We all Do Better, When We All Do Better
Doomerella Gets Schooled 18 - The weekly Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back
I know this has been a video series, and I know most people on here don’t subscribe to watch videos, so the writing is back. Everyone cheer!
The title is a quote by former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, and think it’s the throughline of these stories.
Because it’s not just about what our Dems are able to do for us and our needs, but for all people. And different people have different needs.
There are people in detention but there are also farmers who can barely make ends meet thanks to tariffs. There are people with autism or other neurological disorders and people with Celiac Disease. And yeah, everyone might be focused on the detention, and for good reason, but that doesn’t mean the other groups shouldn’t get help too.
So this week I wanna bring your attention to Rep Delia Ramirez (IL-03) and the MELT ICE Act she introduced with Rep Yvette Clarke (NY-07) back in January. The bill, if it’s successful, would close detention centers, ALL detention centers. It would force DHS to treat undocumented immigrants with respect and dignity. It probably can’t happen now, but starting the process now means it has more likelihood of happening when we do have the trifecta. Which will hopefully be 2028.
I’ve posted about this Act at least once before, but last week, Ramirez spoke with Reading Rainbow’s Mychal Threets, and I really liked how she talked about the Act:
But, as I said, it’s not just about ICE.
I’m autistic, so this next story hit close to home. Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) had a meeting with Subodh Garg. He is best known for “Love on the Spectrum” but he’s also an autism advocate. And they talked about how people with autism and other neurological disorders can work and it should be easier for them to find a job.
Rep Subramanyam brought up a program in Virginia that gives government contract jobs like mowing the lawn to those with neurological disorders like autism. He hopes to bring something like that to the federal government.
I didn’t love everything he said or the language he used, but it really did feel like he was trying, and I think that matters a lot.
Helping farmers also came up this week.
Trump announced that he would be lowering tariffs for farm equipment to 15%, but Rep Jill Tokuda (HI-02) would like them to be at 0 and introduced a bill saying just that back in February, aptly called Tariff Free Farming Act. Unlike MELT ICE, this is the first time I’m hearing about this Act.
And I know, we want all tariffs to be eliminated, but unfortunately, with Republicans in charge, that’s not possible right now. So if we can make small changes like this, that still makes a difference. Especially if Democrats are able to get it done. Farmers are often Republican, but if this could pass, maybe they’d realize Dems have their best interest at heart.
Also, she literally ripped up his proposal in the video and I think that’s pretty bad ass.
And finally, I had to share this story that is very very close to my heart.
Reps Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) and Betty McCollum (MN-04) introduced the Celiac Disease Safety Act. This bill would add “gluten” to the list of the top allergens, increasing it from 9 to 10.
Typically, things that are top 9 allergen friendly are also gluten free, but that’s not always the case, cause, it doesn’t have to be. Gluten is found in Wheat, Rye and Barley, but only Wheat is on the list. As a Celiac this would be incredibly helpful. This was introduced at the end of May which is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Now hopefully people will be “aware” of this bill.
So, those are this week’s stories.
Hopefully you made it to this point, and even though you didn’t come here to watch a video, maybe you’re interested in processing these stories a different way. With a bit of banter maybe?
I hope, if nothing else, this convinced you that at least 6 Dems are doing the work.
The best way for others to learn that too is to remember, our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!