From Despair To Determination: Sustaining the Resistance

An Essay by Patti Vasquez

Hi Folks,

As promised, this is our first try at "Mocha Mondays," a day that I hand the Minocqua Brewing Company's social media platforms over to a journalist/activist to help us all figure out how to navigate these scary post election-times. 

I asked my friend Patti Vasquez to write this first column because she's not only a brilliant progressive talk show host at WCPT 820 AM in Chicago, but she also walked the walk by knocking on doors in Kenosha for months to try to keep Wisconsin blue.

We're paying Patti for this column by giving her a portion our WOKE coffee sales over the next three days. If you like Patti's column and want to see more columns like it, consider signing up for a weekly or monthly subscription to get WOKE coffee delivered to your door, or giving this subscription to a loved one for a holiday gift.

Thanks for reading,

Kirk Bangstad, Owner Minocqua Brewing Company
Founder, Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC

I know I'm in good and tired company when I tell you I haven’t been sleeping well since the election. It's like a feverish sleep of dread which provides very little rest or comfort, like my body is trying to fight a virus that isn't coming from within. So, Mocha Monday is perfect for me because I need the caffeine and I'm committed to staying WOKE! Although, as the cream swirled through my brew this morning, I wondered if being awake is a blessing or a curse. How awake and aware do I really want to be? But, staying asleep isn't an option. Not for me. Not for you.

When Kirk Bangstad asked me to write this column, I didn't hesitate to say yes. I've spent my career watching power corrupt and money silence truth - first as a comedian speaking truth to power, then as an advocate fighting for disability rights in a system designed to exhaust families into silence, and finally as a radio host and candidate learning just how far the political establishment will go to protect their interests. But my story is just one thread in a larger pattern that started long before I began my career. Since Reagan sold us the fantasy of trickle-down economics, we've watched the systematic dismantling of worker protections, union power, and financial regulations. The result? A democracy where billionaires buy policy and the rest of us pay the price.

While we lie awake at night worrying about medical bills, student loan debt, and whether we can afford to retire, let's talk about the math that helps billionaires sleep soundly. According to the Congressional Budget Office, in 2022, the top 10% hoarded 60% of America's wealth, while the bottom half of us - that's 165 million people - were left fighting over 6%. Not a typo. Six. Percent.

Remember when a single income could support a family, buy a home, and send kids to college without drowning in debt? That wasn't magic - it was policy. And for the last forty years, policy has been crafted by and for the wealthy to make sure those days never return. Since 1989, while we've been working longer hours for stagnant wages, the top 1% has grown their share of the pie from 23% to 27%. They call it 'market forces.' I call it rigged.

They'll tell you this inequality is just the natural result of automation and globalization - like wealth concentration is some kind of weather pattern they couldn't control. This was engineered through decades of deliberate policies to crush labor power and funnel money upward. To join the top 1% club today, you need a net worth of at least $33.4 million. So much for trickle down - the tide only rises to their yachts.

This isn't just about numbers. It's about power. When billionaires can buy social media platforms, fund political movements, and shape national policy through dark money networks, we're no longer living in a democracy – we're living in an oligarchy wearing democracy's clothes.

I saw this playbook unfold in Illinois, where we got a preview of what happens when the ultra-wealthy decide to run a state like one of their hostile takeovers. Before President Trump, we had Governor Rauner – another billionaire who showed us exactly how the 1% views public suffering as just another line item on their spreadsheet. He held the state budget hostage for 793 days, demanding we gut worker protections, diminish collective bargaining rights, and make Illinois a 'right-to-work' state. When Democrats wouldn't surrender labor rights, Rauner let the most vulnerable suffer. Parents of disabled children like me watched in horror as devastating cuts forced human service organizations to shut down. Lutheran Social Services alone had to close 30 programs and eliminate 750 jobs. Homebound seniors lost meal deliveries. Domestic violence survivors couldn't access safe spaces. Thousands of Illinoisans descended upon our state capitol to protest, while I broadcast from Springfield weekly, documenting the human cost of a billionaire's war on workers.

What happened next in Illinois proves that when people refuse to surrender to billionaire bullies, transformation is possible. The state they drove to the brink of destruction - with just $48,000 in its 'rainy day' fund, enough to run government for 30 seconds - now has a record-high $1.94 billion saved. Our credit rating has increased eight times, we've expanded healthcare, protected abortion rights, banned assault weapons, abolished cash bail, poured millions into schools and child care, and made college more affordable.

The transformation runs deep: in DuPage County, once the bedrock of Illinois Republicanism where anti-choice crusader Henry Hyde once reigned, Democratic women led the charge for change. Voters elected their first Democratic county board chair in seventy-five years. As Board Chair Deb Conroy explained, 'When the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights, it really got everyone's attention.' What was left of the old Republican guard? Just 'the far-right and the Donald Trump ride-or-die folks.'

Illinois shows us what's possible when we fight back collectively. But collective action starts with individual choices - about where we get our information, how we spend our energy, and yes, even how we protect our joy. Here's what I've learned about sustainable resistance:

First, build your information armor. Knowledge really is power, but only if it's reliable and rooted in reality. I've watched from inside corporate media as they normalized extremism in the name of 'balance.' Create your own news ecosystem that prioritizes facts over false equivalencies, human impact over horse-race coverage. Look for journalists and outlets that consistently follow the money and power. When I was covering Illinois' budget crisis, it wasn't the mainstream outlets breaking stories about who was really getting hurt – it was independent journalists and community voices refusing to be silenced.

Second, find your fighting family. The system wants us isolated and overwhelmed. But collective action works. Pick an issue you care about and find the people already doing the work. 

Third, protect your mental health while staying engaged. Trust me on this one - I've learned it the hard way. When I was broadcasting from Springfield during the budget crisis, watching politicians play games with people's lives while families suffered, I thought being constantly plugged in meant I was being constantly effective. It didn't. It just meant I was constantly exhausted.

Fourth, take action no matter how small it may seem. Choose three concrete steps each week - whether that's calling your representatives, attending a local meeting, or volunteering. These small but consistent acts are investments in your community that can make a real difference.

Finally, create rhythms of resistance, not spirals of despair. Set specific times for news intake and action, then give yourself permission to step away. Most importantly, guard your joy like it's your most precious resource - because it is. 

Remember: Power doesn't yield without pressure, but pressure isn't sustainable without community. Every major change I've witnessed happened because people refused to suffer in silence and found strength in each other.

Change can happen in daily choices. In choosing what media we consume, what communities we build, what joy we protect, and yes – even what coffee or beer we drink. Every small act of resistance adds up, especially when we do it together.

That's why I'm excited to join Kirk and the Minocqua Brewing Company family in building this community of conscious resistance. You can also join our ongoing conversations weekdays on WCPT 820 AM - whether you tune in live, stream at www.Heartlandsignal.com, or the TuneIn app or catch 'Driving it Home with Patti Vasquez' wherever you get your podcasts.

Stay mindful, stay connected, and remember – they're betting on our despair, but I'm betting on our strength.