Andrew G. Benson
@a-g-benson.bsky.social
Energy Economist | PhD @ UC Irvine, Class of ‘21 | currently employed at Kairos Power (posts do not imply endorsement of employer) | Albuquerque, NM
https://github.com/a-g-benson
https://github.com/a-g-benson
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
“We noticed some anger from doctors last week. That’s why we invited RFK Jr. to talk about vaccines”
February 11, 2026 at 12:53 AM
“We noticed some anger from doctors last week. That’s why we invited RFK Jr. to talk about vaccines”
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
I like how "The West" in this article is just the United States. Even poor European countries like Portugal and Poland have high-speed trains!
Yes, China has impressive high-speed trains. That is no reason for the West to adopt iron-fisted rule
Are liberal values a luxury the West cannot afford?
Yes, China has impressive high-speed trains. That is no reason for the West to adopt iron-fisted rule
econ.st
February 11, 2026 at 12:04 AM
I like how "The West" in this article is just the United States. Even poor European countries like Portugal and Poland have high-speed trains!
"After two decades of legal wrangling and planning bottlenecks..." 😵😵😵
A new town for the 21st century? Seven-village build to begin after 20-year journey
A new town for the 21st century? Seven-village build to begin after 20-year journey
Gilston in Hertfordshire aims to be rebuke to cookie-cutter estates with network of 10,000 new homes within country parks and woodland
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:06 PM
"After two decades of legal wrangling and planning bottlenecks..." 😵😵😵
"Public intellectual" might be too generous a description of John Stewart, but I'm sharing this link because it documents similar behavior--reckless disregard for the truth in criticizing the field of economics to a large audience: www.theargumentmag.com/p/jon-stewar...
Jon Stewart has become his own worst nightmare
Econ 101? In this economy?
www.theargumentmag.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:53 PM
"Public intellectual" might be too generous a description of John Stewart, but I'm sharing this link because it documents similar behavior--reckless disregard for the truth in criticizing the field of economics to a large audience: www.theargumentmag.com/p/jon-stewar...
It was released on Friday in the USA. I watched it on Saturday. When was it released in Central America?!
February 9, 2026 at 5:51 AM
It was released on Friday in the USA. I watched it on Saturday. When was it released in Central America?!
Hal Varian is the author of the above textbook and was until last year chief economist at Google. He is personally responsible for the enshittification of Google that Doctorow rightly critques. Yet Varian's own textbook dispels Doctorow's hallucination about economics pedagogy in its first chapter!
February 9, 2026 at 5:41 AM
Hal Varian is the author of the above textbook and was until last year chief economist at Google. He is personally responsible for the enshittification of Google that Doctorow rightly critques. Yet Varian's own textbook dispels Doctorow's hallucination about economics pedagogy in its first chapter!
I detest the proclivity of certain public intellectuals to viciously lie about the economics profession with reckless disregard for the truth. Let's compare and contrast Cory Doctorow's recent calumnies on the Ezra Klein Show with some actual economics pedagogy.
February 9, 2026 at 5:28 AM
I detest the proclivity of certain public intellectuals to viciously lie about the economics profession with reckless disregard for the truth. Let's compare and contrast Cory Doctorow's recent calumnies on the Ezra Klein Show with some actual economics pedagogy.
There's a to-scale solar system in my hometown! The sun, planets, former planet are represented as educational signs along a trail. (The signs are not to scale, but the distances between them are.)
February 7, 2026 at 4:59 AM
There's a to-scale solar system in my hometown! The sun, planets, former planet are represented as educational signs along a trail. (The signs are not to scale, but the distances between them are.)
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
Google earth has recently updated the 3D images for Bologna and now you can see the tram <3
So cool.
So cool.
February 4, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Google earth has recently updated the 3D images for Bologna and now you can see the tram <3
So cool.
So cool.
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
This is a problem:
February 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM
This is a problem:
I'm out of the loop. Who is this?
February 3, 2026 at 2:33 AM
I'm out of the loop. Who is this?
I had to do a double-take at the colors of the lines in the legend and on the color of the lines on the chart to make sure I was reading it correctly. lmao. This post is primo bait 👌
February 2, 2026 at 1:23 AM
I had to do a double-take at the colors of the lines in the legend and on the color of the lines on the chart to make sure I was reading it correctly. lmao. This post is primo bait 👌
Hard to think of a more stark illustration of the thesis from Sides and Tesler that Americans are increasingly polarized by their opinions on racial issues--yet not so neatly sorted into opinion blocks according to their own race.
February 1, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Hard to think of a more stark illustration of the thesis from Sides and Tesler that Americans are increasingly polarized by their opinions on racial issues--yet not so neatly sorted into opinion blocks according to their own race.
I've been recently reading some seminal works in a sub-field of "law and economics" that I am hoping to contribute to. All the papers I've read so far predate the credibility revolution and it shows. Empirical evidence = anecdotes, theory = just some guy's conjecture. It was the Stone Age!
February 1, 2026 at 9:37 PM
I've been recently reading some seminal works in a sub-field of "law and economics" that I am hoping to contribute to. All the papers I've read so far predate the credibility revolution and it shows. Empirical evidence = anecdotes, theory = just some guy's conjecture. It was the Stone Age!
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
At the heart of every well used US transit system is a piece of infrastructure that was built over 100 years ago that you simply could not build today under any circumstances.
January 31, 2026 at 6:52 PM
At the heart of every well used US transit system is a piece of infrastructure that was built over 100 years ago that you simply could not build today under any circumstances.
obviously the former dictator of Panama is not the only man in history with the surname Noriega but that's the first connection my mind drew when reading it just now
January 31, 2026 at 8:28 PM
obviously the former dictator of Panama is not the only man in history with the surname Noriega but that's the first connection my mind drew when reading it just now
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
This is good. Two former Fed Chairs. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeIA... #FederalReserve
The Independence of the Federal Reserve: Why It Matters
YouTube video by Brookings Institution
www.youtube.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:16 AM
This is good. Two former Fed Chairs. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeIA... #FederalReserve
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
PoV: I am playing Civ and have once again forgotten to uppgrade one of my early game ships.
January 16, 2026 at 3:27 PM
PoV: I am playing Civ and have once again forgotten to uppgrade one of my early game ships.
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
America has a housing shortage. Every single housing proposal you see that is not "build more housing" will have the primary effect of pushing up the prices of existing housing, and is therefore, in reality, a plan to enrich current homeowners. In conclusion, build more housing.
President Trump will issue a plan next week for letting Americans tap their 401(k)s for a down payment on a home, a senior White House official said Friday.
Trump Plan Would Let Americans Use 401(k)s for Down Payments on Homes, Official Says
President Trump will issue a plan next week for letting Americans tap their 401(k)s for a down payment on a home, a senior White House official said Friday.
on.wsj.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:11 PM
America has a housing shortage. Every single housing proposal you see that is not "build more housing" will have the primary effect of pushing up the prices of existing housing, and is therefore, in reality, a plan to enrich current homeowners. In conclusion, build more housing.
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
The Hmong are here because they fought for the US in a war we lost.
"“They specifically asked me if I knew where the Hmong families lived on my street & in the neighborhood.” Lugert-Thom responded, “I don’t know anything about that” & she said they then asked, “Well, what about the Asian families?”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
A St. Paul resident says federal officers knocked on her door and asked her to identify Hmong and Asian households in her North End neighborhood last week.
January 14, 2026 at 2:57 PM
The Hmong are here because they fought for the US in a war we lost.
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
“I did not realize explaining things is not endorsement” is really aspirationally in the past tense for this website. It’s far and away the biggest problem with getting interesting intellectuals to actually stick around here.
January 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
“I did not realize explaining things is not endorsement” is really aspirationally in the past tense for this website. It’s far and away the biggest problem with getting interesting intellectuals to actually stick around here.
Reposted by Andrew G. Benson
I believe aliens visited New York City in 1900 to build the subway. Proof: a subway was built in New York and New Yorkers have not really been able to build one in the last 85 years.
Theories that aliens constructed ancient human buildings are, at their core, racist.
January 11, 2026 at 7:30 PM
I believe aliens visited New York City in 1900 to build the subway. Proof: a subway was built in New York and New Yorkers have not really been able to build one in the last 85 years.
> Unimportant
I bow down to anyone who can speaks all three of those languages well enough that they are genuinely indifferent to which one the government uses to communicates with them.
I bow down to anyone who can speaks all three of those languages well enough that they are genuinely indifferent to which one the government uses to communicates with them.
January 10, 2026 at 5:38 PM
> Unimportant
I bow down to anyone who can speaks all three of those languages well enough that they are genuinely indifferent to which one the government uses to communicates with them.
I bow down to anyone who can speaks all three of those languages well enough that they are genuinely indifferent to which one the government uses to communicates with them.