I’m doing some episode catch up after being news free on vacation. The mention of Bevin possibly running again. Ugh. Have you read the Kentucky Lantern article/interview with the adopted son they abandoned in Jamaica? I’m not sure why the Bevins aren’t in jail. SMH.
I am starting to feel like a one trick pony because every time I hear discussions focused around problem solving and fixing government, I can't get beyond the fact that in order to fix anything you need to have good faith actors with which to work. Our problems are absolutely fixable. There are solutions. But the incentives aren't there politically. Politics has become less about solving problems and more about beating the other side.
It made me think of a local experience I had. Last year, our city council wanted to pass new zoning regulations to make it easier to build multi-family housing. Our neighborhood citizen's association (which has been around since the '50s) has a land use committee and they invited people both in favor and opposed who spent weeks discussing the issues and coming to what I felt was a very nuanced position, supporting parts of it and expressing concerns over others. Personally, I was very in favor of the proposed changes but I appreciated the hard work that they had put into coming up with a response. Due to the huge interest in the zoning changes, there was a push to get people to join in order to vote against it. When the proposal was introduced, despite the effort that had been taken by the land use committee, one of the opponents simply put forth an amendment to change the association's position to complete opposition and it passed. These people were not acting in good faith to address our housing crisis and simply did not want any change to go through. They also were putting out a lot of misinformation about what the changes would do that were demonstrably false. They could have gone to the land use committee meetings to hash this out, but instead they decided to just take over the process and get what they wanted. Luckily, the city council did pass the modest zoning changes, but now they are being sued (trial is scheduled for July).
And this is why we can't have nice things.
This is what I find so frustrating. We aren't working with good faith actors. And so it feels as if we are left with our only option left being one side trying to force their views on the other. And that is not the way to run a serious country. And yet here we are.
The gila monster venom! I remember reading about that research around 20 years ago when I was in high school. Back then they said they were looking into it to help treat diabetes. Maybe it was in middle school, so 25 years ago. I had to do a report on gila monsters and I thought they were the coolest.
While we're talking big discussions and fixing systems, can we discuss the fact that anywhere from 10-25% of Medicare finding is spent in the final year of someone's life? I just lost both of my dad's parents over the last 6 weeks and if someone would have offered them the option to go peacefully together 5 years ago they would have jumped on it and not spent the last 5 years of their lives miserable and on endless meds with little to no quality of life.
The red state/blue state money in/money out thing was always an argument about causation. If Kansas or Mississippi stopped voting so stupidly, they could be more prosperous. No one wants to think about the opposite case for the causation: that economic prosperity causes Democratic governance!
I second what Amy said. I’m excited that Beth will be visiting my home state of MA again and wondering if there’s an option for locals to attend some of the program? A little inside info — In New England, the name of the town “Concord” (in MA and NH) is pronounced differently than the rest of the world. Beth pronounced it the usual way, like the name of the supersonic jet. However, per Wikipedia: The town's name is pronounced by its residents as /ˈkɒŋkərd/ KONG-kərd, in a manner indistinguishable from the American pronunciation of the word "conquered."In the local dialect of Greater Boston, it is frequently heard with the [ər] in the second syllable replaced by [ʏ] ([ˈkɒŋkʏd]KAHN-kəd).”
I am finding myself reaching a point of feeling really disempowered, bombarded, depressed overwhelm with the actions of the administration this week. Anyone else? I’m not sure what to do to tend to and move through this feeling. My news practices are good - I am not getting notifications or constant updates. Granted, I did also move states and away from my parents and siblings last week, and my oldest got an ear infection as we drove into our new town, so my capacity isn’t high. But man…there is just so much and I am not remotely keeping up and about as soon as I can take some positive action, at least 50 more things have happened.
I relate. I have fallen into a deep sadness. I named this week that I have always believed in the ability to make strong moral arguments, and fiscally sound arguments, that will break through. I realized that this is no longer the case and it broke something in me. Not sure where to go from here.
So excited that Beth is doing a Little Women trip to Concord! I live in Massachusetts, so wouldn’t take a full trip/ need accommodations but would love an option for locals to join in on part of it if that’s a possibility!
Beth, your possible exploration about grief really spoke to me. It’s something I think about a lot since losing my father a couple years ago. I actually just realized the other day that the memories with my mom and siblings during the time my dad was in hospice and the few days right after he passed are some of the most precious memories that I have which is so counterintuitive. There’s nothing like the finite to make you really appreciate the moments that you have.
This community is fully capable of creating an alternative to project 2025 and we need to do it! I well remember my first impression of Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America. He and it were both awful, but the clarity and simplicity of the message impressed me. A modern, liberal version of that would capture public attention and be a great refutation of the so-called “common sense” BS coming out of this administration. It can follow the same topics addressed by Project 2025, but be less detailed and dogmatic than it, and also less identity focused than the typical Democratic platform. Sarah and Beth keep asking, what do people really want? If a new “contract” actually addresses those issues it could have an outsized influence on the 2026 midterms.
Something I ponder fairly frequently is the fact that Medicare and Medicaid are “publicly funded health care” trying to work in a for-profit big business health care system. At the end of the day, the system is trying to make money, and it will change its model as quickly as Medicare/Medicaid change theirs. It simply does not work. I am for universal health care, even though I realize it’s a BIG lift for the US being that we have such an individualistic culture.
Really want PP to discuss the points in this Anne Helen Petersen piece which posits that the eventual tactic of DOGE and their allies, after they enshittify government services - and because of Congress’s continual punting on spending and Americans inability to agree on what’s worth spending on - this will lead to privatizing everything:
“The goal, of course, is to enshittify public works to the point that they become unusable — and then sell them to the highest bidder, who can transform them into a profit center. The cascade will go something like this: wow, sure seems like this national forest is being mismanaged, probably shouldn’t be under the purview of the federal government; it would be irresponsible of us, and against the public interest, to turn down all this money from a gas company / a developer / a wealthy landowner who wants to buy it! (And if you want to see this thinking vividly manifest, I invite you to read the FB comments on this piece about forest service firings in rural Idaho)
Not having the toilets cleaned is the point. Not getting the VA prescriptions automatically filled is the point. Making public services worse is the point. Making people (further) dislike and devalue public infrastructure — the point. How else do you get millions of citizens on board with a handful of robber barons profiting off what rightfully belongs to the public? “ 😳
I feel like this is the exact tactic of Abbot in Texas with school vouchers- we are going to withhold the budget surplus, not give teachers and districts what they need, keep scarcity and feeling disappointed fresh and raw and then come in and say vouchers are the solution because clearly this isn’t working. It’s gaslighting defined.
I sometimes ponder if giving DOGEs " work" so much reflection and conversation is creating a sense of legitimacy where none is warranted. It feels like a "missing the forrest for the trees situation"
Anecdotal: I was just having a conversation with someone this week who said they liked and respected Bernie Sanders because he said we could have single-payer in the U.S., and also, it would require raising taxes. Because at least that’s being honest.
And as Sarah mentions the lack of ideas for money coming in and unwillingness to raise taxes…I fear the “revenue” idea is a short-term one time clearance sale of federal lands and resources to our billionaires rather than managing our logging, grazing, oil leases long term and of course taxes. Taxes are not our sole source of “income” in the federal government but I don’t see any of our income being managed well.
I’m doing some episode catch up after being news free on vacation. The mention of Bevin possibly running again. Ugh. Have you read the Kentucky Lantern article/interview with the adopted son they abandoned in Jamaica? I’m not sure why the Bevins aren’t in jail. SMH.
I am starting to feel like a one trick pony because every time I hear discussions focused around problem solving and fixing government, I can't get beyond the fact that in order to fix anything you need to have good faith actors with which to work. Our problems are absolutely fixable. There are solutions. But the incentives aren't there politically. Politics has become less about solving problems and more about beating the other side.
It made me think of a local experience I had. Last year, our city council wanted to pass new zoning regulations to make it easier to build multi-family housing. Our neighborhood citizen's association (which has been around since the '50s) has a land use committee and they invited people both in favor and opposed who spent weeks discussing the issues and coming to what I felt was a very nuanced position, supporting parts of it and expressing concerns over others. Personally, I was very in favor of the proposed changes but I appreciated the hard work that they had put into coming up with a response. Due to the huge interest in the zoning changes, there was a push to get people to join in order to vote against it. When the proposal was introduced, despite the effort that had been taken by the land use committee, one of the opponents simply put forth an amendment to change the association's position to complete opposition and it passed. These people were not acting in good faith to address our housing crisis and simply did not want any change to go through. They also were putting out a lot of misinformation about what the changes would do that were demonstrably false. They could have gone to the land use committee meetings to hash this out, but instead they decided to just take over the process and get what they wanted. Luckily, the city council did pass the modest zoning changes, but now they are being sued (trial is scheduled for July).
And this is why we can't have nice things.
This is what I find so frustrating. We aren't working with good faith actors. And so it feels as if we are left with our only option left being one side trying to force their views on the other. And that is not the way to run a serious country. And yet here we are.
The gila monster venom! I remember reading about that research around 20 years ago when I was in high school. Back then they said they were looking into it to help treat diabetes. Maybe it was in middle school, so 25 years ago. I had to do a report on gila monsters and I thought they were the coolest.
While we're talking big discussions and fixing systems, can we discuss the fact that anywhere from 10-25% of Medicare finding is spent in the final year of someone's life? I just lost both of my dad's parents over the last 6 weeks and if someone would have offered them the option to go peacefully together 5 years ago they would have jumped on it and not spent the last 5 years of their lives miserable and on endless meds with little to no quality of life.
This is so hard but so true. Remembering the threat of “death panels” that has silenced any real debate about this.
The red state/blue state money in/money out thing was always an argument about causation. If Kansas or Mississippi stopped voting so stupidly, they could be more prosperous. No one wants to think about the opposite case for the causation: that economic prosperity causes Democratic governance!
Are y’all able to buy eggs at Costco? Having a limit sounds like a dream right now. My Costco hasn’t had eggs for at least a month.
Our Costco was out of stock yesterday. Crazy.
Same
Zero eggs
It’s so weird
I second what Amy said. I’m excited that Beth will be visiting my home state of MA again and wondering if there’s an option for locals to attend some of the program? A little inside info — In New England, the name of the town “Concord” (in MA and NH) is pronounced differently than the rest of the world. Beth pronounced it the usual way, like the name of the supersonic jet. However, per Wikipedia: The town's name is pronounced by its residents as /ˈkɒŋkərd/ KONG-kərd, in a manner indistinguishable from the American pronunciation of the word "conquered."In the local dialect of Greater Boston, it is frequently heard with the [ər] in the second syllable replaced by [ʏ] ([ˈkɒŋkʏd]KAHN-kəd).”
I am finding myself reaching a point of feeling really disempowered, bombarded, depressed overwhelm with the actions of the administration this week. Anyone else? I’m not sure what to do to tend to and move through this feeling. My news practices are good - I am not getting notifications or constant updates. Granted, I did also move states and away from my parents and siblings last week, and my oldest got an ear infection as we drove into our new town, so my capacity isn’t high. But man…there is just so much and I am not remotely keeping up and about as soon as I can take some positive action, at least 50 more things have happened.
I’m hoping the sun will help as the days get longer
I relate. I have fallen into a deep sadness. I named this week that I have always believed in the ability to make strong moral arguments, and fiscally sound arguments, that will break through. I realized that this is no longer the case and it broke something in me. Not sure where to go from here.
Literally cried to learn that Beth's trip is Little Women. I cannot wait to learn more!!
So excited that Beth is doing a Little Women trip to Concord! I live in Massachusetts, so wouldn’t take a full trip/ need accommodations but would love an option for locals to join in on part of it if that’s a possibility!
Beth, your possible exploration about grief really spoke to me. It’s something I think about a lot since losing my father a couple years ago. I actually just realized the other day that the memories with my mom and siblings during the time my dad was in hospice and the few days right after he passed are some of the most precious memories that I have which is so counterintuitive. There’s nothing like the finite to make you really appreciate the moments that you have.
Another interested local!
I’ve never been so mad to be a teacher who can’t possibly take a week off in September! I want to go on that trip SO BAD!!!
This community is fully capable of creating an alternative to project 2025 and we need to do it! I well remember my first impression of Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America. He and it were both awful, but the clarity and simplicity of the message impressed me. A modern, liberal version of that would capture public attention and be a great refutation of the so-called “common sense” BS coming out of this administration. It can follow the same topics addressed by Project 2025, but be less detailed and dogmatic than it, and also less identity focused than the typical Democratic platform. Sarah and Beth keep asking, what do people really want? If a new “contract” actually addresses those issues it could have an outsized influence on the 2026 midterms.
Something I ponder fairly frequently is the fact that Medicare and Medicaid are “publicly funded health care” trying to work in a for-profit big business health care system. At the end of the day, the system is trying to make money, and it will change its model as quickly as Medicare/Medicaid change theirs. It simply does not work. I am for universal health care, even though I realize it’s a BIG lift for the US being that we have such an individualistic culture.
Really want PP to discuss the points in this Anne Helen Petersen piece which posits that the eventual tactic of DOGE and their allies, after they enshittify government services - and because of Congress’s continual punting on spending and Americans inability to agree on what’s worth spending on - this will lead to privatizing everything:
https://open.substack.com/pub/annehelen/p/this-is-how-we-fall-out-of-love-with?r=9ho&utm_medium=ios
“The goal, of course, is to enshittify public works to the point that they become unusable — and then sell them to the highest bidder, who can transform them into a profit center. The cascade will go something like this: wow, sure seems like this national forest is being mismanaged, probably shouldn’t be under the purview of the federal government; it would be irresponsible of us, and against the public interest, to turn down all this money from a gas company / a developer / a wealthy landowner who wants to buy it! (And if you want to see this thinking vividly manifest, I invite you to read the FB comments on this piece about forest service firings in rural Idaho)
Not having the toilets cleaned is the point. Not getting the VA prescriptions automatically filled is the point. Making public services worse is the point. Making people (further) dislike and devalue public infrastructure — the point. How else do you get millions of citizens on board with a handful of robber barons profiting off what rightfully belongs to the public? “ 😳
I feel like this is the exact tactic of Abbot in Texas with school vouchers- we are going to withhold the budget surplus, not give teachers and districts what they need, keep scarcity and feeling disappointed fresh and raw and then come in and say vouchers are the solution because clearly this isn’t working. It’s gaslighting defined.
I posted this article in the chat. It’s so astute. DOGE and Elon are doing to the federal government what private equity does to businesses.
I sometimes ponder if giving DOGEs " work" so much reflection and conversation is creating a sense of legitimacy where none is warranted. It feels like a "missing the forrest for the trees situation"
Anecdotal: I was just having a conversation with someone this week who said they liked and respected Bernie Sanders because he said we could have single-payer in the U.S., and also, it would require raising taxes. Because at least that’s being honest.
Bernie is like Rand Paul - super consistent about his top issues. When he ran in 2016, this is why a lot of people told me they liked him so much.
And as Sarah mentions the lack of ideas for money coming in and unwillingness to raise taxes…I fear the “revenue” idea is a short-term one time clearance sale of federal lands and resources to our billionaires rather than managing our logging, grazing, oil leases long term and of course taxes. Taxes are not our sole source of “income” in the federal government but I don’t see any of our income being managed well.
Except for shake downs of our allies. Don’t forget the shake down.
Obviously. 😵💫