Author Archives: Jeff Porten

I’ve been arguing this for the last two years, that what’s cited here is part of a 200 year old trend, and there is simply no way in hell we’re going to reverse it. Every time I say this, I’m inundated with “why do you hate America, you heartless elitist.”

This is very simple. Rural America needs the same safety net that the rest of us do: universal healthcare, the kind of protections formerly created by unions, and eventually a UBI. That provides the baseline that allows those who wish to stay rural to survive, and maybe figure out ways to thrive.

What we *can’t* do is carve out rural America as some kind of special case that deserves more time, attention, and support than the rest of us. For one, they don’t. For another, it’s simply lower ROI than investing in cities. But by all means, let’s start treating everyone with some goddamn dignity. The Hard Truths of Trying to ‘Save’ the Rural Economy

“We’re not going to be satisfied until we’ve killed all of you.” Federal judge in Texas rules entire Obama health-care law is unconstitutional

Uh… okay, this would be news if a credible source corroborates it. Not the first time this week I’ve heard someone say Trump is a current drug user. Kathy Griffin on Twitter

Pretty much the only thing Trump has been consistently successful at in his lifetime is fucking with Chris Christie. Jennifer Jacobs on Twitter

My lifelong dream of becoming agoraphobic is proceeding nicely.

(Also: the COO of Starbucks is Roz Brewer? Is Mr. Bean the CFO?) Starbucks to add delivery, change its cafe cleaning schedule

You’d think the man would be willing to do ANYTHING that changed his Google results. Rick Santorum goes on CNN and says he won’t be Trump’s chief of staff

Tagging Karla Barnes and Kevin Moore because I know they travel. Tagging Joel Avery because the building is damn cool. Senegal Opens Museum of Black Civilizations—One of the Largest of Its Kind In the World

This is worth reading in its entirety. Intro excerpt: “It is no longer journalistically sound to report on the Trump investigation as if it is a matter that may, or may not, yield damning information about the President. In a series of filings that came Friday night, … Robert Mueller … leaves little doubt that Donald Trump sought to use his candidacy to enrich himself by approving a plan to curry political favor from Vladimir Putin in exchange for a lucrative real-estate opportunity.

It may be only part of the full story, but what we now know is a powerful tale that combines elements that are familiar from other Trumpworld scandals. It is, at once, shockingly corrupt, blatantly unethical, probably illegal, yet, at the same time, shabby, small, and ineptly executed.” The Ineptitude of Donald Trump’s Co-Conspirators

Now the metaphysical concept of ketchup counts as a vegetable. Trump administration finalizes rollback of Obama-era school lunch regulations