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Ben Ritter

@bennetworks.bsky.social
223 followers 391 following 151 posts

Seattle product/networking nerd. 🚲 Thoughts my own. he/him

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Reposted by Ben Ritter
Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
As a lifelong baseball fan, can I say: this is a truly bad idea. Fenway Park is for baseball, Teton Park is for wildlife www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
washingtonpost.com
Trump administration considers building baseball park in Grand Teton National Park
Major League Baseball contacted the administration about hosting a game in a national park, with an agency official scouting Grand Teton as a possible location.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
What
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Even assuming SPD never writes another traffic enforcement ticket, I’m hoping Seattle pulls parking enforcement back to SDOT and accelerates speed camera deployment.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Bikable
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
The Needling @theneedling.com · 11/09/2026
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson only has a few more hours now to prevent the next 9/11. Do you think she can do it?
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Building fare gates should not take this long.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I’m not one to defend the Seattle Times, and the “while you keep paying transit taxes” line is a problematic and overly narrow framing of the issue, but there is value to questioning the speed at which Sound Transit can execute and implement this change now that policy has been decided.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This isn’t a typical city council / mayor budget problem, although there are some costs they can sometimes help with like the universal meals program.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Declining student enrollment is a contributing factor with the HCOL area and housing policy, but per student reimbursement from the state is woefully insufficient to fund SPS teachers who we should invest in if we want them to be able to afford to live in Seattle. (And support our tax base)
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
We’re kinda held hostage at the moment by our regressive state tax policy and tax averse suburbs and towns, and Seattle being a higher cost of living area.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
We don’t- but probably should. Challenge is that Seattle would be prohibited by the state from funding the schools with thise local taxes due to the McCleary decision. Local levy revenue funded by Seattle voters would be inequitable to other cities, as education funding is a state obligation.
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
Heidi Li Feldman @heidilifeldman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Read this entire thread.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I hope SDOT standardizes flex posts at daylighted intersections. Paint only daylighting is ignored, and potentially makes the intersection more dangerous. bsky.app/profile/benn...
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Photo caption: “Rodrigo, a 58-year-old Los Angeles green-card holder, was detained for 10 months and denied access to medical care as a tumor in his throat grew to the size of a lemon.”
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Messaging and telling folks what you did is as important (or potentially more important) than actually doing it. It helps Mamdani is charismatic and social media savvy. Same with rallying city workers to support a mission. As an introvert, I’m excited to see Katie leading her own way.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
👏 very well done
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Land use is #1. Loved the pod episode with Michael Grunwald about “We Are Eating the Earth.” Was blown away by the pre-industrial heating centuries ago from peasant clearing of European forests with fire. We need to cut emissions ofc but I’m less hopeful about rewilding land.
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
Gordon Padelford @gordonofseattle.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“Recent studies estimate that as much as 40 percent of Western conifer forests will turn into shrubland by 2100 as a result.” Watching over 175,000 acres of Washington forests burning to the ground this summer and wondering with a deep sense of sadness how much we have lost forever
My wife and I hiking into a region of Washington that recently burned to the ground and may not reforest Little giant fire smoke cloud via the hotshotwakeup ig
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Thankful to see Katie fulfill her campaign promise on Denny which was very specific, and I am optimistic about her vizion zero executive order, but we need a transformative SDOT director committed to daylighting and rapid builds of bike facilities which remove parking.
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
David Roberts @volts.wtf · 23/08/2026
I hope everyone caught this Lancet study confirming that Elon Musk & DOGE are responsible for genocidal levels of suffering & death.
thelancet.com
Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis
USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates show that, unless the a...
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This study by NYCDOT found that hardened daylighting makes intersections safer. But daylighting without bike racks, rocks, plantings, curb bulbs, or green stormwater infrastructure—added to prevent cars from parking or taking faster turns—actually makes the intersection more dangerous.
nyc.gov
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
How’s this coming along? Seems like finding an advocacy group with legislative experience may be helpful on navigating the process
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Given its shipping history, Seattle is a rat city. The situation has gotten worse with easy access to food. You can’t solve the problem if the whole neighborhood is feeding them. You may be able to keep them out of your garden with physical barriers.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Better to look like a big dork than a tacticool Oakley glasses dude who is toxic/antisocial. Rather someone think I look goofy than like a threat. Consider a feminizing color. (Avoiding particular words that attract bots)
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Any Seattle area orgs coordinating logistics to get help to Spokane neighbors impacted by wildfires? Where’s the best place to volunteer time/money?
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
👏
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
It did have rare support from both the chamber of commerce and house our neighbors…
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Glad you are okay! Sorry you’re dealing with this. I just saw a post from someone yesterday recommending that people have an ebike specific insurance policy separate from homeowner’s/renter’s policies with uninsured motorist coverage. Not sure if you can find a similar policy for an analog bike.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Enjoyed reading. Had a couple great quotable bits. Thanks for sharing.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I’ve rewatched a few times trying to figure it out… What even happened here?
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
@markoliias.bsky.social would love to see your support here
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I want to see an estimate of overtime fraud SPD incurs per year, and how many days it takes into the year to hit the ~$3.5M to fund universal school lunches.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I’d love to also find a sponsor for an intersection daylight bill too. CA passed a bill (AB413) in 2023, which went into effect 2025.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Could be interesting to tie financial penalties from fines and proceeds from forfeited vehicles to capital safety improvements for walking, biking, rolling. @markoliias.bsky.social
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Link to where we can find out more about the bill, sponsors, etc?
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I suspect there is a strong correlation between those who drive aggressively and put others in danger, with many of these “nuisance” behaviors which inflict negative externalities to everyone in the vicinity of their car.
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
I. Hernandez @hernando206.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This is one of those "budgets are moral documents" moments. What they'll write a blank check for vs. what they make people fight for.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Yeah, the public Öffentlich-rechtlicher Rundfunk model in Germany, modeled after the BBC after WWII, is enviable. Not to say their dual public/private model is perfect, or that Germany doesn’t struggle with the same misinformation problems as the US.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
It doesn’t look like much rain but I’m watching the radar with anticipation. Looks like it could just clip us 🤞
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
No disagreement there. The electric are more pleasant.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Diesel frequency > infrequent electric service perfectionism
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Not a hot take among transit nerds, but is still a paradox to many- Add more buses to drive frequent service, averted auto trips, and reduced CO2. Electric buses are nice but frequency should be the North Star, even if at the cost of expanding diesel coaches.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
We will Jimothember in November.
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Reposted by Ben Ritter
Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
What a no vote on Seattle's Prop 1 is a vote for, according to the Seattle Public Library Foundation. Imagine advocating for public libraries to be defunded at a time like this. Couldn't be me.
More than one-third of the Library's funding in 2027 (and beyond) would disappear. SPL would be forced into drastic budget reductions.
Library staff jobs would likely be lost. A quarter of the 600-plus positions at SPL, including one-third of all children's and teen librarians, are Levy-funded.
Branches might close or see significantly reduced hours due to staffing shortages. Free programs like Story Time, author events, and many others would likely be scaled down substantially.
Half of the budget for books and materials would be lost, significantly increasing hold times and decreasing the range of reading options, including the likely elimination of Peak Picks.
The City would be forced into a long and complex process to restore funding. Cuts are highly unlikely to be addressed in the regular budget process, given the City's revenue situation.
While another ballot measure could be brought forward and approved eventually, the Library and its patrons could feel these adverse budget impacts for a year or more.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Ugh sorry
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Jimothy wants to close Pike Place and Lake Washington Blvd to cars
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
There’s an opportunity to make him the honorary mayor of Ballard, fill the missing link in the Burke-Gilman trail, and name that leg the Burke-Gilman-Jimothy trail in his honor.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
15. Paid parental and elder care leave. 16. DC and Puerto Rico statehood. 17. Restructure the senate. 18. Unfuck the electoral college.
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
13. Public funding phase in of higher ed. Start by educating more doctors. 14. Fast track immigration paths to attract global talent. Graduate degrees at US universities
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Ben Ritter @bennetworks.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
11. Fix social security contributions. 12. Expand antitrust enforcement and ease of union membership
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