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tai-h.bsky.social

@tai-h.bsky.social
31 followers 56 following 3 posts
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Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
one important meta-point I was trying to make in this article about DOGE is that the direct size of the federal government was already very small by historic standards The Fed's share of the workforce was near all-time lows in 2024, & thats true even accounting for contractors
DOGE was clearly never going to achieve the fiscal promises of its biggest boosters, simply because the direct size of the federal government was already very low by modern standards—non-postal service Federal employees made up only 1.5% of American workers in early 2025, functionally the same as at the start of Trump’s first term in 2017 and lower than even pre-WWII. Defense spending as a share of GDP hit a post-WWII low in 2022, and the entirety of the post-Ukraine-invasion buildup has only increased its share by 0.2 percentage points and still leaves it below pre-9/11 levels. Outside of recessions, nondefense administrative spending & direct investment has hovered between 2.6-2.7% of GDP for decades. The vast majority of federal spending is not on administrative costs but on social spending for legitimate recipients.
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 18/10/2025
#NOKINGS New York City, NY
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Paul Williams @pewilliams.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
As Chirag says: more supply means more effective redistribution. A family given a housing voucher in a supply constrained market often never finds a home.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
​This story from Charleston, SC shows why on-demand transit can't scale: 1️⃣ Transit agency offers those 55+ $21 off 20 monthly Uber/Lyft rides if they pay $4/trip 2️⃣ Seniors sign up in droves, blowing the budget 3️⃣ Transit agency quickly tightens eligibility, lowers subsidy by 1/3, & raises copay 25%
postandcourier.com
CARTA cuts an Uber/Lyft subsidy for older residents after this column made it popular
The transit agency in Charleston S.C. has for years offered older residents vouchers for discounted Uber and Lyft rides, but now that the program's become popular cutbacks are coming.
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Lisa Tozzi @lisatozzi.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Trump and Elon Musk plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and strip transitioning military veterans and their families overseas of the generous federal hiring incentives they rely on. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
rollingstone.com
Trump and Musk Are Going to War Against Military Veterans
Donald Trump’s new order gives Musk and DOGE carte blanche and sets limits on hiring veterans and transitioning active duty military personnel.
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Urban Land Rent 🇸🇴🚰 @urbanlandrent.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Private Equity bought single digits % worth of for-sale housing at its peak and haven’t really bought anything since Q4 2022.
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Jennifer Maiko Bradshaw @amoralorealis.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Do planners not realize that single detached-only zoning makes the neighborhood most prone to gentrification? Rich people love luxury detached. They’re just going to rebuild old houses for new houses. Low density zoning is NOT an anti-gentrification tool, quite the opposite.
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Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
Spokane passed a bunch of housing reforms recently—eliminating parking minimums, increasing height maximums, reducing lot minimums, allowing more missing middle, & expanding property tax exemptions for new multifamily projects—and now they're building record amounts of housing
a graph of Spokane housing permitting over time, showing it spike in 2023/2024
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M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
"I find that rents fall by 2% for parcels within 100m of new construction. Renters' risk of displacement to a lower-income neighborhood falls by 17%." papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 27/12/2024
Just an FYI when talking about city/town budgets:
This is a Venn diagram illustrating the trade-offs between three desires: "I Want Stable Services," "I Want Low Density," and "I Want Low Taxes." Each overlapping section describes the implications of combining those desires:

Stable Services + Low Density: Leads to high taxes.
Stable Services + Low Taxes: Requires more density.
Low Density + Low Taxes: Results in service cuts.
The center of the diagram, where all three desires overlap, is labeled "Does Not Exist," highlighting that achieving all three simultaneously is unrealistic.
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Stu Donovan @studonovan.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
🚨urban economics research siren🚨 This new paper analyses the effects of upzoning in Auckland by first specifying and second estimating an urban economic model. The results imply upzoning led to: - a 24% increase in floorspace; and - a 15 to 27% fall in house prices. Paper here: t.co/VhlUfIgsTD
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Hayden Clarkin @thetransitguy.com · 17/12/2024
If you’re wondering whether your city or town has a sense of place, ask yourself where a Christmas market would naturally be located—a place where most residents would agree is the right location. If no such place comes to mind, your city or town may be missing one.
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M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
French cities with higher supply elasticity see lower price growth. This variation in supply elasticity is explained by variation in the restrictiveness of local land-use regulations.
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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
gotDAMN
two posts from threads

first is from @camillecardonaa and says: I just found out that only 1.5% of Japan's population is Christian and I'm heartbroken.

second is a reply from @orangedweller and says: Hi. Japan's homicide rate is 07% per 100K. United States homicide rate is 5.7% per 100K.
Japan's unhoused population in 2024: 2,820. United States unhoused: 653,104.
Japan also has one of the highest food security rates in the whole big world. Meanwhile, in the US, 18 million people are food insecure.
Maybe this Sunday you can ask the Christians what their bible says about poor people and murder. Sorry bout your heart.
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Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Unfunded IZ mandates are basically a tax on new housing construction, tax something more and you’ll tend to get less of it
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Brian @brianpoteet.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Big DB90 rezoning just filed for the Ford dealership in North Loop. Over 2000 units planned!
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Brian @brianpoteet.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Two rezonings near Crestview station received final approval today - one for 160 ft and the other for 120 ft.
6916 N Lamar Blvd6725 Shirley Avenue
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eggnog slut @deus01.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
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Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
In Texas, Houston was able to claim the crown for the triangle's fastest-growth amidst a regional oil boom. Growth in Austin & Dallas slowed to the more "normal" pace they tended to see pre-COVID, but remain well above the national average.
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AURA: An Austin for Everyone @aura-atx.org · 02/12/2024
Early voting for the District 7 runoff starts TODAY! Go vote for Mike Siegel, the pro-housing pro-transit candidate for D7! Early voting ends Dec. 10, and Election Day is Dec. 14. More information on polling locations, polling dates/times, and sample ballots here: votetravis.gov/current-elec...
Mike Siegel is endorsed by AURA for Austin City Council District 7
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M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Berkeley, California, the birthplace of single-family zoning, has gone full YIMBY. www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...
sfchronicle.com
California’s progressive epicenter just went YIMBY
Adena Ishii’s rise to become Berkeley’s new mayor marks a decisive shift for the city and its progressive politics.
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Parker Welch @parkerwelch.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
AURA has a landing page for the December District 7 runoff republicizing our membership's endorsement of Mike, with links to help you find your district and commit to vote (helps the campaign & makes you less likely to get canvassed if you're already convinced!) aura-atx.org/d7runoff/
aura-atx.org
Support housing and transit — Vote Mike Siegel for Austin’s District 7 Runoff! - AURA
Mike Siegel is committed to tackling affordability and making Austin a city where all our essential workers – nurses, teachers, electricians, and more – can live and thrive. Vote for a brighter, more ...
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Parker Welch @parkerwelch.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Stolen with permission from my friend Cyrus— So far in 2024, Austin has pulled the most multi-family building permits in the entire country. Austin's total for all residential building permits is about the same as Los Angeles
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Jason Briggeman @jbriggeman.liberalcurrents.com · 15/11/2024
Kirk Watson wins re-election as Austin mayor, avoiding a time-consuming, money-burning runoff by thirteen (13) votes. One wonders if standing outside a polling place greeting voters with the @aura-atx.org handout that advocated for Watson made the difference. 😃 www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2024...
austinmonitor.com
Kirk Watson avoids runoff, secures new term as Austin mayor - Austin Monitor
Kirk Watson has officially won a new term as Austin’s next mayor. Watson led his four challengers on Nov. 5, but did not have enough votes to claim victory outright. He had to win a majority of the vo...
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