Twitter was once the most consequential place online. Twitter seemed to set the agenda for discussions elsewhere. Even last year, it still mattered. Whatever Twitter is now, it is no longer that venue.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/opinion/elon-musk-twitter.html?smid=tw-share

America’s legal system today

I want to practice law:
—You need a 4 year Bachelors, take the LSAT, then a 3 year JD, then pass the BAR, buy malpractice insurance, & total cost is ~$300K

I want to enforce the law:
—Here’s paid 13-week training & a gun

I want to write the law:
—No qualifications needed and a billionaire can buy you a seat

The corporate takeover of American politics was rapid and ruthless.

In the 1970s, I watched as thousands of corporate lobbyists descended on Washington. Fast forward to today, and lobbying has become a $3.7 billion dollar industry.

It all began with the Powell Memo.

So this is my second proper day of Mastodon.

Boost if you are staying. Are you happy here? Reply to boost your account. 🖖

Normally when I encounter the Philadelphia water department I'm on my bike and they're trying to kill me with their big trucks. But when I go to the river trail I see a softer side of the water department: PWD workers planting trees, teaching each other about plants, and digging irrigation canals to keep our city moist and fertile.

It makes me wonder how often I've encountered someone in a space where defensiveness is the norm, and missed out on seeing a side of them that is warm and loving.