A semi-anonymous account for someone who wants to be active in Milwaukee community he calls home | he/him
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My new theory for why many people dislike Bluesky is because they think the “annoying people” are right, but don’t want to acknowledge it. It’s mostly cowardice about not living up to one’s own principles and beliefs; much easier to feel morally superior beating up Nazis on X
I would just block those people and move. A clear minority who don’t need to be listened to
I hope that a few people who may have only be loosely aware of the bus system, notice this stop and thus think about their potential to take it
One thing I like about bus boarding islands like this is it makes the bus stop (and thus the bus system) way more visible to non-riders, even compared to a bus shelter on a curb
There’s also a lot of people who want to imagine that there’s a third option, where things can stay the same while being better, and so let perfect be the enemy of the good
There’s definitely been more success recently. Harris and Obama both advocated for building more housing and various YIMBY proposals in California and NY have received more support. There are also a lot of people benefiting off the status quo, which abundance generally challenges
There's also a lot of left-leaning folks who won't think the ends justify the means. Building more housing and transit and clean energy might be worth endeavors, but they should go through the process to show that they're not unintentionally causing more harm as result, even if it delays the project
There's also disagreement on how to go about making it easier to do good stuff: see China's poor record on both worker safety and product quality, despite it being cheap and quick.
The problem is, as recently as like 2013, pretty much anyone advocating for "getting the government out of the way" was doing so to help big businesses make more money at the expense of regular people. So it's hard to say that it's actually good now (without people being suspicious)
An oversimplification for sure, but it feels like often the problem with American politics is a strong debate among those who want to improve the lives of all people against those who only want to improve things for themselves; it can sometimes be hard to tell who is in which camp
I feel like there is significant appetite for this kind of balance between nature and technology. Wakanda is probably the best modern day example of a futuristic utopia that worked in conjunction with nature, rather than dominating it (which is probably where the gendered part comes in)
I wish I could reply, but imo, both high modernists and environmentalists wanted similar outcomes for the human condition, but had opposing views on how to get there. "Abundance" to me feels like trying to find that equilibrium as somewhere in-between the two groups
Compared to DeSantis in 2022, the senate district moved 30 points left and the house district moved 23 points left
For more context, these districts out ran Biden by 12 and 7 points respectively. They are districts in northwest Orlando (the house district is within the senate district) and 31/25/37 (White/Hispanic/Black) and 28/19/48, so pretty diverse as well.
Went over to the bad place to see how they were talking about Trump’s delayed presser (and potential health issues) and there’s literally nothing. Even in my for you tab there’s just no discussion at all about it. Very strange (and more reason not to be there)
The Maryland Purple Line exclusive lanes into the UMD campus. I wonder how my drivers will end up on the tracks here. Would have been nice to use a grassy median (or the water feature that the Houston Metro has) to better prevent driver incursions (compared 4 do not enter signs)
Kinda funny that by not including a screenshot and just a hyperlink, the original tweet (at least for this article) is mostly lost to history
these people need to log off. seriously. bluesky this, bluesky that, how about you look at some actual blue skies and get off the internet for ten minutes
A thing I think is surprising, to me at least, is look, if you're a professional pollster, frankly who cares which platform you are on. But if your business is links, frankly why are you not trying to move more people over here? You can always just block the crazies.
Having children is extremely hard and requires a great deal of compromise in terms of other stuff you want to do. It is no mystery at all why every society in the world stops doing it so much when women have the a) means and b) freedom to do so
There also seems to be an idea that it works. And maybe that’s the disconnect. I knew I was a nobody and I engaged in Twitter battles as a form of personal enjoyment, not because I was trying to be persuasive. For people who are somebodies, it may feel like being effective, even when it’s not
But that also reveals a more sinister belief, that it’s mostly a game and not real life. I, too, greatly enjoyed rhetorically beating up stupid right wingers when it was clear that they had no real power and were losers electorally.
Beyond the electoral stuff, which is just the same old “winning and having principles are mutually exclusive” bullshit, I can totally see how some people enjoy X the same way people enjoy various “smash the enemy” games: you feel good about obliterating easy opponents, of which there are plenty on X
This is why multi-party democracy is the only one that really works. Voters need to have a viable outlet to voicing their frustration at the party in power without it being forced choice. If the GOP actually had to compete as an opposition party, they wouldn’t be as supportive of fascism
The GOP needs to be a "normal" party that competes with the Dems on governance again. If there's no way for that to happen and this weird cycle is baked in, then the GOP has to be politically marginalized to the point where the "FAFO cycle" occurs purely within the Dems
I've said this before, but only one party caring about governance makes it, in turn, a magnet for public anger about governance
There’s unfortunately a natural bias against cities because news is easier to consume as raw numbers rather than proportionate rates. Of course the 3rd most populated city in America will have a seemingly large number of shootings compared to bumfuck nowhere, even if it’s proportionally much safer
I guess we’ll see, but I would hope that Spanberger ends up winning by 15 points or so. Recent statewide elections in VA: Pres 2024: D+6 2020: D+10 2016: D+5 Sen 2024: D+9 2020: D+12 2018: D+16 Gov 2021: R+2 2017: D+9
That’s usually how Fox 6 writes their stories, lol.
Were they checking the Connect 1 specifically? I’m not sure how a casual rider would be able to tell who did or did not pay, considering it’s down at the station, not as people board
July 4, 2026, the 250th birthday of the US Just like Adams and Jefferson, who both died on the 50th birthday of the US
I am wrong about violent crime. Last year we had the lowest violent crime rate since 1969, so that is only 55 years, not 65. This year violent crime appears to be down further, but it likely won’t be down enough to make this the lowest year in 65 years. Let’s call it the lowest year in 55+ years
This is the biggest evidence for the Palantir effect of X on elites. Silver is basically saying “normal people actually agree with the fascist and Nazi propaganda, Bluesky is the bad place for being so resistant”, which almost perfectly describes how Saruman is tricked by Sauron into attacking Rohan
At least when Saruman got his brain cooked by Sauron in the Palantir, he still mostly recognized Sauron as evil, just inevitable. Sometimes it seems like these cooked brains on X now don’t see the fascist and Nazi propaganda for what it is, even if they think it’s more widespread than it really is
California and Florida are on opposite ends of the school-closure spectrum and the differences in test scores are a wash. Some individual schools and districts definitely stayed closed too long but it just isn’t the case that this is some huge, obvious, foreseeable blunder.
The right is pushing this narrative because it’s the only place they can blame liberals — their actual goal — and gain purchase among elites. The *actual* mistakes during the pandemic all originate on the right: lax lockdowns, weak mitigations and low vaccine uptake
its funny how Corbyn is who centrists said Bernie was, and Starmer is who leftists said Biden was
Unironically this is an example of American supremacy, where these university experiences are super common, churning out highly educated citizens on the cheap
If this isn’t the biggest metaphor for what’s happening in this country, I don’t know what is
Even beyond Vance, we have enough evidence to show that it really is just Trump the person. People who have tried to imitate Trump (even really good approximations like Lauren Boebert) just fail miserably
“publicly funded police forces enforcing rules made by an elected legislature are a progressive reform” sounds insane but is just basically true
Yeah, physical brawls in a legislature are a sign of bad democracy, not good democracy. The whole point is to have a forum to decide things orderly and peacefully, not by force
Blue states in particular should be immune to these antics, as they have no reason to comply (and every reason to resist)
It’s a distinction that many people, especially the press, can’t seem to make: Trump has no control over state laws. Sure red states might want to align with Trump’s wishes (and then go through the right processes in their state to align) but that is a choice, not a forced action by Trump
IMO, it’s hard to imagine another plan being all that more successful and also able to really be a spine for the state to extend from. I would say that building a conventional rail connection b/w LA and Bakersfield would significantly lessen the issues w/ just focusing on a Central Valley segment
2) a project that focuses on just one metro area (SF-Sac or LA-SD) will have political issues, as neither metro area would want the other to be prioritized first. 2/
That’s why they called it an Initial Operating Segment. But in all seriousness, California has really been in a pickle from the beginning: 1) your two main metro areas are cut off from the rest of the world by large mountains, which would be expensive and time consuming to build through 1/
Finally listening to the Catholic Church
This was his reply went I shared the post with him, lol
That’s basically my dad. Went to college in the late ‘80s with the dream of working for the State department to support Soviet diplomacy. Left in the early ‘90s slightly disappointed that the Soviet Union no longer existed.
Minneapolis is putting that to the test a bit, as the build out an extensive BRT network to complement their light rail lines
Compared to streetcar-like light rail (for example Portland’s MAX in downtown) bus only lanes are often more effective for the cost. But most light rail has very strong ROW protections (like LA, Seattle, Minneapolis) which makes them far better than equivalent bus improvements
Madison BRT has been pretty good so far.
Or suspicious lol
My lucky day. My condo has buy nothing table where residents can donate items for others and I found this recent edition of the Wisconsin Blue Book, which is exciting
The soonest conservatives can win back a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is 2028. If liberals flip the seat held by the now-retiring Bradley, that date would get pushed out to 2030. The officially nonpartisan election is in April, with a top-two primary in Feb if needed.
These benefits will be realized in fewer cancelled trains, more options to travel, and hopefully reduced prices (on regional trains as well) when there are more seats making the trip on the corridor than before. Instead of a game of musical chairs, Amtrak is adding more chairs to the game
The reason the new Acelas are exciting is not for speed, but for reliability, capacity, and frequency. We’ll see a gradual improvement a passenger’s ability to travel on the NEC as the new trains are phased in and the old ones are phase out.
I know we’re a long way out from 2026, but there’s a not insignificant chance that Dems pick up 10 senate seats, due to the number states that are in the reach/previously competitive position. States like Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Montana, Alaska. Dems could win those states in a good year
Social Security isn’t regressive, but the taxing structure generally is (and should probably be reformed)
Old fashioned love story 🥃 #wisconsin #bartender #lovestory
This also solidifies to me how 2016 really was one of the most important elections in US history, where we’d be in a radically different (and almost certainly better) situation if Clinton had won (which imo, is the most “random” election in a while)
Really fascinating and so many interesting data points, but I think my favorite is that Dems have never been as favorable toward their nominee as Harris last year. It was really a stark difference compared to 2016, when both candidates were disliked even among their own party.
This would also work with Downer routing, as NB 30 would use 21’s stop at Prospect and SB 30s would use same far side stop just south of North (previous image had near side stop, but far side stop is more flexible)
Here would be the route of the 30
Yes. There would be no buses running on Farwell north of North
When converting to km, 160 miles is roughly 260 km, so maybe that’s what they’re referring to?
Idk what you’re referring to, but Brussels is 160 miles from Paris. Amsterdam is just over 260
I've add the cycle track and proposed bus stops here, allowing for proper Kenilworth and Prospect/North stops for the 30, and eliminating Farwell stop for the 21
I kinda wish they stuck with the gold background, rather than move to blue. I worry about visibility at darker stops
Also, this would put a 2-way cycle track on Prospect all the way to Bradford and none on Farwell
Reconstruction project would then redo Prospect and Farwell up to Maryland. Maryland pavement would remain as is (except for intersections). Bradford would be reconstruction east of Farwell, remain as is west to Maryland. Should hopefully be the same costs as typical reconstruction.
SB Maryland/Prospect becomes contraflow bus lane (continuing on to Prospect SB). NB bus lane on Farwell moves to general travel lane along North/Prospect/Maryland
Here's my rough routing idea that's realistic: 1) move SR-32 SB to Maryland to allow removal of Farwell slip lane 2) Convert Farwell to 2-way from Maryland to North (and T intersection) 3) Convert Prospect to 2-way from Maryland to Bradford (and T intersection at Maryland, remove Bradford slip lane)
Ahh right. Shows how crazy the routing is that Bradford -> Lake is state highway while Lake -> Downer isn't
Right, but SW of Maryland the street is still necessary. I guess another possibility is to reroute SR-32 to Maryland first to allow that short section of Farwell to be removed completely (and then not include those new sections in the project)
Yeah, it's definitely a bit strange, although maybe it made more sense back when SR-32 was first defined back in like the '60s and '70s. It's probably too late for it, but changing the route to be North/Lake/Downer and not reconstruction Prospect/Farwell/Bradford north of North could be feasible
However, I wonder about consolidating SR-32 onto Prospect north of North as a two-way street so that the Maryland-Bradford section of Farwell can be removed or cut off completely. Would probably mean forgoing reconstruction of Farwell between North and Maryland though
I would guess WisDOT wouldn't be happy to change the connecting highway route but still pick up the tab on the new local road (and then now also have North/Lake to take care of, which is in almost worse condition)...
Here's a quick chart comparing the top of the ticket vote share to seats won on various Assembly maps, showing how it's the maps that decide the outcome, not the election. Evers in 2022 came relatively close to breaking the original gerrymander, winning 45 districts, but still far from a majority.
Using DRA to see how the top of the ticket did on the maps used at the time we have Evers winning by 3.4 in 2022, but only 39 seats. Move to 2024 and Harris loses by 0.86, but wins 49 seats. A 4 pt shift to the right gains Dems 10 seats.
Going to be hilarious when the 2026 blue wave only nets Dems like 7-8 seats, while generally losing support from 2022 to 2024 netted them 10 seats
I definitely think the like $3B that was invested in saving 30 min or so on the route by upgrading track to support 110 mph speeds would have been better used to support more than 5 trains a day on the corridor.
Idk if there’s much “savings” (financial or bureaucratic) from running more CHI-Bloomington trains vs just more CHI-STL trains, since it would still require working with UP to allow new scheduled trains and there may be inefficiencies in turning around at Bloomington
Midwesterners want more passenger trains! one highlight: "Capacity shortages are prevalent on key routes. We expect slower growth from 2028 to 2030 due to peak-period shortages of seats and the likely absence of significant service additions."
The sinister part of this is Milwaukee and Wisconsin have in fact reached out for help regarding the massive floods we’ve recently faced, with no response from the president.
They’re trying to thread the needle between their hardcore fans who want to have fine tune controls over everything and the casual player who is only interested in the main mechanics
I agree that they’re taking a bit of a risk on this game, but as someone who likes the idea of a world simulator, I’m excited to see if they do well. It also sounds like they’ve really invested in automation of mechanics, as a way to make the game less overwhelming
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Dem on the Senate health committee, on this evening's chaos at CDC: “We cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of the CDC and our other critical health agencies to the ground—he must be fired."
"should you feel bad for rural white trump voters facing the consequences of their vote" is always a funny little micro discourse because it's lose-lose to even acknowledge, never reciprocated, and something we're at this moment totally powerless to effect. angels dancing on the head of a pin
Ever notice leftists have to take accountability for opinions/views they don't even personally have, but all conservatives are endlessly "manipulated by fox news and right wing media"? They, the ideology in charge, have no responsibility. The oppositional resistance has to answer for everything.
Dem electeds want influencers in media to say stuff like "I sure do approve of the job our wonderful Dem electeds are doing" when the thing Dems need influencers to actually say is like "the shitty economy is really shit right now huh"
Gerry-mania is a real problem (and vividly demonstrates why proportional representation is needed), but this is part of why I'd rate it lower on the list of threats. People are focused on it because the current House margin is so narrow, but more likely than not it won't be single digits again.
Do you think they’ve become a meme in part because we haven’t done anything about them? They’re easily memable I think because they’re huge traumatic events that we don’t actually do anything about. You get the emotional response without any consequences
i find this image so fascinating. it is both a literal example of authoritarianism but also a second-hand reproduction of the aesthetics of other authoritarian states. it's like a simulacra of authoritarianism whose purpose is to attempt to make the simulacra real.
Wow. A Black member of a government board becomes the first ever to be “dismissed”. Who could have expected it?
Note that this was decided one year after Plessy v Ferguson established separate but equal racial segregation, so this is not some weirdly liberal court