I can’t stop thinking about this.
These two are always the real deal on data
This tracks closely with the argument I’ve made about the U.S.: scarcity is litigated, not regulated.
Civil law countries have much more regulation but far fewer lawsuits. The housing crisis isn’t about too many rules; it’s about who can afford to sue over them.
We have no idea where Yglesias got his numbers but they’re wrong. This debate has for so long been plagued by numbers basically pulled out of thin air
Right pic is from my and @adambonica.bsky.social’s response essay: www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
This @bostonreview.bsky.social piece by @adambonica.bsky.social and @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social is an absolute must-read, as are many of the responses to it.
Spread this one far and wide.
We have a Boston Review Forum out today on the Democratic Party in a time of authoritarianism
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
This woman died of heart failure because she couldn't receive treatment while pregnant, and couldn't access an abortion.
1/ I recently wrote about Frances Perkins—FDR’s Labor Secretary and first woman cabinet member. She is best known as the architect of the New Deal but she had a lesser-known achievement:
She dismantled her era’s version of ICE.🧵
over the course of 1871, congress held seven months of hearings on ku klux klan and other white vigilante violence in the south, they took detailed testimony from hundreds of black men and women attesting to klan terror. (1/?)
"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down."
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
If there's one empirical insight I'd want everyone to understand about American politics, it's this:
America's problems are solved problems. Just not here.
What would change if the US simply matched the average of 31 peer democracies? Not Denmark or Norway. Just the middle of the pack. 🧵
Economy and inequality: Each household would gain $19,000 per year from a fairer income distribution and $96,000 overall from a fairer wealth distribution. 50 million more workers would have union coverage. Intergenerational economic mobility--the core of the American Dream--would be doubled.
Healthcare: 26 million more Americans would have health coverage. We'd save $2.1 trillion annually on healthcare ($16K per household). Prescription drugs would cost $691 less per person. Medical bankruptcy—a term that puzzles citizens of other wealthy nations—would essentially disappear.
Family and work: Parents would get 25 weeks of paid parental leave. Workers would get 27 days of guaranteed paid time off per year. We'd work 231 fewer hours per year—nearly six fewer weeks. Net childcare costs would fall by 60%.
Poverty: 5 million fewer children would live in poverty. 15 million fewer workers would be trapped in poverty-wage jobs. 180,000 fewer people would be sleeping on the streets.
Survival and safety: Americans would live 4 years longer. 10,000 fewer babies would die each year from reduced infant mortality rates. Maternal deaths would drop by three-quarters. 85,000 fewer people would die from opioid overdoses.
Violence: 35,000 fewer gun deaths per year. School shootings virtually eliminated. 25,000 fewer traffic fatalities. 1,000 fewer deaths from police violence.
Institutions and justice: 51 million more Americans voting. Elections would cost $14.9 billion less per cycle. Our elected leaders would be 12 years younger. 60 more women in Congress. 1.4 million fewer Americans would be behind bars. Per capita carbon emissions would be cut nearly in half.
This looks like an indictment. It is. But I see it as a reason for optimism.
We don’t need to be exceptional to transform Americans' lives. We need to become average. The solutions exist. We see them working. We have to choose them. And that means fixing our democracy so that it delivers.
Here’s the full piece on why I’m optimistic, even in dark times:
open.substack.com/pub/data4dem...
This is a thread that everyone should read
Adam always reminds me that there is hope. And for that, I am grateful. But now, let's do the groundwork to prepare.
Read this fantastic piece: data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
This beautifully written piece by my pal @adambonica.bsky.social is worth your time today.
A bit of light amid the darkness.
open.substack.com/pub/data4dem...
All of this—everyone deserves to live, to have joy, to be able to rest
I am begging Democratic leadership to recognize that funding and legitimizing your authoritarian opponent’s secret police is a bad idea.
This should not be a difficult concept.
Many scholars of authoritarianism saw ICE & CBP as a likely source of secret police if Trump returned to power.
Biden responded by increasing their funding and ranks.
Pro tip for ruling parties facing authoritarian opposition: don’t fund your opponent’s secret police while they’re out of power.
The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.
This is my first (and likely only) thread combining data and literary analysis of a 17th Century satire. When Trump rages against windmills, it’s deeply weird but even more so that it parallels Don Quixote. I've been tracking data on his windmill statements. Lately, he's really been tilting. 🧵
I wrote this in a dark moment after Trump’s 2nd inauguration to signal hope. It aged well. Those rays are getting brighter. And I have an even better feeling about 2026.
