The awful things won’t go away
On (not) keeping up with the news
Through my Bluesky feeds I’ve been keeping up with events of the day, but I’ve been choosing topics here more deliberately. This is in some ways an extension of a social media practice I adopted to survive TFP’s first term: When I’m feeling outraged or angry, I should refrain from posting about the topic for 24 hours. The awful things won’t go away, but tomorrow I can think about them more clearly.
Good governance
Thursday as I prepped elements of our meal I listened to a conversation about the future of US passenger rail between Ray Delahanty (aka “CityNerd”) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Delahanty spoke in both the intro and outro about the challenge of summarizing the wide diversity of projects made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Buttigieg once again worked to frame these as the Biden administration’s “Big Deal” legacy. While there’s tons of information currently on the White House and Department of Transportation websites, we can expect that the content will vanish the week of January 20th, as the incoming administration moves swiftly to erase any traces of previous accomplishments or successes.
Of course governments can never be perfect. But I remain far from convinced that markets can—or should—solve for the foundational needs of a society.
Bob Woodward, in the epilogue of his latest book, reflected on the remarkability of the Biden administration in this regard:
Reporting for this book on President Biden has been a radically different experience for me. Many of the news-breaking scenes in my prior books are stories of failures, mismanagement, dishonesty and the corruption of executive power, most regularly demonstrated in my books on Presidents Nixon and Trump.
Often I have said, only half-jokingly, that when I wake up in the morning my first thought is: "What are the bastards hiding?"
...
War, this book on Biden, however, gave me what was often a real-time, inside-the-room look at genuine good faith efforts by the president and his core national security team to wield the levers of executive power responsibly and in the national interest. At the center of good governance, as evidenced in this book, is teamwork.
Biden’s failures have been many, but the profit-motive, the corruption, and the secrecy of TFP and his team are bad governance. We’ve seen it before. This go around will almost certainly be worse.
Our best opportunities for good governance in the next several years will be found at the local and state levels.
Good news where we can get it
Political newcomer Adena Ishii, was elected as mayor of Berkeley on a YIMBY and safe streets platform. She is a Run for Something candidate (one of 222 who won this November in races across the country).
She also happens to be the younger sister of one of my favorite Dungeons & Dragons players, video game and voice actor Erika Ishii.
I have sent many friends to this 2019 conversation with Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan*, in which Erika shares her thoughts on tabletop RPGs as a place to build skills in communication, teamwork, trust, improvisation, and play.
*Mulligan was a guest this month on the 99% Invisible breakdown of The Power Broker by Robert Caro. The whole series is worth a listen, even if you’re not reading the book—with guests that include Jamelle Bouie, AOC, Michael Schur, and—because talking about Robert Moses means talking about infrastructure—Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
One @#$%ing thing
Tonight I cancelled three recurring subscriptions I no longer need, so that more of my money is available for giving away. (I also increased my monthly donation to Alameda County Community Food Bank, because every $1 counts.)
All the @#$%ing things
Night 23: Dwelt in gratitude
Night 22: Picked up pie from a favorite local business
Night 21: Downsized my clothes closet
Night 20: Increased my monthly contribution to the ACLU
Night 19: Deleted a blog from two decades ago
Night 18: Researched nonprofit board opportunities
Night 17: Contributed to Trans Lifeline
Night 16: Spent time together with loved ones
Night 15: Bought from a not-for-profit online store
Night 14: Refined an icon and wordmark
Night 13: Contributed to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
Night 12: Contributed to The Guardian
Night 11: Read, reflected, and rested
Night 10: Sent money to support vaccinations in Nigeria
Night 9: Sent money to a friend in need
Night 8: Gave gifts and spoke words of appreciation aloud
Night 7: Contributed to a California-focused nonprofit newsroom
Night 6: Made homemade donuts for my team
Night 5: Opted into a paid Buttondown tier
Night 4: Reviewed my local election results
Night 3: Deactivated my X account
Night 2: Contributed to my local nonprofit newsroom
Night 1: Started by starting
Words, sorts, thinks, and actions by Chris Ereneta, from Oakland, California. Thanks for reading! Thoughtful feedback and questions are welcomed at that.often@gmail.com