{"id":199,"date":"2024-03-13T20:15:25","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T20:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/?page_id=199"},"modified":"2024-03-18T05:07:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T05:07:21","slug":"my-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/my-story\/","title":{"rendered":"My Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-spacer stk-block-spacer stk--no-padding stk-block stk-eab9a83\" data-block-id=\"eab9a83\"><style>.stk-eab9a83{height:40px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who am I?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-spacer stk-block-spacer stk--no-padding stk-block stk-ec283f8\" data-block-id=\"ec283f8\"><style>.stk-ec283f8{height:25px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-2ed5336\" data-block-id=\"2ed5336\"><style>.stk-2ed5336{margin-bottom:0px !important}<\/style><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-2ed5336-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-fdc76c3\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"fdc76c3\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-fdc76c3{flex:1 1 calc(25% - var(--stk-column-gap,0px) * 1 \/ 2 ) !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-fdc76c3-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"has-text-align-left stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-fdc76c3-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-78916f0\" data-block-id=\"78916f0\"><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-279\" src=\"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_20220129_233728088_processed_11-scaled.jpg\" width=\"1919\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_20220129_233728088_processed_11-scaled.jpg 1919w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_20220129_233728088_processed_11-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_20220129_233728088_processed_11-768x1024.jpg 768w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_20220129_233728088_processed_11-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_20220129_233728088_processed_11-1535x2048.jpg 1535w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-da53e85\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"da53e85\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-da53e85{flex:1 1 calc(75% - var(--stk-column-gap,0px) * 1 \/ 2 ) !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-da53e85-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-da53e85-inner-blocks\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">My name is Casey Groves and I am a 25-year-old from the rural town of Gilboa in the Catskill Mountains. Since graduating high school in 2017, I&#8217;ve lived in Broome County and attended college at Binghamton University. During my sophomore year, I interned with the Brindisi campaign, knocking on over 1,000 doors during the course of the campaign. I later worked as a landscaper during the summer, as well as in the lawn and garden department at Lowes for 2 years, driving forklifts and loading mulch. I finished my senior year working at the vaccine center in Binghamton to help end the pandemic. I&#8217;m currently a warehouse worker at UPS and a proud member of the Teamsters Union, Local 317.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-ab85df3\" data-block-id=\"ab85df3\"><style>.stk-ab85df3{margin-bottom:0px !important}<\/style><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-ab85df3-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-fff70be\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"fff70be\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-fff70be{flex:1 1 calc(79.8% - var(--stk-column-gap,0px) * 2 \/ 3 ) !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-fff70be-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-fff70be-inner-blocks\">\n<p>The plan was to graduate, start working in local politics, and see where exactly I best fit in and where I could do something meaningful. Unfortunately, life had other plans. I began experiencing some minor memory and cognitive issues during my senior year of high school, which became debilitating by the time I graduated college. An MRI revealed that I had lesions on my brain, which is likely what was causing my deteriorating health. A couple of years and nearly a dozen neurologists later, I was finally able to find the cause of my symptoms, a genetic connective tissue disorder caused by a mutation to the COL4A1 gene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After treatment with prednisone and low-dose chemotherapy (methotrexate), my cognitive abilities have returned, making all this possible. While it wasn&#8217;t always clear whether there was going to be any improvement or if I was even going to live, I just kept moving forward, fighting against both my illness and the medical system itself.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-d35b1cd\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"d35b1cd\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-d35b1cd{flex:1 1 calc(17.7% - var(--stk-column-gap,0px) * 2 \/ 3 ) !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-d35b1cd-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-d35b1cd-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-2ca4b8a\" data-block-id=\"2ca4b8a\"><style>.stk-2ca4b8a{margin-bottom:0px !important}<\/style><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-281\" src=\"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Snapchat-18269421981-e1710513836517.jpg\" width=\"785\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Snapchat-18269421981-e1710513836517.jpg 785w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Snapchat-18269421981-e1710513836517-300x275.jpg 300w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Snapchat-18269421981-e1710513836517-768x704.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 785px) 100vw, 785px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-cec285f\" data-block-id=\"cec285f\"><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-280\" src=\"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot_20190913-2004381-e1710512988765.png\" width=\"720\" height=\"949\" srcset=\"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot_20190913-2004381-e1710512988765.png 720w, http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot_20190913-2004381-e1710512988765-228x300.png 228w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-6c45766\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"6c45766\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.stk-6c45766{flex:1 1 calc(2.5% - var(--stk-column-gap,0px) * 2 \/ 3 ) !important}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-6c45766-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-6c45766-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-388b39a\" data-block-id=\"388b39a\"><style>.stk-388b39a .stk-img-wrapper{width:91% !important;height:330px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The experience of the last several years has changed me. It&#8217;s why I took the leap of starting this campaign. It&#8217;s why I spent the last year planning this congressional run. Everything that I went through, nearly dying and being on the brink of homelessness, it put things into perspective for me, and created a deeper sense of empathy. So much of the pain and misery we face in our daily lives stem from institutions that have been designed to control us, rather than empower us. The only way that life gets better is if we have the courage to step up and change things ourselves. That&#8217;s the clarity and focus that I want to provide to politics today. To work toward a more compassionate and caring society, guided by a shared humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why am I running?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If this nation is determined to continue on as a democracy, if we are to unite against the existential threats that challenge us every day, we need our young people to not just participate, but to be at the forefront of leadership. Every major movement of change has required that. The revolution would not have been possible without cooperation between 21-year-old Alexander Hamilton, 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson, and 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin. Over a century ago it was the vigor of youth, men and women as young as teenagers, that formed the first labor unions, led on by spirited elders like Mother Jones. At just 26 years old, Dr. King took the reins of a righteous, multigenerational movement dedicated to tearing down some of the most treacherous systems of oppression and cruelty. By winning this race, we can write ourselves into that story, and inspire an entire generation to lift this country to higher heights than it has ever seen. To show that true power does not lie with the rich or well-connected but with an organized majority acting toward a common goal. That victory cannot happen through passivity or indifference, only a tenacious courage that drives us to do what is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What challenges do we face?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue at the heart of our society is an unavoidable friction between the values this nation was founded on and the systems that currently run our lives. People feel powerless because their needs are not met, and each year leaves us worse off than before. We don&#8217;t have control over our own government, or housing, or healthcare. We are not free from debt, or firearm violence, or wage theft. We have systems that are built upon discrimination not inclusivity, exploitation not empowerment, and industrialization, not humanity. My goal is to help revive the transition from what Dr. King called the &#8220;thing-oriented society&#8221; to the &#8220;people-oriented society&#8221; where policy is derived from moral values and we work to deliberately solve the issues facing all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What values guide me?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The way that I evaluate my priorities is through these 5 American values:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Happiness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Liberty<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Democracy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The current political conversation tends to focus solely on the monetary value of an action, which is a predetermined way of doing only what is best for large businesses. The way that I approach policy is by asking, will this make us healthier? Will it make us happier? Will it create a society that is more free, more equal, and more democratic? I don&#8217;t hear these things being discussed in politics today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is my vision?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I see an American workplace that is made more <em>free<\/em>, more <em>democratic<\/em>, more <em>equal<\/em>, and significantly <em>happier<\/em> when unions are strong and thriving. I see a healthcare system dedicated to <em>equality<\/em> by extending care to everyone, and <em>freeing<\/em> us from the exploitative debt all too familiar to those of us who live with illness. We are<em> healthier<\/em> when our air, water, and food is free of pollution and carcinogens, and we are more <em>democratic<\/em> when we root out corruption stemming from the Supreme Court, to our local governments, and everywhere in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the plan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I concentrate on solutions at the heart of our issues, not band-aid fixes. My long-term solution has 3 parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:var(--ast-global-color-7)\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Institutional Change<\/mark>: Republicans have spent the last few decades defunding agencies such as the EPA, FDA, Dept. of\u00a0 Labor, FTC, and IRS. As a result, industry has polluted with no consequences, wage theft and union busting are rampant, monopolies have become the norm, and billionaires and corporations pay nothing in taxes. By empowering these agencies designed to look out for us, we can reign in criminal abuses of power by the wealthy, providing us the opportunity to make the next two parts possible. Think of this as the air support in the fight for true democracy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:var(--ast-global-color-7)\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Representational Change<\/mark>: If governmental protection agencies are the air support, this branch is the front line, fighting long, arduous battles in the trenches. From school boards to mayor&#8217;s races, all the way to Congress, the type of candidate we put forward matters. Too many local governments are rife with graft and corruption, and too many seats in Congress are filled with only the wealthiest in society. Part of the reason why our needs are not being met is because many of these folks have never had to struggle like we have. But when we start electing people who share our values, we can create a more responsive government that intuitively understands our problems. In this race, that type of background includes electing the first rank-and-file member of the Teamsters Union to Congress, the second Gen-Z member, and someone who is poor, grew up rural, and lives with a lifelong, serious illness. Beyond passing legislation, I want to use my bully pulpit to rally unionization, support down-ballot candidates, and begin changing the way that we discuss politics in this country.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:var(--ast-global-color-7)\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Grassroots Democracy<\/mark>: By far the most important part of my plan, grassroots organizing represents the supply lines, artillery, radar, war room, and everything else all rolled up into one. Grassroots organizations like labor unions, environmental organizations, and political advocacy groups help to produce and support candidates for elections and provide the carrot and stick needed to nudge legislators forward. They are a more powerful means by which to advocate for specific policy needs that would remain unaddressed without them. Labor unions for instance are the most effective forces for wage increases, safety standards, equality, and overall worker representation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The best part about this strategy is that it creates a virtuous circle. Grassroots groups will help put forth better, more in-touch candidates, these candidates will then be able to pass legislation that improves labor laws, which will increase unionization, which then strengthens the grassroots, and the cycle continues. This is what systemic change looks like to me. It&#8217;s not about electing someone and hoping for the best, it&#8217;s about a long-term strategy that constantly reinforces the values we believe in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who is in the way and why?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since our founding, there has been a faction in our country that has never truly been dedicated to the cause of freedom and democracy. This is a faction that in 1776 never believed that &#8220;all men are created equal&#8221;, and acted on that belief in April of 1861. The same faction that turned to nativism, hanging &#8220;Irish need not apply&#8221; signs, and conspiring with the Klan to terrorize and destroy black prosperity. The same faction that busted unions, poisoned our air and water and responded to demands for liberty and dignity with billy clubs and attack dogs. The same ideology that overturned democratic rule in foreign lands in order to enrich corporate executives, and sent the poor to die in wars of imperialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This faction is the faction of authoritarianism. It subscribes to the belief that one powerful group of people exists to be served and is above the law, and entire swathes of the population are not entitled to basic human rights or basic human decency. That faction has taken over today&#8217;s Republican party. The reason why MAGA leaders are working so hard to take away our rights and freedoms by banning books, banning abortion, taking away voting rights, discriminating against trans and gay folks, and busting unions, is because they never believed that any of us were equal to them, or that we should have a say in the way that things are done in this country. January 6th was not an anomaly, it was the logical conclusion to a belief system that simply does not believe in democracy, only that might makes right. Republican party priorities are not about fighting inflation, improving healthcare, or making life better, it is about the accumulation of power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who am I? My name is Casey Groves and I am a 25-year-old from the rural town of Gilboa in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>Who am I? My name is Casey Groves and I am a 25-year-old from the rural town of Gilboa in the Catskill Mountains. Since graduating high school in 2017, I&#8217;ve lived in Broome County and attended college at Binghamton University. During my sophomore year, I interned with the Brindisi campaign, knocking on over 1,000 doors during the course of the campaign. I later worked as a landscaper during the summer, as well as in the lawn and garden department at Lowes for 2 years, driving forklifts and loading mulch. I finished my senior year working at the vaccine center in&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"","author_info":{"name":"cgroves","url":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/author\/cgroves\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348,"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199\/revisions\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/caseygrovesforcongress2.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}