Favorite Rejects 2021-11-22

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

But to make busses better requires changes beyond money — bus lanes, signal priority, etc The path of least resistance is change nothing, cut fares to $0, then cut service levels during the next downturn and unleash a ridership death spiral.

slowboring.comHow to make the bus betterThe transit workhorse needs more than cheerleading

Adam Ozimek @ModeledBehavior

Some good news for you, a really nice environmental kuznets curve https://t.co/A54ZgCUNjr

Hannah Ritchie @_HannahRitchie

Scotland's forest cover is nearly back to where it was 1000 years ago. Centuries of deforestation meant only 4-5% of its land was forested by 1750. But it's coming back, and closing in on 20%. From our @OurWorldinData work on forests and deforestation: https://t.co/VT9jxZmojK https://t.co/348OEi1ehJ

Noah Shachtman @NoahShachtman

We've had plenty of evidence already that the Jan. 6 rally team was coordinating with the Trump White House. But these leaked texts show -- in the organizers own words -- that they believed they were taking orders the Oval Office.

rollingstone.comLeaked Texts: Jan. 6 Organizers Say They Were ‘Following POTUS’ Lead’Rally planners coordinated closely with the White House before Jan. 6 and readied a dinner party while the Capitol was under siege, according to leaked group text messages obtained by Rolling Stone

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

There are obviously important exceptions to this rule, but something a lot of people haven't updated on is that Democratic donors are more left-wing than rank-and-file Democratic Party voters, including on economic issues.

Andrew Prokop @awprokop

The @MattGrossmann @DaveAHopkins argument was that Democrats were more a coalition of various interests rather than a party of ideology like the GOP. @jonathanchait makes the case that's changing, driven by progressive nonprofits & their donors nymag.com/intelligencer/…

Andrew Prokop @awprokop

I delved into the child care plan of the Build Back Better Act. It's one of the most ambitious parts of the bill, that could greatly help millions of families. But its design could bring serious implementation challenges, both practical and political

vox.comDemocrats’ child care plan could help millions — or it could be a big messThe ambitious proposal in the Build Back Better Act is a gamble.

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

It’s mostly land use imo, like “rich white people don’t run the bus” except they actually do ride the M86 in New York because it goes with decent frequency from one very dense rich neighborhood to another very dense rich neighborhood. https://t.co/s3wVWWigLh

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

If you want more trains in America, you won't do it by making driving less attractive. People will revolt and you'll lose to pro-car people at the ballot box. Instead, figure out how to make Americans more enthusiastic about riding trains.

Richard Kadrey @Richard_Kadrey

Good morning. via @tomgauld

🇧🇧🇹🇹🏳️‍🌈🌉 🚴🏿Ed @eparillon

Extremely disappointed to see @AaronPeskin go the full NIMBY and support the segregationists at livable CA.

release the crosstabs @TribTowerViews

.@AaronPeskin and Calvin Welch announce support for @livableca's local control ballot initiative in a column from @timredmondsf. https://t.co/ekMUzBb63n https://t.co/qATMRFgWJC

Aaron @multeemodal

The @deyoungmuseum’s astroturf organization devoted to ruining @KidSafeSF JFK has broken its silence on the Concourse Garage. And now Museum Director Thomas Campbell copy-pasted this disinformation into a @sfchronicle op-ed. A mark-up:

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

The total number of fights I have ever seen on a train is 1, and I started it

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

One big reason SF politics is so screwed up is that it's run like a bunch of little fiefdoms instead of one unified city.

Jordan Grimes 🚰 @cafedujord

Translation: San Franciscans don't care if state anti-displacement protections, affordable housing, environmental, and fair housing laws get gutted by this initiative. Why? Because it'll give them unilateral control of their little fiefdom. And that's all that matters to them. https://t.co/tBD7m8wB9y

Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff

"Prediction #8: Housing policy will become central to political battles about climate change"

rat king @MikeIsaac

redfin 2022 housing market predictions are pretty interesting after two years of madness https://t.co/4NZAFEoz3T

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

I don't own a car, and I hate cars. But I recognize that other people love cars. It's like realizing that most people like the Eagles. You can get as mad as you want, but at the end of the day you live in a world where you're going to have to hear "Hotel California" a lot.

Kim-Mai Cutler @kimmaicutler

Why is this guy — again — spending federal affordable housing tax dollars, effectively stealing from his low-income tenants, to file lawsuits in order to stall Bay Area-wide regional plans to build housing and transit? https://t.co/h19bRaG1BD https://t.co/JbX2phM6PW

Conor Dougherty @ConorDougherty

Interesting SF Chronicle article on how an SF housing nonprofit has become a vociferous opponent of new housing and a kingmaker in local politics by, in essence, funding local ballot measures with millions of dollars in federal affordable housing funds. https://t.co/ZhCleGenK0

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

I strongly support this voting rights legislation. At the same time, as written *neither* of Democrats’ “save democracy” bills actually address the ability of highly gerrymandered state legislatures to determine the outcome of presidential elections.

Jay Rosen @jayrosen_nyu

"Midnight is approaching..." This open letter from political scientists and scholars of democracy puts it starkly. https://t.co/LBXVjQSbk5 via @ThePlumLineGS https://t.co/sSF7fz4V59

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

Important thread! Goodbye world-island, hello world-ocean. Sorry Mackinder!

Paul Poast @ProfPaulPoast

Why can't 🇺🇸 let 🇯🇵, 🇹🇼, 🇰🇷, and most of East Asia be dominated by 🇨🇳? Let's talk about the "Grand Area" and its importance to US foreign policy. [THREAD]