Latest / Breaking The Meta / Her State's Minimum Wage Is Still $5.15/Hour - Suzanna Karatossos
Transcript
- Leila S.: Hello everyone, welcome back to Breaking the Meta podcast. I'm Layla, we're getting the hang of it now. ⁓ Thank you for joining us. Today we have Susanna. And she's running to represent a district in Georgia. Can you tell us about that district and where it's located? Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah, sure. I'm Susanna Caritasis. I'm running for House District 120 in Georgia. It is in the Athens area, so that's kind of northeast Georgia, and it spans over four counties. It's parts of Clark County, Barrow County, Jackson County, and Oconee County, and it's heavily gerrymandered. Leila S.: Of course it is, because why not? Why wouldn't it be? Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah, the Republicans have controlled Georgia for 20 years, so they've gerrymandered us pretty bad. But we're redrawing the districts in 2030. So the goal is obviously to take back control of the state legislator so that we can redraw the maps in 2030. Leila S.: and make them at least a little more fair at the moment. Yeah. So who are you outside of campaigning? Suzanna Karatassos: Right, right. Well, I grew up in Athens ⁓ and me and my husband met in Savannah where I went to art school at SCAD and then I actually got a degree in the apparel industry and I worked in that for 17 years, like all over the country. We moved all around and my husband is a baker. And ⁓ then after COVID, we moved back to Athens and I started doing political content creation because I've always been really, really into politics, especially after Trump came down that escalator in 2015 and yeah, it just sort of launched me into wanting to run for office because once he won again in 2024, I was like, I can't just talk on TikTok anymore. I have to actually do something because we have a three-year-old daughter and I wasn't just prepared to tell her one day like, yeah, we just let this happen. You know, I felt like I had to take it a step further. And then... ⁓ Houston Gaines is a Republican who holds my seat now and he was running for higher office, so it was an open seat. So it just kind of all fell into place and I decided to take the next step and run for office. Leila S.: Yeah, it's a big thing to do. Was there any kind of like final straw where you were like, all right, I'm doing it. Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah, was, mean, when he won in 2024. And I mean, not just him winning, but when the Republicans kind of swept the whole country in 2024 and Georgia went red again. Even though, you know, we had such momentum going into the election, like Kamala's rallies were packed everywhere. It just, really didn't feel, the election didn't really feel like it matched the energy leading up to it. So I don't know. It was just such a shock and It really broke me for a little while, but then after I kind of got myself back together, I was like, well, you know, all we can do is just go forward and try to win the next election. Like, what else can we do, you know? So, yeah. Leila S.: Right. I like to believe that if everybody just did something to make the world a better place, we would achieve that better place rather quickly. ⁓ Suzanna Karatassos: I so. I think everyone has a part to play, you know? Not everyone can run for office and not everyone has time to go out and protest or is able to because they have kids or they have work they can't miss. I mean, there's just, we all have different parts to play and I am a content creator online so I make my own hours and I work from home so I have time in my schedule to do this run for office because it does take up a lot of time. So yeah, I'm just trying to do what I can. Leila S.: I know right now in Iowa, I'm from Iowa, ⁓ they're talking about, well, okay, our state legislature runs part-time and the pay is $25,000 a year. I know there are states with less. ⁓ Yeah. I know there's a conversation in Iowa on raising it or making the legislature more full-time or longer ⁓ to see if that would help increase the quality and candidates we get. Cause poor people can't run for office typically. Suzanna Karatassos: similar to what we are. Leila S.: And those are the people that need to be in office. ⁓ Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah, yeah, right. It makes sense. Yeah, for us, the legislative session is January through March. And so it ends up being a lot of people that run are either lawyers or like real estate agents who have really flexible schedules, you know, or yeah, independently wealthy people. And like for me, it's just, I just have a flexible schedule because I, you know, like I said, I work from home. So that's the reason I'm able to do it. Leila S.: Yep. Right, yeah. For us, it's typically farmers because the yield times of the year sync up with the legislature. Yeah, because well, when we had our state legislature kind of form, everybody was a farmer. Everybody and their mother. Suzanna Karatassos: ⁓ interesting. Mm-hmm. That makes sense. Yeah. Leila S.: So you're out there, you're campaigning. What are the constituents telling you? What are the big deals? What are like the top kind of pain points for everybody right now? Suzanna Karatassos: Well, I bet the same things that they are in Iowa, everyone is just concerned about healthcare. I mean, that is just the number one thing that they can't afford to live anymore and healthcare is like the top thing right now. Everyone, I mean, I'm canvassing every single weekend right now in the rural areas of my district, because you can't walk door to door in the rural areas. You kind of have to drive. So I've just been hitting those on my own on the weekends. And yeah, everyone is saying the same thing. They want better, more affordable healthcare, they want ⁓ more funding for education, and everybody wants better childcare. ⁓ Those are the three main things I am pushing for that I want to pass legislation for is universal childcare in this state, because everything starts with childcare. We cannot get our workforce back, we cannot send women back to work, we cannot ⁓ let people begin their life again to actually make money. to actually get back control of everything unless they are able to make sure their kids are taken care of and afford it. I mean, if you're paying three or $4,000 a month for childcare, you can't afford it. It's impossible. You have to have one parent staying home to do it. So how are you expected to bring in enough income to live the rest of your life if you can't have both parents working? Like the system is just not built anymore for... ⁓ the low wages that we have. And the wealth gap between obviously the ultra wealthy and the rest of us in this state is just completely ridiculous. And the Republicans have been in control of Georgia for 20 straight years and every single piece of legislation they pass benefits the ultra wealthy. And there's no healthcare plan. mean, they have not offered any kind of comprehensive healthcare plan in Georgia. They have not done the Medicaid expansion, which almost every other state in the country has done. ⁓ And I don't know if you know this, but in Georgia, we are below the federal minimum wage level. Federal minimum wage is 7.25 in Georgia. It's still 5.15 an hour, which is just completely ridiculous. obviously the cost of living does not equal what, you know, I mean, it's just completely unbalanced. There is no balance in this system. And healthcare is the main thing, to answer your question. Everyone just wants healthcare. Leila S.: Yeah, 100%, I think. Well, you can't do anything else if you're not healthy. We need people to be healthy, and you shouldn't have to struggle for insulin. I think that's crazy. Suzanna Karatassos: Right. Right. Absolutely. mean, if you've got any kind of special disease or virus or anything, like one of my friends has Lyme's disease. And since she got diagnosed, it costs her family like $100,000 over the past two years. If you're a family that can't afford that, there are no options for you. You you're just supposed to go die, basically, is the option. And I mean, it's completely ridiculous. We're supposed to be the best country in the world. Leila S.: great. Suzanna Karatassos: We don't show that in our citizens in our states, especially in the South. And I'm running because I want to change that. I don't think that we should be treating our citizens like this. think that the whole point of a tax system and a government is to take care of your citizens. I don't understand this idea that it's socialism. That's not true. It's just liberalism. It's just a government taking care of its citizens with social programs and health insurance and I just don't understand MAGA's whole idea of like everyone has to fend for themselves that there should be no government programs. That's completely ridiculous because we do have corporate welfare. We do subsidize, you know, Walmart and all of the corporate, we pay $700 a year per person in corporate subsidies and we spend a trillion dollars a year on the military. So we have plenty of money to spend. We just don't want to spend it on the people and that makes no sense at all. Leila S.: Right. And Walmart, kiss my ass even more. Sorry for my French, Mike. But like they purposely pay their employees less than equitable, less than enough. So they're then placed on state and federal programs that they need to go buy groceries at Walmart, to get their prescriptions through Walmart. It's just this endless cycle of Suzanna Karatassos: No, I mean, I agree. Leila S.: exploiting and exploiting, exploiting, exploiting, just reaping off all of the benefits of everybody else's hard work, it's ridiculous. Suzanna Karatassos: Right. And then for instance, it's $700 a year per person to corporate subsidies, and then it's $30 per person a year for SNAP. And for some reason, there's an issue with that. I mean, it just makes no sense. Like, make it make sense. Yeah. I just think there's so many things that need to change. And I think what makes me the most mad is that the Republican, like, mind-meld on a lot of their base and all... the lies that they tell and the propaganda that they sell these people and the way they make their constituents vote against their own interests. That's what I've been trying to do in my campaign and what I do on my social media is just trying to break through the lies of the Republican Party to try to just make people just vote for them to make their lives better instead of getting sidetracked by immigrants or transgender propaganda or whatever they're trying to, or abortion. tell you those things to make you forget that they're stealing all your health insurance and taking all your money and giving it to the billionaires. Like, that's what I'm trying to break through to people is like, hey, they're just telling you that stuff so that you will, you know, simp for the billionaires, basically. Yeah. Leila S.: 100 % and I can't stand somebody who's like in the boot of a billionaire It's so difficult because it's like how you will never be a billionaire ever Suzanna Karatassos: Right. Yeah, yeah, and they just don't care about you. And there is clearly at this point, I mean, this is what I ask people, I can you name one meaningful piece of legislation that the Republicans have passed in the past year besides the big billion, big, beautiful bill, whatever you want to call it? That's the only thing. And the only ⁓ thing that that bill did was to give giant tax breaks to billionaires by cutting our Medicaid, by cutting our SNAP, by firing 50,000 people from the VA, you know, cutting child cancer research. I mean, all it did was take things away from the lower and middle class and give to the upper class. So to suggest that they're doing anything in the Republican Party these days, except working for billionaires, is a lie, because that's all they've done so far since Trump took office. Leila S.: They only serve the people who donate to them. And not $5 contributions to someone's campaign, but like giant donors, just to be clear for the viewers. Suzanna Karatassos: Yes, yes. Right. Right. Leila S.: Okay, so accountability is a huge concern for a lot of voters. ⁓ What does that look like to you? What does accountability mean to you personally and then in your district? Suzanna Karatassos: So, I mean, for me, like I was just saying, I think ⁓ the Republicans need to take accountability for the fact that they haven't delivered on a single thing that they promised going into this cycle. They promised that they were going to lower bills, that they were going to lower grocery prices, that they were going to somehow deliver on health insurance. They haven't done any of that. So I think they need to be held accountable by everybody for not delivering on any of their promises. And then for us, for Democrats, think that if we were, I mean, I think we're gonna sweep the midterms in the US Congress. I am very hopeful and very optimistic that we're gonna sweep the midterms in Georgia as well. And when we do that, we need to be held accountable to deliver on all the stuff we're talking about. I mean, we need to expand that Medicaid. We need to get some kind of universal childcare going. We need to raise the minimum wage immediately. We need to, you know, obviously, The VA is funded federally, but there's a lot of things we can do in Georgia to ⁓ help veterans. We can help with transportation to and from the VA because there's only so many VA offices. We can set up offices because, so what happened was when they laid off so many people from the VA, all that did was cut the administration, the administrative ⁓ services from the VA. So for instance, like my dad is a veteran, he has to spend six to eight hours on the phone with them sometimes. ⁓ just to like work out all his medical stuff with them. So we can set up offices that basically would serve as a middleman between the vets and the VA so that they're the ones sitting on the phone and working it all out. Like there's different things we can do like that. We can do mental health facilities. We can do PTSD services. There's so many things we can do to help veterans that we are not doing. And we need to deliver on expanding funds for education. Georgia has some of the lowest levels of education out of all the states. We do not pay teachers enough. mean, and me and a ton of other great candidates are running this year and we are all sending out the same message, you know, that Republicans have not delivered, that Trump is a disaster and that we are going to fix it all. And when we get in, we got to do all that stuff. Like we can't just take back the majority and then sit idly by. Like we got to, we got to get in and legislate and do all this stuff. Cause If we get the majority, who knows if we'll hold it in 2028. Like you just never know how long you're going to get. So I just think you got to get in and work. Like for instance, mom Donnie got in in New York and within eight days he'd, you know, already like established a ton of stuff that he said. I think that Republicans have kind of sold this idea that democratic policies are too expensive and you can't do them or that. Leila S.: Yeah. Suzanna Karatassos: It takes forever to get something done and that is just not true. Like if you actually just go in and pass the legislation and fund it, you can get it done. So I think that's just what we need to do. Leila S.: some strategic investment to better the economy for everyone. That's, that's cool. Suzanna Karatassos: Right. Yeah, Georgia's sitting on a $15 billion surplus right now that the Republicans refuse to spend on any social programs or health insurance for the state. So, yeah, I say we go in there and spend some of it and set up a progressive tax system in Georgia so that the billionaires and multimillionaires, ultra wealthy are taxed properly so that we can fund our state properly. Like, I mean, it's just sort of a no brainer if you ask me. Leila S.: Yeah, I agree. So, you get elected. How will you approach people who are also serving in office who strongly disagree with you? Suzanna Karatassos: You mean, I mean, well, if it's Republicans, mean, you know, I honestly, I couldn't really care. mean, they have been in office and they have, they have done everything they can to hurt women, to hurt minorities, to take our rights away. They passed the six week abortion ban. Like at this point, I don't even care. They, I mean, it gets dark. I've been to ⁓ the Georgia state Capitol and listened to them to deliberate. And I mean, some of the stuff they say is just, I mean, it's just flat out racist. It's horrible. it gets, like I say, gets dark listening to them. Like, it's not something you want to hear. So I don't really care what they have to say. it's Democrats, you've to work with like more moderate Democrats. ⁓ You just have to work with them. You just have to explain that ⁓ we've been in this cycle of not getting things done and that when we finally have the majority, if we just sit there and don't get things passed, then we won't continue to have the majority because then we're just the party of do nothing, you know, then we're just as bad as the Republicans. So what is the point of us getting back in control if we cannot deliver on our promises? And I think it's just a matter of pressure, you know, and, and like I said, there's a bunch of great candidates running. So I think if we can get sort of a bunch of progressives in, which the special elections have been going our way with progressives. And I just think it's. really important for the midterms for so many people to turn out votes. I've really liked the turnout in the Texas primaries so far. one with Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, they have had more Democrats voting in the primaries than Republicans, which has never happened before. And so that's giving me a lot of hope that some of these really red states, it's going to go that way in the midterms. So if we can just get enough progressive candidates in there, then we will have the majority inside the Democratic Party, you know what I mean? So yeah, I just think it's a matter of pressure and negotiating and explaining that this is it, that we've got to make differences and it's enough sitting around and doing nothing. Leila S.: right? Yeah. There's, I don't know, I get really annoyed by do nothing Democrats. They're they're shy and they're quiet. They keep their mouth shut and they do nothing. Like, you have the opportunity to do something and you're not taking it. Why are we not doing that? ⁓ And that doesn't help any down ballot candidate in their state, let alone across the country. Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah, yes. Right. It happens in the state legislators and the US Congress. And I think that a lot of those people are getting primaried as they should be. And, you know, I think that in the Georgia state legislator, like I said, they've had the control for 20 years. So I think a lot of ⁓ Democrats in Georgia maybe are comfortable sitting in the minority, ⁓ you know, and we're trying to shake things up. So, I mean, we're going to see what happens. Plus, you know, Brian Kemp, this is his last term as governor. And a lot of people in the Georgia State Senate are running for like Lieutenant Governor and other seats with inside ⁓ the governor's mansion. And then a bunch of people in the House are running for Senate. So mean, there's gonna be a big shakeup in the entire Georgia government. So there's a lot of people are gonna be switching places, moving around. So I'm very interested to see what comes out of the midterms this year. It's gonna be crazy. Leila S.: Yeah, I'm excited. I'm like, can we get to voting already? Like, you know, we have work to do, but like, I'm excited. I don't know. Suzanna Karatassos: I know, I know. Yeah, I am too. Yeah. Leila S.: So yeah. Legislatures and legislators are often kind of criticized for their lack of accountability. ⁓ How can Congress be held accountable by constituents? What kind of role can constituents play? Suzanna Karatassos: You mean in Georgia? Yeah, ⁓ Leila S.: Yeah. Suzanna Karatassos: mean, obviously calling and showing up at the offices to voice their opinions, that's a lot of it. I think that ⁓ for me, when I'm going canvassing door to door, I'm asking people, like, what is your number one concern? And I'll tell you, a lot of people are saying healthcare, but a lot of, like when I'm talking to Republicans or independents, they're saying healthcare and education. And then when I'm talking to Democrats, a lot of them are saying, I just want some normalcy back in this country. I want some sanity back or whatever. But they're kind of more referring to just the craziness of the Republican party. ⁓ So yeah, I think that they just need to make their voices heard. But another really great way that they're doing that is that, ⁓ especially in Georgia, There's coalitions forming, communities are coming together. We are really getting organized, especially here in the Athens area. ⁓ We have had so many volunteers coming out to knock on doors, ⁓ to just volunteer in different ways, to do phone banks, to write postcards. I don't know if you heard about it, but in December we flipped that state ⁓ house seat. His name's Eric Gisler. was District 121. It was a deep red seat and we flipped it blue. and it was a special election and they only had six weeks to prepare because the Republican resigned and then there was special election in six weeks. And they knocked on something like 11,000 doors in six weeks and flipped it blue. And it was super gerrymandered. It's actually right next door to my district, gerrymandered about the same. And they were only able to do that because so many people from the community came out and helped him and supported him. And I think that, honestly, is the best way for constituents to make their voices heard, is to just get involved. and show up and do something. Like I said, everybody has parts to play and that is a great way to show that you want to see change in your state, in your community. Local government is so important. People put so much stock in the presidential election every four years. There's elections every single month in every single state. There is so much more going on than just the presidential election. School boards, county commissioners. Those elections matter so much to what is going on in your city and state. So I'd say just get involved in your community and organize with, you know, even like your county Dems meetings. I've been going to all those and all my different counties and those people, they care so much. Or like the Indivisible groups. ⁓ There's a lot people can do with, you know, it doesn't take up too much of your time, like a meeting once a month or whatever. It makes a big difference. Leila S.: Yeah, I think one of my favorite things to talk about is the fact that like, for revolutionary change to happen, you have to show up to the boring meetings. Like, yes, they're often like packed with the elderly people. And they will tell you to sit down and shut up, but to persevere through that and be at the places where decisions are made is one of the biggest ways to make an impact. Suzanna Karatassos: Yes. Leila S.: Because the change is made on the ground, right? It takes a lot of work to hold people accountable. And I think that's kind of what we're struggling with learning, like kind of just as a mass. isn't free, it isn't ⁓ easy, and it isn't quick. It's repetitive hard work to get people to face the consequences of their actions. ⁓ But across the country, people are doing such a great job of it. Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Leila S.: And it doesn't have to be boring either. It can be made really fun. Like go with a group of friends. It can be a lot of fun, especially if you agree with your friends. Suzanna Karatassos: Well, that's right. And you'll make new friends. Since I started running, I have met so many wonderful people. Because like in my group of friends that I grew up with or people that I met, or people that I know outside of politics, they're not so invested in politics. They're like, ⁓ God, shut up. Quit talking about it. But now that I've met all these new people, ⁓ we can all talk about it and we're all super invested in it. And it matters a lot to all of us. And so it's like that common thread. Leila S.: Thank you. Suzanna Karatassos: And I've just met so many great people that care so much. ⁓ You know, about our state, about our country, about the environment. They're just so involved and it's been wonderful. So if it is something you care about, get involved with our community, like I said, and you're gonna meet some great people, that is for sure. And like he said, there are a bunch of elderly people, I swear, the older women from like 50 to 70, like those women are saving the world, I swear. Leila S.: Thank Suzanna Karatassos: They're the ones that are donating. They are the ones writing the letters. ⁓ You know, the Republicans have their billionaire super PACs that donate and they're always going to out raise us every time they're going to out raise us. ⁓ So we just have to do what we can with making calls to our little donors or whatever. But those older women, man, they keep the wheels turning in the Democratic party for sure. Yeah. Leila S.: 100 % Absolutely. And you can't do it alone is one of the biggest things. Calling them just by yourself, calling your representative, it puts a little fire under them, but it's not as impactful as joining with a coalition of people to have small goals to get things done. And that's one of my favorite things, I think, is the organizing and the friendships you make along with it. Yeah. Suzanna Karatassos: Yeah. Yes. Leila S.: Okay, so all of the Georgians watching and anybody else who's watching, ⁓ what is the key takeaway you want the viewers to have at the end of this? Suzanna Karatassos: The takeaway is that I am running because I am so sick of what has been happening. ⁓ Republican rule has ruined the state. ⁓ They have had 20 years to make things better and they have not done it. They have made basically no effort. ⁓ They passed tax laws and they passed power bill laws that only benefit the wealthy. And it is completely insane. There are three million people on Medicaid in Georgia and there's two million people on SNAP benefits. And not a single Georgia Republican spoke up when they passed the big billionaire bill that cut, you know, 400 million or no, no, no, sorry, 800 million from Medicaid. And how much was it? It was 30 billion in SNAP cuts. They didn't speak up at all when Trump did that, which means they endorse it. They haven't spoken out against Trump at all about anything he's done. They haven't spoken out against the Epstein files. Like they are just letting him run roughshod over our state and letting the lower and middle class just suffer through it. And that just means that they're okay with everything he's doing. And I am not okay with it. And that's also one of the reasons I'm running. I'm running, like I said, with a bunch of other great candidates because we are sick of it. We have had enough and we want to help the people of our state. We want people to have insurance and not just survive, but like be able to enjoy life, you know? I just feel like we've been suffering under dealing with Trump for 10 straight years. I know we are all so sick of it. I'm so sick of him saying his name and talking about him. Like I just want it to be over. And ⁓ I just don't think that, you know, like Working three jobs and still not being able to pay the bills is is a good life. You know what I mean? I think that there's more to life than that that we could be able to enjoy things and I think that's what a lot of Democrats want. Expanding social programs, making it easier to have kids. You know, the birth rate is declining in this country. Why do you think that is? Because it's too expensive to have kids. That's why. So like we need to make it easier on families to thrive and to have children. So That's why I'm running. I want Georgians to have better lives and the Republicans don't seem to want that. Leila S.: So where can we find you? Where can we learn more about you? And how can we support your campaign? Suzanna Karatassos: ⁓ Absolutely. ⁓ My website is suzannaforstatehouse.com. You can go there and there is right at the top bar, there's a volunteer button, a donate button, ⁓ either of those. ⁓ Even if you don't live in Georgia, you can volunteer, you can sign up for the volunteer and like later on ⁓ in the year when we need it, you can help write postcards, you can phone bank, you can text bank. If you do live in Georgia, obviously ⁓ you can help knock doors. If you happen to live in my district and you're watching this, obviously we want you to vote. ⁓ And then down at the bottom of my page is all the links to all my socials. I'm political content creator, so my socials, I've got pretty big following on all of them and I make videos daily ⁓ talking about the issues in Georgia and just the issues around the country. So yeah, follow me and stay involved and I'm gonna... I mean, I'm going to have a hard race for sure. There's two Republicans running and they have to primary in May. So we'll see who comes out of it, but they're definitely going to outspend me. They're part of the good old boy network. So they're going to have, you know, tons more donors than me, but I'm doing really well right now in my campaign. So I just need all the support I can get from people who care, people who want to help people and want to bring back normalcy to our lives and to the South. Leila S.: 100 % elect people who care. Thank you, Susanna for joining us and thank you everyone who's made it through this entire interview. ⁓ If you liked what you heard, please like and subscribe. It allows us here at Breaking the Meta podcast to keep doing what we're doing. ⁓ And for those that don't know or are new, Breaking the Meta is about having hard conversations where it's necessary. Suzanna Karatassos: Yes, yes. Yes. Yeah. Leila S.: breaking the status quo and fighting for the idea that no matter who you are, your race, your religion, your gender, your identity, you have rights, respect, dignity and safety. ⁓ Thank you again, Susanna for joining us and we'll see everyone next time. Of course. Suzanna Karatassos: Thanks, Leela!