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Michael Westgaard

@meatopinion.bsky.social
375 followers 1K following 376 posts

Wastewater worker, Aspiring Sewer Socialist, and just trying to find a way to make a difference. Hope this place is better than the old one.

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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
When we Fight!
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Katie Cannon @katiecannon.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Our government creates our legal unit of account out of thin air Banks create loans out of thin air “The Dangerous Myth of Tax Payer Money” where the rich “pay for” the poor, men for women, whites for people of color, is destroying our country www.jezebel.com/the-dangerou...
jezebel.com
The Dangerous Myth of 'Taxpayer Money'
Since 2007, Jezebel has been the Internet's most treasured source for everything celebrities, sex, and politics...with teeth.
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publicporpoise.bsky.social @publicporpoise.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
@citycastseattle.bsky.social @cascadiajournal.bsky.social Love to see public banking in WA getting some coverage. Come out to the roundtable tomorrow! We’ll be discussing my Public Bonding proposal with @moneyontheleft.bsky.social and the pathways forward with @waforpublicbanking.bsky.social!
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Senator Hasegawa had been an incredible leader on public banking and we should finally do it so we can build the infrastructure we need. A public bank at the very least frees us to do the work needed without having to pay the vig to the capital class.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
This is the way.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Stop the delays to building. We can have safe thoughtful approval process that doesn't give rich neighborhoods veto rights over that process.
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Nathan Tankus @nathantankus.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
NEW @crisesnotes.bsky.social: @levmenand.bsky.social and I had the chance to go on Odd Lots with @tracyalloway.bsky.social and @weisenthal.bsky.social. The episode came out yesterday, but here is the transcript. www.crisesnotes.com/notes-on-the...
crisesnotes.com
Notes on the Crises on Bloomberg Odd Lots: Lev Menand and Nathan Tankus on Why Fed Independence Is Now Hanging by a Thread
Last August, President Trump made the unprecedented choice of moving to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Yes they should.
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WA Whistles @wawhistles.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
ICE is surging in the Seattle area. (Map shows activity in the last week) Do you have your whistle with you?
Map of ICE sightings from iceout.org, 7/1-7/8, showing Puget sound area between Fort Lewis and Marysville.
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Bryn Davidson - Lanefab @lanefab.com · 08/07/2026
Vancouver: Single Stair Code + "Villages" Plan Critics will be critics, but the truth is we've never seen single stair urbanism in action in Canada (or most of North America). It's a new thing.
Single stair small lot apartment building, 4 storeys with retail at grade.
Adjacent buildings include single stair flats, multiplexes and single family homes.  3D model and concept by Lanefab / Oori Architecture. Rendered by Gemini.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Never forget that when Seoul, Korea removed the Cheonggyecheon expressway in 2003 and replaced it with a restored stream, 1000 acre park and improved public transit, not only did it TRANSFORM the city’s public life and economic success, but the car traffic got better. The car traffic got BETTER.
Before image of massive car-choked at-grade and elevated highways in central Seoul.After image of restored stream and hugely popular public park
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The Rude Pundit @rudepundit.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Always remember that Mark Penn advising Hillary Clinton is one reason Trump was elected. He is a fucking plague on the American political system and is wrong all the time.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I won't tell people if I win the lottery. But there will be signs.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Big if true!
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
"America’s extreme right wing is by far the country’s big problem, and it’s hard to address that problem when powerful elites insist that the trouble is with “both sides.”" newrepublic.com/article/2125...
newrepublic.com
Democratic Centrists Need to Stop Saying “Both Sides” Have “Extremes”
Yes, democratic socialists are left of traditional Democrats. But they aren’t remotely as radical—or anywhere near as powerful—as the MAGA right
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Nick @nicksattele.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
TWELVE LANES vs ONE Light Rail. Congrats Link for dethroning I-5 as busiest transportation infrastructure in Seattle
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
win.kirosforco.com/monday-phone...
win.kirosforco.com
Phonebank w/ nat'l DSA, DSA-LA, Seattle DSA, JVPA & Sunrise! - Kiros for Congress
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Hannah Sabio-Howell @hannahsabiohowell.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
As of tonight’s sole endorsement from @kcdems.bsky.social, we’re the only campaign in our race endorsed by all of the endorsing Democratic Party organizations! Against a powerful incumbent who has held this seat for 20 years, that’s a huge sign that the winds are shifting. We’re ready for change!
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Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · 22/06/2026
Trams on grass, Bucharest edition.
A green and white tram glides along a grassy right-of-way lined with trees and tall buildings on a summer evening in Bucharest.
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Nathan Tankus @nathantankus.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
ICYMI, I've launched a series I'm going to be doing indefinitely about the Trump Administration's Office of Management and Budget- starting with the first ten memos the Trump administration issued last year.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Incredible important project for state independence from financial predators.
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Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Founded in 2011 by author Ellen Brown and a core collective of advocates, PBI aims to break the monopoly of Wall Street’s private banking system by establishing a nationwide network of publicly owned, democratically accountable banks. moneyontheleft.org/2026/06/01/t...
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Completely agree. The leadership has worked harder to stop the progressive wing of the party then Trump, MAGA, or Israel.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
We should limit it to the speed limit.
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Jonathan Berk 🏠 @berkie1.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
A new @pewresearch.org study finds that infill housing near jobs, stores, and transit costs governments ~$21,000 less per home to serve, cuts long term infrastructure maintenance costs in half, and generates 13% more in annual property tax revenue per acre than sprawl.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Did it
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Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Making Digital Public Spaces w/ MUSICat
moneyontheleft.org
Making Digital Public Spaces w/ MUSICat
This month Money on the Left is joined by the folks behind the MUSICat project, an online music streaming service for public libraries designed to share heterogenous local music…
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Shirley Leung, PhD @shirleyswirley.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
My fave thing besides the little kids was also the many old people riding their bikes too The only thing that would make this even better is more apartments rather than mansions on LWB so more ppl can easily access it
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
WATCH— @aoc.bsky.social :“We’ve been taught to lower our expectations for things that a generation ago were afforded to every American. It didn’t feel like a fantasy to be able to have one job, support your family, go on vacation, and put some money in your pocket…” (From @marcofoster.bsky.social)
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Is this successful too?
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Huge if true!
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Important governance at work at Union Station. Follow Ryan Packer who covers transit across the region better then anybody else in the region.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Show Brian Heywood we stand for our trans neighbors 🏳️‍⚧️
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Every downtown and connecting urban center across King County.
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Shirley Leung, PhD @shirleyswirley.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Every single street through belltown and downtown Seattle should look like this
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Peter Norton @norton.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
In 1923 we knew that the best path to safety was not to rebuild cities for fast driving but to make driving less necessary. In 1923 we knew that the best path to economy was not to make gas cheaper but to make gas less necessary.
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Spokane Rising @spokanerising.com · 20/05/2026
Washington’s B&O tax (read: revenue tax) penalizes the very low-margin businesses (like independent restaurants, bars, retailers, and grocery stores) that cities need to thrive. We can and must fix our broken tax system to make these businesses easier to start and run.
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
“The Highway Lobby spends millions to make sure we spend billions.” — Union of Concerned Scientists. Their profit, your cost. Pleased to support @ucs.org in sharing/boosting their important new article below, with our newest @urbantruth.bsky.social poster. #UrbanTruth
Same text as post, over an image of a highway jammed with congested cars. Via the Urban Truth Collective.
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
That's my union! Solidarity Forever
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
We need to have a better understanding of financial vehicles and power of public independence. A better world is possible but we will never attain if we are stuck in only taxing the rich. We need to tax away their power/influence and take public control of the infrastructure to build a better world.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Flights of less than 350 miles should be a train ride. 🙃
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
This is the only thing that will change the path we're on. We have to end corruption and concentration of power to actually have a chance for a better world.
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Chris Nelder @chrisnelder.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Think about how many stories & headlines you've seen about small modular reactors (which still don't exist commercially) and how they can be 'manufactured' at scale. Now think about how many stories you have NOT seen about the small modular energy manufacturing juggernaut that's actually happening.
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The Overhead Wire @theoverheadwire.com · 04/05/2026
Monday's Most Read # 1 - Privatizing the Mail link.theoverheadwire.com/6vuam Phenomenal World
link.theoverheadwire.com
Privatizing the Mail | Benjamin Y. Fong
No private company is logistically capable of delivering the mail. So what does privatization of the US Postal Service mean?
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
fighting drought by harvesting energy. you love to see it
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Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
the wooden massing model for freiburg's dietenbach ecodistrict is massive and amazing. note different colors - different buildings. different heights. large courtyards. www.freiburg.de/pb/1980721.h...
wood model of district
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Michael Westgaard @meatopinion.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Absolutely correct.
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SEIU_ORG @seiu.org · 29/04/2026
"Today, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and handed politicians a roadmap to erase the voting power of Black, Latino, API, and Indigenous communities while hiding behind the excuse of 'partisanship.'" - @seiupres.bsky.social, April Verrett's full statement: seiu.co/4n2Xc4v
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SEIU Local 925 @seiu925.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Today, SEIU 925 members packed the King County Council meeting and delivered a clear message: workers in Parks, Wastewater, and Public Defense will not be ignored. For months, King County has stonewalled workers on wages, benefits, public defender caseloads, and more. #UnionsForAll
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Money on the Left @moneyontheleft.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The Black University & Community Currencies
moneyontheleft.org
The Black University & Community Currencies
In this episode, Money on the Left shares audio from “The Black University & Community Currencies,” a public workshop convened by Professor Andrew J. Douglas at Morehouse College on April…
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