Hi, I’m Autumn Pangia.
I spent most of my adult life raising my son, completing my college degree, and working for fortune 500 companies. Like many of you, I didn’t have the time to keep up with local politics.
Also, like many of you, the last couple of years prompted serious concerns about the future of our country. My husband, John, and I decided to make a major lifestyle change so I could join the great resignation, allowing me to focus my time nurturing our family and making a tangible difference in preserving a free and happy society for our future grandchildren. By January our plan was in motion, and I got active with our local Libertarian party where I sought opportunities to fill my upcoming free time. They liked the spirit I brought to our efforts and nominated me to run for PA House of Representatives in district 176; though I didn’t seek this nomination I’m energized and inspired by the opportunity. Our local representatives weren’t really visible in our greatest time of need. Even now, with an uncertain future and skyrocketing prices, do we feel grounded as a community with local leaders who we know are willing to stick their necks out for us? I have a record of taking personal risks in pursuit of justice and fair treatment of others, more about that in the paragraph below. You can count on me to step out of line for our community, and I know the Libertarian Party has my back because we have no obligations to corporations or political organizations exerting their interests over yours. It’s time we recognize that even the nicest of our neighbors are just foot-soldiers to a machine enslaved to corporate interests when elected under one of the two major parties. The Democrat and Republican parties have had our country in a stranglehold for too long, help me break up their duopoly starting here at home.
Standing Up for What I Believe . . .
In September 2021 I became distressed, along with many of my colleagues, when our employer began requesting everyone register their vaccination status so we could return to the office after working from home for well over 1.5 years (all the while reporting record profits). I attempted reasonable discussion in our town halls, I expressed concern over the threat posed to our personal liberties and was dismissed as an anti-vaxer in front of everyone. I decided to send an open letter to nearly 400 of my colleagues in which I stood up for their diverse views, even those I disagreed with. The day I sent that letter I expected to be immediately fired, that was the same day I reached out to the Libertarian party to ask how I could get more involved. I wasn’t fired, though. I became an underground source of support to a diverse group of colleagues with widely ranging reasons for sharing in my concerns; most fearing retribution if they spoke out honestly. Some months later the company’s request was ramped up to a ‘condition of employment policy’, but my division (having mysteriously experienced a low rate of compliance with the request) was excluded from the policy. I left that company because they committed a heinous act by interfering with individuals’ right to personal choice in medical matters with threats to their financial security, the fact that my division was spared doesn’t change who they are and what they did. I was disappointed that much of the world and most of our leaders stood by silently - even smugly passing judgment - while so many were tormented.