous future. If just the Forbes 400 annually donated between 1– 2.5% of their wealth to an escrowed account to fund the AWSCNS, no taxpayer dollars would be needed to fund 21 million serving at home and abroad over 27 years.

Including AWSCNS public spreadsheets for the Forbes Top Jocks, Top Celebs, Top CEOs, non-tax paying corporations, etc. in this voluntary donated funding mechanism, further reduces this (1-2.5%) minuscule voluntary donation percentage from American billionaires, whose number is now around 600.

Escrowed donations would be tracked via a publicly-viewable spread sheet, which may inspire billionaires to donate and common citizens to notate who donates.

Many of us see this as just a small step that supports your Giving Pledge.  It would be a wonderful way for the super-rich to provide a healthier and safer tomorrow by donating a minuscule portion of their wealth to a fund that involves millions of peaceful Americans in building a better today.  Such wise but minimal investment today would be good for healthy business tomorrow.

Joint Peace Corps

Included in the AWSCNS Congressional Proposal are calls for other nations to emulate our AWSC National Service program, as well as to form joint Peace Corps programs with other nations, such as the legislation People’s Lobby influenced Congresswoman Boxer ( http://peopleslobby.us/awsc/aspc/ ) to introduce as House Resolution 1807 of 1989.   (http://peopleslobby.us/hr-1807/ )

People’s Lobby would like to see the Joint US-USSR (Russia) Peace Corps pushed via the AWSCNS Congressional Proposal, and/or introduced as separate legislation. [An op-ed view here: (https://www.opednews.com/articles/Trump–Putin-buiild-army-by-Dwayne-Hunn-American-World-Service-Corps_American-World-Service-Corps-Congressional-Proposa_Americorps_Congress-170123-576.html&series=679 ).

The world could benefit greatly if U.S. and Russian relationships grew from a few astronauts working together in space to tens of thousands of Russian and American Peace Corps volunteers peacefully living, working, and serving together on earth.

Imagine what today’s world be like if 40,000 Russians and Americans had served together over the decades since HR1807 of 1989.

Info links

The top-row and drop-down links at the http://peopleslobby.us/ web site provide substantial information.  Videos, power points, and audios are included in the drop-downs.

Video feeds are available at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/video

Some YouTubes are at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRbaWfRantA

Some audio at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/audio/

About 80+ related op-eds appear at http://www.opednews.com/author/author6270.html.

Joint U.S.-Russian Peace Corps links at http://peopleslobby.us/hr-1807/                                      http://peopleslobby.us/awsc/aspc/

Supportive words from a man as respected as you could help our efforts with either/or/and the AWSCNS proposal and Joint Country Peace Corps Proposals.

In summary, we hope you will provide supportive words for:

  • Our nontraditional funding mechanisms that will encourage tentative congresspersons to think outside the funding box during this age of growing wealth inequities.
  • The AWSC proposal itself.
  • The reintroduction of HR 1807, the joint U.S.-Russian Peace Corps.

Thanks for considering.

Please contact me at any time for additional information, Dwayne Hunn, 415-383-7880, dh@peopleslobby.us, Facebook (Dwayne Hunn, People’s Lobby, and American World Service Corps Pages).

Sincerely,

Dwayne Hunn Ph.D. Executive Director, People’s Lobby

415-383-7880

Gates Buffett

 

To Bill Gates & Warren Buffett:

Re: Seeking support statement for implementing an adjunct to Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge Philosophy.

It is People’s Lobby’s hope that your staff, you, and Mr. Buffett will decide to print (or video, publicize, etc.) something positive about why the world needs our:

1)  American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal and it’s

2)  Nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM) components that uses mega wealth donations to dramatically improve real world health.

With a miniscule staff, it is difficult to convert the overwhelming support we receive in presentations and from about 50 congressional staff visits into introducing and implementing the robust AWSCNS Proposal.  Less robust proposals have been introduced, like the Serve America Act of 2009 in honor of Ted Kennedy, whose goals were never met; and the Inspire Act of 2017 by my Congressman Jared Huffman.

Supportive words about the AWSCNS would bolster all three national service proposals.

For over 10 years, People’s Lobby has been pushing to introduce and implement the American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal, which would involve 21,000,000 Americans in full-time, voluntary national service at home and abroad for the ensuing 27 years through such organizations as:

Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, Head Start, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Americans Friends Service Committee, TechnoServe, Heifer, Red Cross, Save The Children, Mercy Ships, International Rescue Committee, State Conservation Corps, In-Need Schools, Hospitals Therapy Wards, Homes for The Elderly, Homeless Centers, Prison Education Programs, Medical Clinics, Drug Rehab Centers, etc.

To fund this magnificent force for peace, People’s Lobby’s nontraditional funding components indirectly connects with and increases the growth of the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge Philosophy.

A 1-2% annual voluntary wealth donation, escrowed to an AWSC National Service Investment Account, from just the Forbes 400 would totally underwrite the AWSCNS investment in more rapidly involving millions in spreading health, welfare, sustainability, and understanding worldwide. The successful implementation of a robust AWSCNS might inspire other nations to do similar robust national service corps and, hopefully, shift our over-reliance on militaristic forces to peace building national service corps.

Some op-eds that detail various reasons why we should do this at http://www.opednews.com/author/author6270.html.

A power point on how the nontraditional Forbes 400 funding component would work at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/powerpoints/Forbes006Funds.  Click the “Forbes006Funds” and view the power-point at the site.

More power points at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/powerpoints/ .

Some experiences from my service as an Urban Community Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Mumbai, India that motivates me and supporters to do this at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/opeds/peace-corps/.

Thanks for considering.

 

Dwayne Hunn, PhD.

People’s Lobby, Executive Director

359 Jean St., Mill Valley, California 94941

415-383-7880 dh@peopleslobby.us

 

UnorthodoxFinancing

From the American World service Corps National Service Congressional Proposal

(G)                Donations by the Forbes Richest Americans  (The  2% Forbes 400 Solution)                                                                Over the last 30+ years, the wealth of America’s richest taxpayers has increased disproportionately as compared to the stagnated and declining wealth increase among America’s low and middle classes.  Fed Chair Allan Greenspan expressed his concern about the increasing income and wealth disparity between upper and lower classes in his March 2, 2005 testimony before Congress.  His answer to spreading wealth was to increase educational opportunities for Americans.  As Greenspan noted, the GI Bill of Educational Rights gave America an opportunity to build and strengthen their middle class.  The AWSC proposals increase America’s educational quality and capacity, while building our economy and national character

(H)                Consequently, a public web site linked to the AWSC web site will list the Forbes Richest 400 Americans, who have benefited most from our nation’s human and physical infrastructure.  Merely to be on this list in 2015, one had to be a BILLIONAIRE worth 1.7 billion.

Those who live in luxury bestowed in large part by the skill and education of all Americans will be asked at the web site, “What have you contributed this year to help make the world safer for today and tomorrow’s children?   Each month the web site will list donations that America’s richest have made to implementing the AWSC and reducing its cost to America’s taxpayers.

(I)                      Donations by certain low tax paying corporations.  — A large number of Fortune 500 corporations annually pay little or no taxes, according to such organizations as Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).  At the AWSC website, with additional information supplied by other relevant federal agencies and information sources, those corporations who have paid none, little, or received federal tax paybacks (negative taxes) for the past five years would be listed.  This section of the AWSC web site would strongly urge these light or none paying corporations to contribute to underwriting the cost of making the world safer for them, their businesses, and their children.  The site will remind them, including their stockholders, that by doing good — companies can do well.

These donations would be listed alongside their researched nominal and effective corporate tax rates and tax payments.  Such socially conscious donations could significantly reduce the AWSC’s cost.  For those who paid little, none, or negative taxes, Congress should not allow the donations to be tax deductible.  (See http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2016/03/07/27-giant-profitable-companies-paid-no-taxes/81399094/  for some details.)

(J)                    An AWSC spreadsheet for America’s highest compensated celebrities.

(K)                  An AWSC spreadsheet for America’s highest compensated athletes.

(L)                   An AWSC spreadsheet for America’s highest compensated CEOsCould these donate to AWSCNS escrowed account? http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/12/ceo-compensation-12_rank.html  An AWSC spreadsheet listing CEO compensations of those who have received federal bail outs.

(M)                Charitable Trusts, Philanthropic Foundations, etc.  – Trusts and foundations may find the American World Service Corps meshes well with their goals of improving world and nation and reflect that in grants and donations.  If the Gates Foundation wants to eradicate AIDS, a robust army of American volunteers can make that happen by doing the hard, face-to-face groundwork.  If we want to reverse climate degradation, we will need more than 4,000 power point presenters, we will need tens of thousands of AWSC volunteers working daily for years with a variety of effective NGOs.  Foundations’ contributions to those NGOs (non-governmental organizations) working under the AWSC umbrella would also be listed at the AWSC site.

12)           Daily Stipend Costs of AWSC volunteers serving in NGOs

Initially, this AWSC proposal leaves the daily service stipends paid to those who volunteer for NGO service as the NGO’s funding responsibility.  However, the unorthodox (or as yet non-traditional) funding mechanisms listed here offer NGOs another means of funding some or all of their volunteers’ daily stipend expenses, as our proposed 2% Forbes 400 Donation graphic depicts.  Congress could allow those donated funds to cover daily stipend costs.

financing-awsc