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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

RFK Jr’s fixation on environmental causes of a so called “epidemic” in regards to ASD is uninformed and dangerous.

Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

There is some caution that a society that diagnoses at higher rates might be more prone to overdiagnosis. But we also might just be doing a better job at meeting the needs of more neurodivergent people.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

What’s important is RFK Jr is essentially trying to explain a phenomena that doesn’t exist. There is no “epidemic”. Changes in modern society have altered our awareness and the standards we use in defining neurodivergence. And I do not believe this necessarily a bad thing!

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

For ASD, I know less but from what I am aware (2) and (3) are also big factors. Especially as ASD was when redefined as a spectrum, this lowered the threshold of how severe symptoms need to be in order to be diagnosable.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Some possible reasons ADHD diagnoses have increased: - Higher performance schooling standards raise the benefits of receiving a diagnosis vs going untreated - Raised awareness and lower stigma have lowered the costs of being diagnosed - The “diagnosable” threshold has been lowered

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Essentially thinking of neurodivergence as an “epidemic” is deeply flawed because: higher diagnosis rates =\= higher true prevalence of the condition

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

While about ADHD and not ASD: “‘the rise of ADHD is a consequence of what might otherwisebe considered a good thing: that the world we live in increasingly values intellectual consideration and rationality ... Modernity didn’t create ADHD It revealed it.’” - Malcolm Gladwell, 1999

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

I think it has to also be contextualized that voter turnout was lower in 2024. Swing doesn’t necessarily just come from people changing parties, but higher retention of 2020 red voters vs 2020 blue voters.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

If anyone has any leads in the area (or remote) or knows of anyone looking for an Applied Microeconomist, I’d be happy to have the connection! I also have a strong public health background (JAMA Pub), and my JMP was labor / health focused.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Hi #EconSky! I was on the market this past cycle, specifically focused on the DC-Maryland-Virginia area because my fiancé is at the Fed Board (we get married this May). I had a few government offers, all of which ended up being affected by the current civil service cuts.

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Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science @skytteprize.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Herbert P. Kitschelt is the winner of the 2025 Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science. 🏆 He is awarded the prize for " having increased knowledge of the functioning of democratic party systems with exquisite theoretical acuity and impressive empirical breadth and depth."

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Congratulations to my soon to be father in law for winning the “Nobel” prize in Political Science! 👏 👏 👏

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

It’s a genre bend, and more comedy / thriller (and even musical) than it is horror imo. Probably could count on one hand the number of jump scares in the movie.

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Senator Chris Van Hollen is on his way to El Salvador to discuss bringing Kilmar Abrgeo Garcia back home.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Also important in response to these takes: slower growth from a recession does not necessarily mean lower prices if the economy is stagflationary. (Ahem, tariffs)

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

I’ve seen lots of cope that crashing the markets is part of some demented strategy to show the administration means business. But no. The simplest answer is just that they’re not rational, and whatever strategy there may be is irrational as well.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

The actions of our country’s leaders makes a lot more sense when you accept that they are not rational actors.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

First time I’ve watched an international sports game the US was playing in and rooted against the US. Go Canada, they deserved this win! 🇨🇦

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

I’ve pretty much made it a daily routine to send one letter or call in the morning. Always about a new topic… 😮‍💨

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WIRED @wired.com · 04/02/2025

EXCLUSIVE: The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is a sleepy part of the Treasury Department. It’s also where, sources say, a 25-year-old engineer tied to Elon Musk has admin privileges over the code that controls Social Security payments, tax returns, and more.

wired.com

A 25-Year-Old With Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is a sleepy part of the Treasury Department. It’s also where, sources say, a 25-year-old engineer tied to Elon Musk has admin privileges over the code that controls So...

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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

New and important: we built a federal expenditure tracker. All expenditure line items that are available on the Daily Treasury Statement. USAID was zeroed out on 1/28 and has been at zero ever since. www.hamiltonproject.org/data/trackin... #EconSky

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

RIP all of us applied economists, econometricians, and IO folks working on anything to do with barriers to entry

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

(NYT) - More than 8,000 web pages across more than a dozen U.S. government websites have been taken down since Friday afternoon, a New York Times analysis has found .. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/u...

nytimes.com

Thousands of U.S. Government Web Pages Have Been Taken Down Since Friday

Federal agencies moved to satisfy Trump’s orders to remove topics like diversity initiatives and “gender ideology.”

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

If you see this, quote with flowers from your gallery

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Even if he thought she was “God’s enemy”, isn’t it Christ who also said “Love your enemy, and pray for those who persecute you”? Sounds a lot different than commanding people to “properly hate in response”

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Chris Harvey @chrisharvey.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Pics I just took from the garage of our local Target. The evac warnings haven’t reached us yet but they’re getting closer than I’d like.

A wide higher-angle shot at night, showing a range of dark hills dotted with lights from houses. At the very bottom of frame the 405 freeway can be seen. Towering over the hills is a dark orange cloud of smoke with fringes of fire at the top of the hills.

A telephoto higher-angle shot at night, showing a range of dark hills dotted with lights from houses. Towering over the hills is a dark orange cloud of smoke with fringes of fire at the top of the hills.

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Ben Golub @bengolub.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Microeconomics is the study of two agents interacting, while macroeconomics is the study of one agent interacting.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

I would think one reason you might get different estimates for b1 and b2, would be if the interaction of X_it*D_i for one or more of the controls is confounding variable itself, so (1) had OVB by not including the interaction.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Yeah, it’s still the Internet. I think it’s still overall a better product, but my primary reason for being on Sky is still better for my own mental health to know my daily bits of scrolling aren’t benefiting Elon Musk.

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Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Since media continues obsession with CEO killer, I'll renew suggestion..focus instead on HEALTH POLICY Some additional suggested topics (others below): -potential cuts to Medicaid in next Congress -science on vaccines -health costs -consolidation,effects on prices -declining life expectancy

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

I’ll take “things that didn’t happen for $500 please”

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

I think Clark is pretty deserving, but there’s just as strong of a case for Biles or Ohtani.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Where else but Bluesky would the top two trends I see on my feed be: 1. Overleaf is down! 2. There’s a coup attempt in South Korea!

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Our contributions to the thanksgiving table this year

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Will be exciting to root for SMU in the ACC Championship Game!

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Liked this to try and contribute to more record growth for tomorrow

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Yeah, we are far enough out from the pandemic now that for many employees cutting remote work options (even if it was only a 3 days a week in office) is cutting part of the package they were hired under. Or for senior employees, it's cutting benefits they have now grown accustomed to.

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

My two cents: If 'Elite' institutions care about improving economic diversity, they need to do a better job at communicating to low and middle-income students 1. How their institutions actually benefit them 2. How their institutions are actually accessible to them Easier said than done. (5/5)

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

In effect, at the time my perception of 'best value' for a college degree was essentially a cost-minimizing problem subject to a constraint of 'good enough' program quality. For low and middle-income students, given the information they receive, this is probably a perfectly rational mindset. (4/5)

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

The sticker prices of most 'elite' institutions definitely felt like a deterrent when applying. I had a mindset of "even if I got into X, I couldn't afford it." Talk among students applying was focused on who got 'full rides' and the best scholarships more so than institution pedigree. (3/5)

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Messaging I often heard in my public HS (mix of low and middle-income student body) was that 'a degree is a degree'. Much of the messaging from teachers + admin was just to get students, many of which would be first-gen college students, just to see the value of ANY higher ed. (2/5)

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Really interesting paper. A thought on a potential factor (beyond the obvious less resources + connections). A perception gap: Lower income groups may perceive the benefit as less, or the costs + barrier of entry as higher, to even try applying. From my experience: (1/5)

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

You should include the god of measurement error here @dlmillimet.bsky.social

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Travis Whitacre @traviswhitacre.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I would say when I “skip the math” when reading a paper to get the intuition it’s because of trust. I trust the theorist and the peer reviewers, and that trust allows me to save time. When it’s time to read a paper critically, I often skip the introduction and go straight to the methods/math

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