Sam Workman
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sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman
@sam-workman.bsky.social
2K followers 560 following 1K posts

Professor & Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University 🍸cocktails 📜 policy 📊 data

📍Morgantown, West Virginia, Appalachia

🌎 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-workman
🌎 https://samuelworkman.owlstown.net .. more

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Environmental science 41%
Political science 15%
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sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 25d
This week's cocktail is quite an honor. The West Virginia Weakly asked me to pen a recipe and write for their paper and for the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival in Martinsburg, WV today. Thanks to my good friend @gilessnyder.bsky.social. #cocktails

open.substack.com/pub/wvweakly...
The Daily West Virginia Weakly: October 16, 2025
Kanawha school vaccine case, MARL opposition, 'No Kings' rallies and a West Virginia cocktail recipe
open.substack.com

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 8h
15 year note for somerhing whose value decreases by a 3rd the second it leaves the lot...

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 8h
2:1 is old school. I like them a ton. Like dry too, but sometimes I want more than a glass of gin.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 12h
Still learning. Training: "Ashley shows up to the office and you notice she has been punched in the face. Should you be concerned?"

I dunno. This is tough.
sam-workman.bsky.social Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 12d
Update. Currently, have been paid for nearly the last 3 hours for NSF "research training." So far, some highlights: the definition of "availability" and that if someone requests replication materials, I should search the project folder. Stuck in Dante's 8th Circle of hell.
sam-workman.bsky.social Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · Oct 6
The amount of money that taxpayers of a poor state (or funders) pay for us to sit in asinine research trainings is truly a travesty, and effectively, a tax. If anything should be DOGE'd, this is it. If we need this much training, our Ph.D.'s aren't worth the paper they are printed on. #endrant

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 1d
Just foolish to center the fight on something they now say was unattainable. Definitionally makes it hard not to see it as anything but a "loss."

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 1d
If there is/was no path to ACA subsidy extension and you make it your core (only?) demand, there is some deftness lacking. Like a child demanding to see aliens before agreeing to go to bed.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 1d
So, the caving, what's the "real" core concern? I'd guess:
1. The hungry? ❌
2. The uninsured ❌
3. Societal air travel addiction ✅

We'll see I guess.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 1d
This. Lots of titting no tatting.
philiprocco.bsky.social Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 1d
If the Dems fail to preserve ACA subsidies in the shutdown, it will be another manifestation of an organizational failure beyond this particular political fight, and one that will reflect the weaknesses of a party built around clienteles w/ no structural power. catalyst-journal.com/2025/07/why-...
Why the Democrats Are So Useless
The Democratic Party’s transformation into a network of policy clientele organizations has left it incapacitated as an opposition party. These groups, which lack strong mass-membership bases and sourc...
catalyst-journal.com

Reposted by Samuel Workman

philiprocco.bsky.social
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 1d
If the Dems fail to preserve ACA subsidies in the shutdown, it will be another manifestation of an organizational failure beyond this particular political fight, and one that will reflect the weaknesses of a party built around clienteles w/ no structural power. catalyst-journal.com/2025/07/why-...
Why the Democrats Are So Useless
The Democratic Party’s transformation into a network of policy clientele organizations has left it incapacitated as an opposition party. These groups, which lack strong mass-membership bases and sourc...
catalyst-journal.com

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 2d
I mapped a few of these closures a while back - Outback, Hooters, Applebee's, etc are all in big trouble as a category.
jacksantucci.bsky.social Jack Santucci @jacksantucci.bsky.social · 2d
The closure of the local Outback Steakhouse is a major blow.

Reposted by Samuel Workman

jacksantucci.bsky.social
Jack Santucci @jacksantucci.bsky.social · 2d
The closure of the local Outback Steakhouse is a major blow.

Reposted by Smith, Samuel Workman

bachynski.bsky.social
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 2d
The group’s CEO “said CHD plans to parlay that influence into permanent policy changes —upending the childhood vaccination schedule, reformulating the shots, & abolishing mandates to get them, among a host of goals — that will outlast Kennedy’s tenure at the Department of Health and Human Services”
How Children’s Health Defense plans to cement its agenda beyond RFK Jr.
Children’s Health Defense is leveraging its ties to HHS to lock in legal and cultural shifts that could shape policy long after RFK Jr. leaves.
www.statnews.com

Reposted by Samuel Workman

kevinleecaster.bsky.social
Just Kevin @kevinleecaster.bsky.social · 2d
Interesting:

When devices are plugged in, turned on, connected to the internet and regional carbon intensity data is available, Windows Update will now schedule installations at specific times of the day to lower-carbon emissions.

Every little bit helps. 🔌💡
support.microsoft.com/en-us/window...
support.microsoft.com

Reposted by Samuel Workman

cbarbermd.bsky.social
Carolyn Barber, MD @cbarbermd.bsky.social · 2d
“We work ourselves to death.”
— Thomas LaVeist, Tulane School of Public Health

Premature deaths among Americans 18–64 are up 27% in just ten years. Not just genes. Not just diet or exercise. Also: chronic stress. Inequality. Covid. The air we breathe.
States hit #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #NurseSky
More people are dying before they turn 65. Who it impacts and what it means.
A new study reveals an increase in premature deaths among 18-to-64-year-olds, with Black adults and certain states disproportionately affected.
wapo.st

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Julie L. Lockwood, Megan L. Ranney , and 4 more

enjohnston.bsky.social
Emily Johnston @enjohnston.bsky.social · 2d
"Rooftop solar is spreading fast in Jamaica, and people with panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighborhood benefits,’ one resident said."
Jamaicans Have Been Turning to Solar Power. It Paid Off After the Storm.
www.nytimes.com

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 4d
Agree with Dan wholeheartedly, but the customer-service orientation is not just a student view. It's both inward (the administration) and outward (state legislators and BOGs) for public schools. I think the boat has left the harbor and it's hard to reel back.

Reposted by Samuel Workman

dhopkins1776.bsky.social
Dan Hopkins @dhopkins1776.bsky.social · 4d
My $0.02 on grade inflation, which I'm grateful to the @dailypenn.bsky.social for publishing.

URL: www.thedp.com/article/2025...
Daniel J. Hopkins | Time to deflate grades
Guest columnist Daniel J. Hopkins argues that grade inflation weakens the impact of a Penn education.
www.thedp.com

Reposted by Samuel Workman

tatecurtis.bsky.social
Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 4d
Kentucky's Energy and Environment Cabinet data shows statewide coal employment fell below 3,800 in the second quarter, the lowest level on record. The slump is most pronounced in eastern Kentucky.

www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
Kentucky Coal Employment Slumps to Record Low In 2nd Quarter
Employment in the Kentucky coal industry drops to record lows
www.weku.org

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 5d
The issue, though, is that the previous administration had no theory of implementation beyond "give states and localities lots of money." It wasn't a useful party-building approach and hence created the space for sabotage.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 5d
WV has a big problem with off-cycle elections at the local level. Probably worth some ink about the features of local elections that dampen turnout and participation.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 5d
Not sure which way they were planning to vote, but the races touched a nerve.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 5d
Yep!

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 5d
Bunch of calls to SoS to vote in NY and VA elections. Those are clearly touching a nerve.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 5d
All the talk of NY, NJ, and VA. But the most insightful data point of the night might be the KY folks so anxious to vote they didn't know they weren't supposed to be voting.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 6d
Both great points.
donmoyn.bsky.social Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d
I'm doing more research on Direct File, interviewing people who worked on the project. Cancelling it is just an incredible own goal, not just because it allowed people to pay taxes for free, but because it was an incredible demonstration that government could build top quality tech products in-house
Once Direct File reached its full stride, it was estimated to save about $11 billion per year for taxpayers (an average of $160 per user) and help unlock about $12 billion in government benefits that those taxpayers were eligible for. The Direct File cost was relatively small, about about $32 million to get it going. This is peanuts compared to the billions that are often wasted on government tech projects that deliver little. One analysis found that it delivered about $106 in value for every dollar invested. Users loved Direct File. In 2024, 86% of users said it increased their trust in IRS, not the most beloved of organizations. The Direct File “net promoter score” (a measure of customer satisfaction and loyalty) is 84, well above that of TurboTax, and even Apple. In user surveys conducted by Code for America, 94% prefer Direct File and state equivalents to their previous filing method and 84% said they were “very satisfiedˮwith another 14% being “satisfied” with the product. Direct File expanded the tax filing pool. Over time, the federal government has shifted more and more of the safety net to the tax system, primarily via the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. One problem is that people with very low incomes are not obliged to file, even when it’s in their interest to do so. By being truly free, Direct File captured some of those people. About 1 in 4 of Direct File users were non-filers the previous year, a much higher rate than any other filing alternative.

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Samuel Workman, Greg Linden

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d
I'm doing more research on Direct File, interviewing people who worked on the project. Cancelling it is just an incredible own goal, not just because it allowed people to pay taxes for free, but because it was an incredible demonstration that government could build top quality tech products in-house
Once Direct File reached its full stride, it was estimated to save about $11 billion per year for taxpayers (an average of $160 per user) and help unlock about $12 billion in government benefits that those taxpayers were eligible for. The Direct File cost was relatively small, about about $32 million to get it going. This is peanuts compared to the billions that are often wasted on government tech projects that deliver little. One analysis found that it delivered about $106 in value for every dollar invested. Users loved Direct File. In 2024, 86% of users said it increased their trust in IRS, not the most beloved of organizations. The Direct File “net promoter score” (a measure of customer satisfaction and loyalty) is 84, well above that of TurboTax, and even Apple. In user surveys conducted by Code for America, 94% prefer Direct File and state equivalents to their previous filing method and 84% said they were “very satisfiedˮwith another 14% being “satisfied” with the product. Direct File expanded the tax filing pool. Over time, the federal government has shifted more and more of the safety net to the tax system, primarily via the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. One problem is that people with very low incomes are not obliged to file, even when it’s in their interest to do so. By being truly free, Direct File captured some of those people. About 1 in 4 of Direct File users were non-filers the previous year, a much higher rate than any other filing alternative.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 6d
The real bagaboo is not in the way, but the place - geospatially. It is/will be heralded as a solution for the lower classes leveling up. But, at the places you could list with no trouble, deep engagement will continue. It will deepen that long standing divide.

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 8d
This.

Reposted by Richard Waite, Samuel Workman

johnsmillie42.bsky.social
John Smillie @johnsmillie42.bsky.social · 8d
(the correct public health decision is permanent standard time)

med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time
According to a new analysis by Stanford Medicine scientists, changing clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to higher rates of stroke and obesity.
med.stanford.edu

sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 8d
🧵... 💡🔌
joshuabasseches.bsky.social Joshua Basseches @joshuabasseches.bsky.social · 8d
My research finds that restructured -- "deregulation" is a misnomer -- electric utilities allow a more diverse range of interests to have a seat at the table in state-level energy policymaking. (1/)

Reposted by Samuel Workman

joshuabasseches.bsky.social
Joshua Basseches @joshuabasseches.bsky.social · 8d
My research finds that restructured -- "deregulation" is a misnomer -- electric utilities allow a more diverse range of interests to have a seat at the table in state-level energy policymaking. (1/)