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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk

@matthardwick.bsky.social

2K followers 11K following 2.4K posts

Salus populi lex suprema est. -- Cicero, De Legibus. #ActuallyAutistic All tweets not views of past or current employers. Concord & Union. he/him/el, cis

Posts Replies Media

Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

🤔💡It's interesting that the only replies so far to the counterpoint hypothetical implied by the early The Expanse is this 👇 kind of handwavium...

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Thanks for the heads-up. Here were my settings when I checked today; I then turned them to "off".

LinkedIn data settings, checked around 8:30-8:45 am; since switched to "off".

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

(nods) Fames Jallows, a Lefty over on X, put it well...👇

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

I suspect I'll be using this sign-tap from Twittah a lot, over the next few months/years...

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

👍🤔🔎💡Heer's "Horrible Histories", 2017: newrepublic.com/article/1409... In particular, his description of what I suspect will be the closest Trump, RedMAGA & even elements of BlueMAGA will be able to reinergize the current nearly 45+ Year Realm, as it were...👇

From "Horrible Histories", Jeet Heer, New Republic, 3/13/17:

"This American authoritarianism, as befits a geographically dispersed society with a meager social security net, is less concerned with building up an all-encompassing state than its European counterparts. American authoritarians have rarely gone in for paramilitary movements, perhaps feeling that the local police and national guards can be relied on to enforce their agenda. And Trump’s promises of bringing back factory and mining jobs are much less extravagant than the Nazi agenda to build a strenuous and athletic master race. If Trump is a fascist, he’s a fascist befitting a nation of couch potatoes who want to be left alone, not to embody the Triumph of the Will."

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

This is one of the best portraits of a Governor to grace the Capitol. Too bad it's March 32, 2025. Well played, @govofco.bsky.social Jared Polis!

March 32, 2025: Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, unveils his official portrait in the state Capitol. From the Office of the Governor's press release:

"To ensure the portrait reflects the Governor’s likeness to his satisfaction, the Governor and his office provided the artist the following criteria:

"The Governor must be depicted directly facing the viewer
"The Governor’s well-known signature look, specifically his signature blue polo, must not be altered
"The portrait must utilize the bright blue hue of the Governor’s iconic tennis shoes
"The Governor must be smiling or smizing
"The portrait must include Colorado’s iconic state flag

"The Colorado Capitol has seen a surge of visitors in recent weeks and with the new portrait is projected to see:

"74% increase in visitors overall
"10% increase in international visitors
"16% increase in positive feedback on visitation experience
"100% of readers and visitors fell for the Governor’s April Fool's Joke"

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Source:

Official Statement

President Gustavo Petro provides the presidential plane for the dignified return of Colombian nationals and will lead efforts at the Extraordinary Assembly of CELAC.

Bogotá, January 26, 2025. The Government of Colombia confirms its participation in the Extraordinary Assembly of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), scheduled for January 30. This meeting will provide an opportunity to address strategic issues for the region, such as cooperation on migration, the protection of human rights, and the strengthening of relations among member countries.

In preparation for this summit, discussions have been held with Honduras, the country currently holding the CELAC presidency, to promote a regional approach to migration challenges and ensure dignified conditions for the citizens of the region.

At the same time, the Government of Colombia, under the leadership of President Gustavo Petro, has arranged for the presidential plane to facilitate the dignified return of nationals who are expected to arrive in the early morning hours on deportation flights. This measure reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring dignified conditions. Under no circumstances have Colombians, as patriots and rightful citizens, been or will be banished from Colombian territory.

Additionally, the Government has convened a Unified Command Post (PMU) on migration, which will include representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Presidency of the Republic. The purpose of this space is to establish and review protocols that ensure the dignified treatment of deported Colombians, guaranteeing that procedures respect human rights and the integrity of each person.

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

Shot, and Chaser, Vice President-Elect Shadypants Edition. I'm sure he was told who was driving the car, even before he did this tweet.

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Fair enough; here's my profile pic, one of the few birdsitey things from the hellsite...🙂

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 17/09/2024

Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #650,537!😅😄🙂

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 29/09/2023

Not only that, if his tl over on X is any indication, he wants folks to believe he's pro-worker to the point of supporting the @demsocialists.bsky.social...

X Repost of Republican Senator Josh Hawley implying support for the Democratic Socialists of America through a repost that includes a DSA sign (at least when it comes to the UAW strike).

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Matt Hardwick, Public Policy Wonk @matthardwick.bsky.social · 21/09/2023

Even if Mr. Musk wasn't addicted to any number of stimulants like coffee at this point, I presume how Starbucks' corporate performance of the "industrialist woo" of Scientific (sic) Management interests him. rationalwiki.org/wiki/Taylorism

I love Starbucks tbh -- Elon Musk, who's always looking for ways to, ah, get more productivity out of his workers, actually being really honest on X/Twitter in a 9/20/23 post

Trung Phan, 9/20 X post:

Starbucks annual sales is ~$40B across 37k+ stores.

At such scale, it’s very profitable to shave a few seconds off each order.

Per Bloomberg, Starbucks would make an extra ~$900m a year if each store served 5 extra patrons per day.

That’s why Starbucks is spending $450m on a new bar setup called Siren System, where the key ingredients — dairy, pumps, caffeine, ice — are placed in a new optimized counter.

Take a Mocha Frappuccino:

▫️Under the existing system, it takes 16 steps and 87 seconds
▫️Under Siren System, it will be 14 steps and 36 seconds.

There are currently 383 billion potential drink combinations at Starbucks. And orders have gotten so ridiculously elaborate, that the average wait time is 5 minutes.

Why does Starbucks put up with the extra? Cause “extras” on the order are worth $1B a year.

For people like me — who just want a simple black Trenta iced coffee — it’s kinda annoying.

The Siren System will be in 40% of US stores by 2026.

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