Gratiot Dems

10/23/2026

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Every time something terrible happens, we hear the same thing: "We have a mental health crisis in this country."

And we do. But why is it that the conversation never includes the biggest things wearing people down?

Poverty.

How are people supposed to maintain good mental health when they work full time and still can't afford groceries? When one unexpected bill can put them out on the street? When they're constantly worried about rent, utilities, and whether they can afford to see a doctor?

And then we expect them to show up at work with a smile, give 110%, and be grateful for the opportunity. All while being treated like disposable trash, one bad quarter away from being cut because some corporation needs to increase its bottom line.

Money doesn't cure mental illness. But imagine how much suffering we could prevent simply by making it possible for people to survive without constantly worrying about whether their next paycheck will keep the lights on and the fridge stocked.

And by the way, in 1981 Reagan signed the legislation that repealed the majority of the Mental Health Systems Act and reduced federal support for community mental health services.

Just FYI.

10/23/2026

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"Bad men gain power when we refuse to stand up and fight." That's what MK Pritzker, the First Lady of Illinois and a longtime advocate for women and girls, said yesterday as she announced a $500,000 donation to Dr. Amy Acton's campaign for governor of Ohio. The gift was a direct response to Acton's Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, who had just released an attack ad exploiting Acton's childhood sexual abuse to score political points. As MK declared: "This race is about standing up to bullies, confronting extremism, and making damn sure that men who thrive on cruelty and division don't get a free pass to govern."

The ad features Acton's estranged mother -- who stood by the man who r***d her daughter as a child, and stayed married to him until he died -- looking into the camera to call Acton a liar. Acton has not seen her mother since she was twelve years old -- when she testified before a grand jury against her stepfather, and she and her brother were taken from their mother's custody. Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it made the ad and is spending $4 million to air it across Ohio, even as court records corroborate Acton's account and condemnation pours in from both parties.

MK did not mince words about the character of the man choosing to weaponize a woman's childhood r**e as a campaign tactic. "Vivek Ramaswamy represents everything that is wrong with our politics today," she said: "arrogance, cruelty, dishonesty, and the belief that it's acceptable to say and do anything for power."

This is not a new fight for MK -- she has been standing up for women her entire career. Long before she was Illinois's First Lady, she built her work around the needs of women and girls, expanding access to reproductive and women's health care, supporting incarcerated women, and funding early-childhood programs as the longtime head of the Pritzker Family Foundation. She is married to Governor JB Pritzker, a billionaire and a possible 2028 presidential contender, and the couple has stepped into Ohio's fights before: JB spent $1 million to help pass the 2023 ballot measure that enshrined reproductive rights in the state's constitution.

If the aim of Ramaswamy's ad was to rescue his sinking campaign, it appears to be doing the opposite. In the days since it aired, the attack has drawn bipartisan revulsion -- even Ohio's own Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has called it "just wrong" and demanded Ramaswamy take it down, which he has refused to do -- and now a half-million-dollar show of support from one of the Democratic Party's most prominent families. Acton, who would be the first woman ever elected governor of Ohio, has held a narrow lead in the polls for weeks.

As MK asserted: "Ohio deserves better. Ohio deserves Amy Acton as their governor, and I'm willing to fight for her."

To learn more about Dr. Amy Acton's campaign, visit https://actonforgovernor.com

For books to teach kids about the importance of voting and how elections work, visit our blog post "Mighty Girls Get Out the Vote" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=31606

To introduce children to trailblazing female political leaders in the U.S. -- both historically and in modern times -- visit our blog post, “Remember the Ladies: 25 Children's Books on Women in Politics” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11162

For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for truth, decency, and justice, even in dark times, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364

And for our favorite t-shirt honoring women throughout history who were willing to shake up the system, check out the "Well behaved women seldom make history" t-shirt -- available in a variety of styles and colors for all ages -- at https://www.amightygirl.com/well-behaved-women-history-shirt

To see more stories from A Mighty Girl, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter

To read more about the attack ad against Dr. Acton, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/us/politics/ramaswamy-campaign-ad-acton-estranged-mother-donna-arthur.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KVE.PzFe.HAdiLc6oRitB&smid=url-share

10/23/2026

Serenity Hope For State Rep Michigan House 93!