Shala

I got laid off today, with the rest of 18F.

18F was an elite federal software shop. We made gov't websites work better, more efficiently for the American people. We saved taxpayers from getting screwed over by contractors. And were fired for it.

We made this website to tell our story:
18f.org

I’m Tired of So-Called ‘Christian’ Family Values If we followed gospel teaching, “pro-family” wouldn’t be short for anti-women and anti-LGBTQ policies.

If we followed gospel teaching, “pro-family” wouldn’t be short for anti-women and anti-LGBTQ policies, writes Adam Russell Taylor.

Here is my updated pro-democracy Bluesky starter pack.
go.bsky.app/JSLScTv

Preparing for the Coming King (No, I Don’t Mean Trump) At Christmas we celebrate the birth of a heavenly king — and yet so many Christians mistakenly idolize an earthly one.

"At Christmas we celebrate the birth of a heavenly king — and yet so many Christians mistakenly idolize an earthly one," writes Adam Russell Taylor for this week's SojoMail.

The differences in U.S. life expectancy are so large it's as if the population lives in separate Americas instead of one.

A new study shows a widening gulf in longevity within the U.S. based on geography, race, and income.

Read the full report ➡️ on.cfr.org/3BF1Diy

The chaos monkeys are already running the zoo.

Questions and Concepts that Uncover Fake News and Bias Questions and Concepts that Uncover Fake News and Bias

Are you struggling with sorting through the firehoses of mis- and dis-information we're drowning in on the daily? These tips, from @everylibrary.bsky.social, can help: action.everylibrary.org/questions_an...

How Do You Close Out Your Course? Two approaches for gathering students’ end-of-term reflections.

Getting students to reflect on and pinpoint what they learned, one professor writes, can provide a “ray of sunshine” at the end of the semester. chroni.cl/41zGZLj

We literally just had three years of nonstop economic recovery & job growth & inflation basically stopped in 2023, but sure, now that Trump is elected, the coverage is about how the economy is good and stable 🤷‍♂️

Small-town America voted heavily in Donald Trump’s favor—but several core second-term policies that Trump and the Republican Congress have championed could disproportionately harm those places, Ronald Brownstein writes. theatln.tc/rCwjYZdq

I don't think I'll ever get over the anti immigrant crowd cheering for the guy from South africa who came here illegally, made a fortune through government subsidies then bought an election so he could take away their benefits. @smalls2672

From Exorbitant Privilege to Invincible Ignorance Arithmetic has a well-known globalist bias

Latest Substack is up. I was wondering whether it would be hard to find enough to write about; in fact there's so much crazy stuff that I can't keep up. open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Social Security taxes are rigged for the rich — and the program is in danger because of it.A CEO earning $20M/yr pays Social Security taxes on ~1% of their i... How the Super Rich Are Killing Social Security | Robert Reich

Republicans have used public concern about Social Security’s future solvency as a cynical excuse to demand cuts in benefits.

But Social Security could easily pay everything it will owe to everyone for the next 75 years if the cap on income subject to SS taxes were eliminated.

Let me explain.

Republicans Are Confused About the Concept of Bad Guys Some conservatives are embracing the villains in what are supposed to be cautionary tales.

Elon Musk’s comment that Matt Gaetz was the “Judge Dredd America needs” is part of an alarming pattern, writes Adam Serwer:

Where to Shop in the Hudson Valley on Small Business Saturday Support small businesses throughout the Hudson Valley to score deals on gifts and give back to the community this holiday season.

hvmag.com/life-style/s...

Unwanted viral guests at Thanksgiving Your State of Affairs going into the holiday

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

The Trump Marathon If Americans want to hold Trump accountable in a second term, they must keep their heads when he uses chaos as a strategy.

www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

11.22.63. Loved that book!