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brentlythomas

@brentlythomas.bsky.social
2.8K followers 2K following 1.1K posts

jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, as my dear sainted mother used to say somewhere between slappy the squirrel and dorothy zbornak “is it any wonder that no truly respectable society has ever trusted its artists?” le guin they/them 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✊🖤🍉

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
🎯
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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 07/10/2026
This is sexual violence as a form of terrorism. It is political violence and it is chilling and horrific, and AOC was absolutely right to be terrified that the goons (now pardoned) laying siege to the capital would rape her if they found her. Small changes won't fix this. FLIP THE TABLE NOW
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
many happy returns of the day, tressie! 🥳🎉
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I fear that any midterm “mandate” angry voters give them will be squandered on dinner party invites instead of building the accountability regime people are desperate for and are putting their bodies and lives on the line to get.
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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 06/10/2026
Anti-Prime Day starts…NOW! 🥳 Today through midnight on 10/7, enjoy free shipping site-wide, all while supporting local, independent bookstores.
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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 05/10/2026
There is no Super Intelligence. There is no Department of War. There is no Lake America. There is no Gulf of America. There is no Fort Bragg. Any media outlet or platform that spreads these lies is an enemy of the people, determined to undermine democracy. Make note.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 05/10/2026
Holy shit.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
If you're in these states, *TODAY* is deadline to register to vote. Arizona, Arkansas Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas. Even if you think you've registered: doesn't hurt to check! And there's a lot happening across them. A thread with stakes on each. ⬇️
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Bernie Sanders Says 'Sign Me Up!'
Alt: larry david playing bernie sanders on snl saying, “SIGN ME UP!” an elderly cis white man with a receding hairline and glasses, wearing a blue suit, light blue dress shirt and a striped blue tie, raises his right hand and points for emphasis as he speaks. the background is blue with logos for nbc news and the washington post, while the screen crawl says, “Democratic Debate”.
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I Scare You Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 05/10/2026
What the Laquan McDonald cover-up guy advocating against holding people accountable for doing things like wantonly killing people under the auspices of public safety?!
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
literally in the next 48 hours! be aware!
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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
mistakes were made
california post headline: california squirrel's flying attack is finalist in national wildlife photo competition

photo depicts a squirrel in mid-flight from a tree branch, apparently about to attack an owl who has the most "are you fucking KIDDING me" look in history
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Professa Murray @kalimurray.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
What everyone has to prepare for is the constitutional crisis to accelerate if the Democrats take the House and the Senate. Vought has been allowed by the Republicans to act with impunity, so have he will continue to ignore Congress. This is why you have to impeach him immediately.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 03/10/2026
this for RFK Jr. is mission accomplished
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Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
‘“The money should be granted as Congress intended, and essentially, they’re ignoring what Congress did,” said Representative Zoe Lofgren.’ The Trump White House is instead redirecting the money designated for basic research towards pet causes like AI
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Polarization is not the problem. The problem: ethnonationalists threatening vulnerable citizens' rights. "The people who are the most 'polarized' in the U.S. electorate are those who are racist and sexist, and those who oppose racists and sexists." @lilymasonphd.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
GORgeous
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Nick Ulivieri @nuphoto.com · 02/10/2026
Took a (very) rainy walk through the Loop tonight. I was absolutely soaked, but my camera stayed dry enough.
The pavement in Chicago is wet from a day-long rain. Street and traffic lights reflect on the stored in vivid colors. In the foreground, a person with an umbrella is an out-of-focus silhouetteCalder's Flaming - an orange, abstract metal sculpture in Chicago stands in a wet, reflective plaza. The sculpture is reflected in the rain coating the plaza's stone pavers in the evening with buildings in the background
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Lady Topham Catt @ladytophamcatt.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
another assortment of letter boxes
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Atta Girl! Gin Give Up
Alt: margaret the lush from “9 to 5” looks toward violet as she storms out of the office and says, “atta girl!”, tossing her files into the cabinet drawer.
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hammancheez but spooky @hammancheez.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yall wanna see a 2 hour old highland cow
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Doja Cat: Kermit 'Do It' Meme
Alt: Doja Cat: Kermit 'Do It' Meme. A visual of Kermit with his back to us facing Sith Kermit in a black hood covering his eyes with the text, “DO IT” at the bottom of the screen.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Right, it's not that I disagree that some of the people sentenced to execution are monsters -- many of them are! -- it's that I disagree that we all should be monsters too.
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Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I don't wanna COUCH my words here: I know JD Vance, his eyeliner, and absent Ashley Moody are used to running away from people when things get tough because they care more about themselves and their billionaire buddies than the people they represent. But this is my home. /1
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Somehow not everyone is aware of fact alluded to below. So one more time: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett were all on GWBush 2000 'Florida Recount' team. (Which made GWB first prez in 112 yrs to 'win' after losing popular vote. Now they 'impartially' rule on our future.)
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geoffrey 💀 (scary now) @parsnip.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
there are moral arguments against the death penalty in its ideal form but in real life you never need to get there. the prior question is "can the state be trusted to end the life only of the rightly convicted without torture?" and the answer is no
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
i’m unsure if it’s more famous, but “this is your brain on drugs” is more ubiquitous. i remember jokes about it on “roseanne”, “married with children”, and “the cosby show”.
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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gamera obscura october edition @ohrobin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Google earth has updated its satellite images of Gaza. The destruction is almost incomprehensible.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 28/09/2026
this is legitimately very funny
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Going to work now feels like doing homework after the teacher quit and told the class that education is fake. Everyone just coasting on inertia and hoping there's still a point to all this
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
One of the hardest things about being a cyclist is dealing with the nagging feeling that a serious crash is inevitable. Because you can indeed do everything "right" and it still does not matter.
I followed every precaution and it didn’t matter

New to biking here

I started in July around the time of the fatal car crash with that biker. That and hearing everyone who bikes to work tell me that they have had horrid experiences with cars was disheartening. 

I made sure to only use protected routes. I take Southwest corridor for basically my whole trip and even though it adds so much more time to my commute, it makes me feel safe. 

None of that mattered because at some point, even for a second you will hit the main road. And you will always lose to the 4 ton machine. I got hit by a car parking in the bike lane. He was more concerned with his car than the fact that I could have my life potential altered forever because he was looking at his phone. And at the end of the day, the police can literally choose to not respond to your 911 call and you get stuck with medical bills. 

It’s hard to have a conversation about sharing the road when people in cars feel entitled to do whatever they want and the only person who’s ever in danger is the biker. I love biking in this city and I have found a really love and joy for the outdoors because of it. Now I am terrified to even get on a bike lane, even if there is one, if it’s shared with the main road.
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Kevin Gannon (now a Moo Deng fan account) @thetattooedprof.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fellow GenXers: remember how often we were bombarded with images of late-period USSR? Old, decrepit men in charge, clinging to an ossified ideology. Political repression, nakedly false propaganda, empty shelves, food shortages, inadequate health care, deep-seated cynicism, crumbling infrastructure
static.klipy.com
Ironic Star Wars Moment
Alt: A smirking emperor palpatine says "ironic."
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
happy birthday! 🥳🎉
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
In January, Ramirez introduced a standalone bill to abolish ICE and redirect its funding to safety-net programs that can help people navigate the spiraling affordability crisis. truthout.org/articles/the...
truthout.org
The Movement to Abolish ICE Is Gaining Momentum
As activists rally around federal legislation to dismantle ICE, Amnesty International joins the call for abolition.
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A reminder that lots of states allow same-day registration and it works perfectly fine and would make this kind of insanity moot. Congress can and should mandate it nationwide.
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"A woman leaving the facility 'dropped to her knees. She did the sign of the cross in extreme relief. As if coming out of a nightmare,' he said... “May we never become so accustomed to suffering that we stop seeing the humanity of those experiencing it.” www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
miamiherald.com
Amid whistleblower claims, advocates ask lawmakers to visit ICE office in Miramar
Community leaders demand Florida lawmakers investigate Miramar ICE facility amid whistleblower allegations of severe overcrowding and filthy facilities
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 27/09/2026
Imagine hearing these screams, breaking this window, and going home at night believing what you are doing is right and good.
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Musicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
incidentally i think these guys are the patron saints of bluesky
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In Otter News @in-otter-news.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
After a long day at the aquarium, the otters help tidy their toys away. Payment is made promptly and entirely in ice cubes.
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Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
We’ve now reached the point of “black site” hearings – secret, illegal hearings as part of Trump & Stephen Miller’s wretched crusade to detain & deport our immigrant neighbors. Quite literally: hidden tribunals that disappear people.
thecityreporter.nyc
DHS Opens ‘Black Site Docket’ for Immigrants Without Lawyers at 26 Federal Plaza
A reporter from The City Reporter was threatened with arrest while attempting to observe comings and goings from the new courtrooms, which have left advocates mystified and fearing the worst.
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Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Ha ha that’s gross and should make everyone uncomfortable, anyway, Rahm presided over a Chicago police black site, lied about what it was and then I sued the Chicago police for its records that proved it:
theguardian.com
Homan Square revealed: how Chicago police 'disappeared' 7,000 people
Exclusive: Lawsuit exposes scale of detention at off-the-books interrogation warehouse while attorneys describe find-your-client chase ‘from a Bond movie’
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Tens of thousands of voter registrations have gone unprocessed in Texas. Affecting large areas deeply. If you’re in Texas, check your registration is up to date and accurate ASAP. www.texastribune.org/2026/09/22/t...
texastribune.org
DPS voter registration applications weren’t sent to counties
Counties will start receiving a surge of applications less than two weeks before the Oct. 5 registration deadline, adding work at one of the busiest points in the election calendar.
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brentlythomas @brentlythomas.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🧵 #BringBackShame
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Charles Pulliam-Moore @charlespulliam.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Emma Frost x Miss Piggy comic has hit the internet and it's so, so, so much more magnificent than I ever could have hoped for
Emma Frost: "Emma Frost, darling. I'm a telepath. May I read your mind to ascertain if you're telling the truth?"

Miss Piggy: "But of course, darling I am an open book, a tell-all memoir."Emma Frost telepathically witnessing the entirety of Miss Piggy's life.Wolverine: "Frost? She legit?"
Emma Frost: "She's..She's... She's everything. And I would die for her."
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is Maeve. She may be the sweetest, most good natured, most trusting dog I have ever met. She was abandoned in DC last week, and since I’m not able to adopt a dog now, I had to turn her over to the Brandywine Animal Shelter. I want to make sure this absolute delight of a dog finds a good home.
An adorable female Rottweiler named Maeve
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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
its odd that the political media hounds dems to constantly comment on every random statement hasan piker makes but don't do the same for Republicans of the top GOP megadonor two cycles in a row
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
If executive branch creates a system so that people under government control can be located and then just stops listing some people in that system — despite their still being under government control — that should be a five-alarm fire for the other branches, the states, and the public.
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