Since the 2016 election I have felt a strong need to help our country. I have watched these past three years as the America we love has devolved into a place of intolerance and a fear of the other. I have witnessed environmental protections be revoked in favor of corporate interests looking to ravage the earth for a quick buck. Protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals, like myself, were rolled back, such as allowing health care providers to deny service. I have witnessed women’s rights be challenged by legislation, blocking their right to choose and enabling businesses to fire unwed pregnant people. I have watched as families, who are seeking refuge from gang violence and climate change, be separated and held in facilities without proper care. Multiple mass shootings have occurred with no action taken to prevent future gun violence.
In the last year alone, I have watched as our current representation has done little to help Nebraskans. We have seen them vote against raising the minimum wage, vote against the Equality Act, vote against gun reform to prevent more deaths, vote against equal pay for men and women, and vote against helping the people being held at the border. After witnessing all this, I could stand by no longer and decided that I needed to run against them.
Growing up on a farm taught me the value of hard work and helping others. I helped deliver meals to the elderly with my great grandmother, I learned about leadership and helping the community through 4-H. For five years, I travelled across Iowa and Eastern Nebraska working with county and city government on budgets for technology and presenting various proposals to elected officials and constituents. For the last year I have worked with a non-profit hospital, streamlining their hiring processes to provide better patient care.
I know how to put in the work and that’s what I will do for Nebraska. I will work for healthcare reform. I will work for farmers struggling against these tariffs. I will work for women’s rights. I will work for immigration reform. I will work to protect everyone from gun violence. I will work for LGBTQIA+ rights. I will work for environmental protections. My name is Barbara Ramsey and I will work for all.
