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Thomas Masterson

@thomasmasterson.bsky.social
430 followers 402 following 348 posts

Senior Scholar and Director of Graduate Programs at Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

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Reposted by Thomas Masterson
William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 1h
remember: it saved no net money, social services US citizens are getting cut, and left the US in a weaker place geopolitically. none of the debates about fiscal responsibility, obligation to US citizens first, or 'hard choices' actually apply. they're all bullshit. killed people for nothing at all.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h
Rick Scott: "Obamacare has been a disaster, so what we gotta do is we gotta go back to let the private sector work. Give you the choices ... treat it like a cell phone. You know what plan to buy."
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Stephen Nuñez @socio-steve.bsky.social · 10h
Does the Hawks/Hawkeyes thing actually play into this or is it just an amusing sidebar? Because the more I look at "the evidence" the more it seems like the logic was: "Jack Smith went to a game on this day" "Only NBA game on that day was Hawks game" "Ergo he went to an NIBA game in Atlanta"
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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Water for bovine agriculture in Utah has become a grim obsession of mine since it is such a small, insiginificant part of their economy, irrelevant to their food supply and presents an imminent, deadly threat to its population via the Great Salt Lake drying up and creating poisonous dust clouds
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Maryn McKenna @marynmck.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fake. USDA. Seals. Used by an NC meat processing plant on 83.5 TONS of meat. Produced entirely outside the federal inspection system, according to news reports. We are pretty close to The Jungle (second ed.) now, no? www.scrippsnews.com/life/recalls...
scrippsnews.com
Interactive: Meat recall linked to fake USDA labels
Pork, beef and goat products are being recalled after a company allegedly used fake USDA inspection labels. Explore our interactive guide to see which products are affected and what to look for.
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Craig Harrington @craigipedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Amy Klobuchar stuffing another senator into a trashcan because he doesn't know the difference between "Hawks" and "Hawkeyes" is pretty great. "It was because Caitlin Clark was coming to Maryland to play, and so we went to the game." - Jack Smith bsky.app/profile/atru...
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The arguments you've heard against California's billionaire tax are utter BS. Here to debunk them — and explain why you should vote YES on Prop 40 — is renowned economist @gabrielzucman.bsky.social
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Thomas Masterson @thomasmasterson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Schopenhauer: "Scarcity. The struggle is real."
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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 29/09/2026
Norway has solution to this actually, stay at home parents can get their share of the public daycare subsidy as cash, that way parents are not pushed one way or the other. the problem of course is virtually no one on the center or right actually gives a shit about parents
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 29/09/2026
Lindsay Owens is the executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, who have done some of the most important work on surveillance pricing (using computers to spy on you to rip you off) and algorithmic wage discrimination (using computers to spy on you and steal your wages).
The cover for Lindsay Owens's 'Gouged.'
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Bard College @bardcollege.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The launch of the Ralph Ellison Center brings a range of initiatives to the Bard campus where Ellison taught from 1958-1961. These will include biannual flagship lectureships and the digitization of the Ellison archive, currently held at the Library of Congress. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/a...
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Ryan C. Smith @rcsmitheco.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
That's one way of saying that cutting off the flow of 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies, give or take on any given day, is having growing, negative consequences for the economy that are looking like the beginnings of a systemic shock. #EconSky
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Thomas Masterson @thomasmasterson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This seems so sweaty. "Really guys, this stuff is kryptonite! Buy ! Buy! Buy!"
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Levy Institute @levyecon.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In "Is the US Running Out of Time as the Rest of the World Runs Out of the Dollar?", L. Randall Wray argues for economic policies based in facts, not fictions. tinyurl.com/runningoutof... #FiscalPolicy #InterestRates #MonetaryPolicy #TrumpEconomy @ptcherneva
tinyurl.com
Is the US Running Out of Time as the Rest of the World Runs Out of the Dollar? – Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
Global trust in the US and its almighty dollar seems to be in question, with some nations scrambling to create alternative payment systems to compete with it. Some believe it...more
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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I've said this before, I'm a lot less interested in Mamdani the popular front-facing mayor of Zohran Mamdani the politician, who seems to have two major goals: 1) lower cost of living in New York City and 2) Build power for the DSA in New York.
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#TuckFrump @realtuckfrumper.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The fatal mistake that just blew up a decades-old Republican strategy #AlterNet
twp.ai
www.alternet.org
The fatal mistake that just blew up a decades-old Republican strategy
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alex williams @atwilliams.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
REAL REAL REAL REAL
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Trending Stocks @trending-stocks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Worse vibes than pandemic, 2008. #econsky
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Trending Stocks @trending-stocks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Hormuz hustle hikes per-barrel costs. #econsky
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The U.S. owes $40 trillion in debt. Everyone has an opinion about why. But there’s one question you almost never hear asked: Who’s actually getting paid?
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anastasia c. wilson @abolisheconomics.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Working Class Face a ‘Class Ceiling’ in Elite Occupations www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/b...
nytimes.com
The Working Class Face a ‘Class Ceiling’ in Elite Occupations
Being female or a person of color has long been seen as a disadvantage in hiring and promotion. A new study of college professors shows that class may loom as large.
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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 25/09/2026
I've been thinking about this photo all day. Considering how the Trump administration is constantly ranting about Communists, and how Pete Hegseth is always nattering on about our WARFIGHTERS, it's genuinely crazy to me that this image exists. www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-kowt...
Screenshot of a Getty photograph captioned: "U.S. military personnel unroll the red carpet at the bottom of the stairs of an Air China plane carrying Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 23, 2026. (Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images)" Above it, also in the screenshot, is a paragraph of text from a Bulwark article that included that picture. The text reads: "That was certainly the sense conveyed by the ceremony as a whole. There was the televised spectacle of American service members on their hands and knees, smoothing wrinkles and picking specks of dirt off the 100-foot long red carpet that had been unrolled for Xi, as Chinese officials looked on approvingly from the door of their airplane before their leader descended the stairs."
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Cameron 🇺🇸🗽🦅 @cameroncorduroy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
talking about water use policy is impossible because "AI data centers use a lot of water to cool the computers" sounds way more believable than "they're draining the Great Salt Lake so the Governor of Utah can sell alfalfa to Saudi Arabia" and yet
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Econ Data Charts @econdatacharts.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Unemployment rate remains steady at 4.1% in August 2026, unchanged from July. Data from BLS via FRED. This is just data, not advice. #economics #EconSky
Line or bar chart of Unemployment rate over recent years, from FRED.
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Levy Institute @levyecon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Author Ray Madoff and trustee Hilary Pennington discuss how the tax code "has created two... American societies: the working Americans who pay and the ultrarich who benefit." Register: tinyurl.com/RayMadoff #SecondEstate #TaxCode #economics #RayMadoff
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Levy Institute @levyecon.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Considering an MA or MS in Economics? Our next Info Session is Monday! connect.bard.edu/register/Lev... #MAeconomics #MSeconomics #hetrodoxeconomics #neoclassicaleconomics
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Dana Houle @danahoule.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I’ve been saying for probably a year Kansas Senate could be in play, because of the year, & because Marshall is such a bad candidate. And that was before I knew we’d have such a strong candidate, & before I knew Roger Marshall was even worse than I thought.
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Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 25/09/2026
The Trump DOJ has been going after med schools as part of his anti-DEI crusade. Its latest target? UCSF. Apparently, asking applicants how race shaped their lives is discrimination now—even though SCOTUS said schools could consider exactly that. Baby Boom! Lawyered. Wherever you get your podcasts.
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JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Interesting to think about the cases where most people agree that price regulation is fine. If this is appropriate now, why not at other times? gothamist.com/news/nyc-bra...
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Incredible. First Secretary Mullin claimed that DHS had identified 15,903 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter roll. Then DHS officials told a skeptical Nevada, no no no, that’s just people we flagged. Here are the names of 185 people we KNOW aren’t citizens. All 185 were citizens. DHS got 100% wrong.
When the Department of Homeland Security sent Nevada a list of 185 names last month that it claimed identified noncitizens who had been improperly allowed to register to vote, state election officials got to work.
On Tuesday, the state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen.
"As for the 185 individuals, our records indicate that they were citizens," Greg D. Ott, a deputy attorney general in Nevada, wrote, according to a copy of a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security officials obtained through open records requests.
"You have provided nothing of substance to suggest otherwise."Following the meeting, Ms. Vogt sent a clarifying email to Nevada officials. "I also wanted to be sure I clarified that we did not reduce the 15,903 to 185," she wrote. "We've manually reviewed some of the 15,903 and confirmed 185 are not U.S. Citizens."
Now, Nevada officials are saying even that 185 number is wrong. They also took issue with a letter D.H.S. sent them in early September, in which the agency reiterated its initial claims about nearly 16,000 noncitizens on the rolls and pressured state officials to review each case in a letter to Nevada officials in early September.
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Greg Greene (he/him/his) @greene.haus · 26/09/2026
And at a time when Texas barbecue joints are taking brisket off the menu, surely ranchers and diners alike feel overjoyed to see the president working hard to bring beef prices down.
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Laprofmme @laprofmme.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
And certainly not nearly as consequential for women’s safety and education than trans girls and women getting to play sports /s
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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Facts Not unprecedented though.. The French monarchy was trash forever, but it was high bread prices that finally got 'em.
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Austin Curreri @austymcfrosty.myatproto.social · 26/09/2026
As a current CUNY student, I can attest to not only the quality of the education, but how much damage has incurred to the institutions. They're only holding on because of the community, and it needs support.
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born2balive.bsky.social @born2balive.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The New Yorker posted exactly how I interpreted the whole visit.
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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Aaron Ransom "It’s simple logic"
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 24/09/2026
JUST IN: Senate Republicans are backing Trump’s war despite your skyrocketing gas prices. Remember that in November. #BlueWaveIn40Days
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Cake or Death @johngcole.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I can't stop thinking about this story it explains so much gizmodo.com/71-of-americ...
gizmodo.com
71% of Americans Say They're Completely Exhausted
A CDC report shows that people are not feeling relaxed and restful in the United States.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
DoorDash spent $1.4M trying to stop Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. This week's historic $131.5M enforcement action against DoorDash for underpaying NYC delivery workers shows why. Yet another reminder that the only thing that can beat organized money is organized people.
theintercept.com
DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why.
In a wage-theft settlement, DoorDash now has to pay its workers around 100 times what it spent trying to beat Zohran Mam
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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
why are the midterms any part of this decision might be a question
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Mike Konczal @mtkonczal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I knew but still am amazed at how bad these numbers are, 10th percentile having a worse time of it than peak 10% inflation in 2022.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Guy who never stops talking about trans children has thoughts about grown men who seem to be pretty obsessed with trans children
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Joe Flynn @chinajoeflynn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hi folks. If you saw this, you know the administration plans to only accept white South Africans next year. Tomorrow is Congress's formal say before the determination is signed. Please check this brief thread on why I'd like you to speak out for the Afghan people still in limbo...
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Trump regime has killed at least 234 people by bombing boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean since last September. Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it. This is a danger to us all.
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Wonkette @wonkettemedia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Just updated with what we think is a WONKETTE EXCLUSIVE SCOOP (no, not a kitty litter scoop, pay attention). We may have found a source for the claim that there's a scourge of airline furries: A zombie website for furry fans in the airline industry. It hasn't been updated since 2022.
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Ben Zipperer @benzipperer.org · 24/09/2026
Did AI increase unemployment among recent college grads this summer? Probably not. Summer of 2026 was pretty normal compared to earlier years. new research from Robert Fairlie and Jane Wu
Line plot of monthly unemployment of recent college graduates, by year.

Figure 2a from https://www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/publications/2026/working-paper/early-impacts-ai-employment-among-recent-college-graduates
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Every regime has one true sociopath among the opportunists.
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Maine Newsroom @mainenewsroom.com · 24/09/2026
9/24 ProPublica’s reporters say Senator Collins is now making “incorrect and misleading claims” #maine #MEpolitics
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