“And so every American who had a home became the enemy of every American who didn't – including one another's children. Every home built threatened your own property values.” ~Cory Doctorow pluralistic.net/2024/10/01/h...

The heart of the American Constitutional system is an active, assertive Congress. Unfortunately, Congress is now a fearful, incapable, pathetic. I think we'll need electoral reform to change it's character, but @ddayen.bsky.social offers important ideas to chew on. prospect.org/politics/202...

going to start a social media site called “ruth.social”. posts will be referred to as “random acts of kindness”.

In April, both sides wanted to save face but avoid a larger conflict. Do both sides want to avoid a larger conflict now?

i suspect the Saudi leadership is really enjoying its popcorn.

while missiles are flying and ground troops invading, no one will GAF what happens to stateless people in Gaza and the West Bank.

“The project of trusting markets and technology and positive thinking keeps being tried, and keeps failing, and then keeps being re-proposed, as thought it were somehow new and deserves a fresh shot.” @davekarpf.bsky.social davekarpf.substack.com/p/the-climat...

“if China’s central government has fiscal space—and it uses that space in way that gives households the confidence to spend more—China might be able to recover from its property downturn on its own, without relying even more on exports.” ~Brad Setser www.cfr.org/blog/beijing...

leaves most of the country well above sea level.

MEMORANDUM To: Trump/Vance Campaign HQ, Walz Oppo Re: Closeted Furry? x.com/stridinstrid...

does Israel attack Iran directly (perhaps strikes on facilities related to their nuclear program) before November 5?

are campaign rallies an effective form of campaigning?

i feel like Israel’s strategy at this point is to try to mow a really, really big lawn.

if Gavin Newsom is ever in a Democratic primary contest, just haul out a list of all the bills he’s vetoed as governor.

when you’re young, you want to thrill yourself. when you’re old, you want to calm yourself.

a contemporary variant of “drown the truth in a sea of lies” is “cry wolf so loud and often that when the wolf arrives no one will listen”

[new draft post] Industrial policy without national champions drafts.interfluidity.com/2024/09/27/i...

but rents are down, and people have been putting apartments on the rental market they hadn't put on the market previously. it must be the repeal of rent controls incentivizing new supply!

“compelling account of democracy today…will describe…at least two important requirements…the polity’s collective capacity…to achieve common goals…[and] a measure of material equality that enables citizens to make credible claims abt what those goals ought to be” democracyjournal.org/arguments/in...

it’s not the quantity of news that overwhelms me, but the direction.