{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Michael P Aksten for New Hampshire House (D)","home_page_url":"https://michaelaksten.us","description":"Michael P Aksten for New Hampshire House (D)","author":{"name":"Michael P Aksten for New Hampshire House (D)"},"items":[{"id":"the-broken-promise-of-the-minimum-wage","html_content":"

There was a time in this country when we understood something simple, something fundamental: if you worked a full time job, you should be able to live.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/the-broken-promise-of-the-minimum-wage","title":"The Broken Promise of the Minimum Wage","date_modified":"2026-04-15T14:00:00Z"},{"id":"home-affordability-and-the-rising-cost-of-living","html_content":"

Let’s be honest. The cost of housing is out of control.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/home-affordability-and-the-rising-cost-of-living","title":"Home Affordability and the Rising Cost of Living","date_modified":"2026-04-14T14:00:00Z"},{"id":"the-importance-of-mental-health","html_content":"

Mental health is not optional. It is not secondary. It is not something we can afford to ignore. Mental health, or behavioral health, is just as critical as physical health, and it is time we start treating it that way.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/the-importance-of-mental-health","title":"The Importance of Mental Health","date_modified":"2026-04-12T13:00:00Z"},{"id":"why-is-it-any-of-my-business","html_content":"

I was standing in line at the grocery store, nothing unusual about it. Just another day, another cart, another slow moving line that always seems to pick the worst possible time to stall.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/why-is-it-any-of-my-business","title":"Why is it any of my business?","date_modified":"2026-04-10T14:00:00Z"},{"id":"cutting-hiv-prevention-is-not-savings-it-is-deferred-crisis","html_content":"

There is a consistent mistake that gets made in public health policy. When a system is working, when outcomes improve, when infection rates decline and fewer people are in visible crisis, the success becomes mistaken for...

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/cutting-hiv-prevention-is-not-savings-it-is-deferred-crisis","title":"Cutting HIV Prevention Is Not Savings. It Is Deferred Crisis.","date_modified":"2026-04-08T12:00:00Z"},{"id":"expanded-medicaid-isn%E2%80%99t-charity-it%E2%80%99s-smart-policy","html_content":"

There is a moment that happens every day in hospitals across this country, including in New Hampshire, and most people never see it.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/expanded-medicaid-isn%E2%80%99t-charity-it%E2%80%99s-smart-policy","title":"We Are Already Paying For Healthcare. The Only Question Is When.","date_modified":"2026-04-07T13:00:00Z"},{"id":"a-healthy-society-is-a-productive-society","html_content":"

There is a simple truth that often gets lost in policy debates and budget discussions.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/a-healthy-society-is-a-productive-society","title":"A Healthy Society Is a Productive Society","date_modified":"2026-04-04T18:00:00Z"},{"id":"what-i-will-fight-for","html_content":"

I am not running for office to hold a title.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/what-i-will-fight-for","title":"What I Will Fight For","date_modified":"2026-04-03T21:30:00Z"},{"id":"why-social-programs-matter-more-than-people-think","html_content":"

There’s a common narrative that programs like SSI, Medicaid, and SNAP are optional, something to be trimmed back, reworked, or reduced when budgets get tight. I don’t see them that way. These programs are not extras. The...

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/why-social-programs-matter-more-than-people-think","title":"Why Social Programs Matter More Than People Think","date_modified":"2026-04-03T18:00:00Z"},{"id":"equality-is-not-optional","html_content":"

Equality is not an abstract idea. It is something people experience, or don’t, every single day.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/equality-is-not-optional","title":"Equality Is Not Optional","date_modified":"2026-03-30T14:30:00Z"},{"id":"what-i%E2%80%99m-hearing-right-now","html_content":"

Over the past few weeks, I have been having more conversations across the community, and a few things continue to come up again and again.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/what-i%E2%80%99m-hearing-right-now","title":"What I’m Hearing Right Now","date_modified":"2026-03-28T13:00:00Z"},{"id":"where-i-come-from-and-why-i%E2%80%99m-running","html_content":"

I was born right here in Nashua, New Hampshire, at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and I have lived here my entire life.

","url":"https://michaelaksten.us/2026-campaign/f/where-i-come-from-and-why-i%E2%80%99m-running","title":"Where I Come From, and Why I’m Running","date_modified":"2026-03-28T01:26:44Z"}]}