Sean O’Leary

I didn’t call you
Words can scare a thought away

Fall

State of Working West Virginia 2025: The State of the Public Sector - West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy Introduction The State of Working West Virginia 2025 is the 18th edition of an annual series that examines West Virginia’s economy through the lens of its workers–the people whose labor powers the sta...

Out today, the 18th edition of State of Working West Virginia provides an overall picture of the state’s workforce and offers a deep dive into the state of the public sector workforce, made up of local, state, & federal government employees.

wvpolicy.org/state-of-wor...

No good pics, but sometimes you just need to look up and appreciate the moment

That moon though

Halloween

Judge orders Trump administration to release billions in SNAP contingency funds The government did rely on contingency funding to keep food aid going when it shut down during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Breaking News: The Trump administration was ordered to release billions of dollars in backup funds for SNAP, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, after the administration said the government shutdown meant it couldn’t tap contingency funds.

WV road trip

#SNAP funding may run out Nov 1, but “There actually is money to cover November benefits,” CBPP’s @tyjonescox.bsky.social tells 7News DC, pointing to $6B in contingency funds that the Admin can and should use to provide benefits to eligible households. wjla.com/news/local/s...

One of my favorite things about fall

Finally a more honest email opener than, “We hope this email finds you well.”

I need to stop being so ridiculous. Sorry.

Floor to ceiling windows in Durham

From bone-chilling labor force numbers to teeth-chattering poverty rates, here are 5 scary charts about West Virginia in honor of the spooky month of October.

Felt sad so I bought a new cardigan

Cardigan game on point today

Maybe you were shot down in pieces
Maybe I slipped in between
But we were gonna be the wildest, the wildest, the wildest people they ever hoped to see
Yeah, just you and me

CMS Extends Georgia’s Medicaid Waiver Program, Despite GAO Report Raising Concerns with Costs | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities September 23, 2025: A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) raising concerns about the cost of Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage Medicaid waiver program is a forewarning about how ex...

Reports raise red flags: Georgia spent $54M on admin costs for its #Medicaid waiver, nearly twice the $26M spent on care, while enrolling under 3,500 people. CMS still extended the costly program that ties coverage to work requirements. www.cbpp.org/research/fed...

The moon behind trees

Backyard view last night

I was down at the New Amsterdam
Staring at this blue haired girl

Andromeda Galaxy

Blue sky on Bluesky. Stars and wispy clouds from Cato Park

The moon

The sun watches what I do, but the moon knows all my secrets

Falling a step behind

Ready for Halloween

The teacher pay penalty reached a record high in 2024: Three decades of leaving public school teachers behind Over the past three decades, stagnant weekly wages of public school teachers have fallen further and further behind those of college graduates who chose other careers, resulting in an ever increasing ...

In the past 10 yrs, teachers' wages DECREASED by $46/week after adjusting for inflation. Wages increased by $220 for other college grads

Why are we penalizing teachers for working one of the hardest & most important jobs in our communities?

We need to pay teachers more! www.epi.org/publication/...

New Mexico Will Become the First State to Offer Universal Child Care A look back at the policy changes that have led the state to this step.

New Mexico has taken its commitment to making child care accessible even further by becoming the first U.S. state to offer universal child care to families starting this November.

I walk along the city streets you used to walk along with me
And every step I take reminds me of just how we used to be

The thing I like best about Bluesky is that none of my family is on it, so if I need to be weird, I have a place for it.