Chris Goodman
@cbgoodman.co
Associate Professor @ NIU. Public finance & local govts. Special districts, mostly. 🚴
📍 Chicagoland
🌐 www.cgoodman.com
📍 Chicagoland
🌐 www.cgoodman.com
Pinned
Chris Goodman
@cbgoodman.co
· Nov 12
Hi folks, Chris here.
I figure I should do one of these intro things. I'm a prof at NIU, studying special districts and/or state preemption (people typically know me for one or the other).
I post a lot about local govts, Illinois, and cycling.
Welcome!
I figure I should do one of these intro things. I'm a prof at NIU, studying special districts and/or state preemption (people typically know me for one or the other).
I post a lot about local govts, Illinois, and cycling.
Welcome!
I'm trying to get better about using my blog as a place to collect things that are a) related to what I do and b) interesting/important (and stealing this idea from @simonwillison.net).
Quoting Manduca, Highsmith, and Waggoner | Christopher B. Goodman
Robert Manduca, Brian Highsmith, Jacob Waggoner, Tax base fragmentation as a dimension of metropolitan inequality, Socio-Economic Review, 2025
www.cgoodman.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:59 AM
I'm trying to get better about using my blog as a place to collect things that are a) related to what I do and b) interesting/important (and stealing this idea from @simonwillison.net).
Reposted by Chris Goodman
Allow me to translate. October data was not collected as field staff were all furloughed. In some cases, that data can be recovered from businesses. In other cases, the window to collect the data has closed (consumer prices, labor force status) and the data hole may be permanent.
WHITE HOUSE: FEDERAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM MAY HAVE PERMANENTLY BEEN DAMAGED WHITE HOUSE: OCTOBER JOBS REPORTS LIKELY NEVER RELEASED
November 12, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Allow me to translate. October data was not collected as field staff were all furloughed. In some cases, that data can be recovered from businesses. In other cases, the window to collect the data has closed (consumer prices, labor force status) and the data hole may be permanent.
One of the less glamorous parts of my admin gig: keeping lists of textbooks by class and harassing faculty and adjuncts about book orders.
And yet, maybe one of the more impactful parts of the job—enabling students to know what's happening with ample time to make decisions.
And yet, maybe one of the more impactful parts of the job—enabling students to know what's happening with ample time to make decisions.
November 12, 2025 at 9:10 PM
One of the less glamorous parts of my admin gig: keeping lists of textbooks by class and harassing faculty and adjuncts about book orders.
And yet, maybe one of the more impactful parts of the job—enabling students to know what's happening with ample time to make decisions.
And yet, maybe one of the more impactful parts of the job—enabling students to know what's happening with ample time to make decisions.
👀
Obsidian Importer now lets you generate Markdown files from a CSV.
It converts thousands records in seconds and automatically generates a Base that you can use to explore and edit the data.
It converts thousands records in seconds and automatically generates a Base that you can use to explore and edit the data.
November 12, 2025 at 8:25 PM
👀
Perhaps super unique to my situation, but this Apple Shortcut looks at my calendar, finds any Zoom/Teams meeting in the next 30 minutes, joins that meeting, starts an Audio Hijack routine, and turns on my key light. Basically, all the meeting prep in one go. If that might be useful, 👇
Shortcuts
www.icloud.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Perhaps super unique to my situation, but this Apple Shortcut looks at my calendar, finds any Zoom/Teams meeting in the next 30 minutes, joins that meeting, starts an Audio Hijack routine, and turns on my key light. Basically, all the meeting prep in one go. If that might be useful, 👇
The two most expensive inputs into most beer for home consumption are hops and aluminum (cans). So, yeah...
November 12, 2025 at 6:14 PM
The two most expensive inputs into most beer for home consumption are hops and aluminum (cans). So, yeah...
My dudes, this is just the ERP/CRM problem all over again.
Get your data ready for Salesforce (or enter your ERP of choice)! How? Pay a consultant unlimited dollars to fail at doing this. Will it be helpful in the end? Probably not, but we made a lot of money.
Get your data ready for Salesforce (or enter your ERP of choice)! How? Pay a consultant unlimited dollars to fail at doing this. Will it be helpful in the end? Probably not, but we made a lot of money.
In the past few weeks I have heard fancy enterprise AI consultants say big companies need to “get their data ready” for AI and been told that legacy smart home platforms aren’t built for AI assistants and my friends, this is the entire problem AI is supposed to solve
November 11, 2025 at 7:26 PM
My dudes, this is just the ERP/CRM problem all over again.
Get your data ready for Salesforce (or enter your ERP of choice)! How? Pay a consultant unlimited dollars to fail at doing this. Will it be helpful in the end? Probably not, but we made a lot of money.
Get your data ready for Salesforce (or enter your ERP of choice)! How? Pay a consultant unlimited dollars to fail at doing this. Will it be helpful in the end? Probably not, but we made a lot of money.
True story: I gave my first draft of my dissertation to my advisor (in 2011ish) and she wrote on every single page. Probably the most common thing was fixing this. So, I went through 200+ pages and made sure the punctuation was inside the quotation marks. And I will never forget it.
Let my gravestone read "PUNCTUATION GOES INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS."
November 10, 2025 at 6:07 PM
True story: I gave my first draft of my dissertation to my advisor (in 2011ish) and she wrote on every single page. Probably the most common thing was fixing this. So, I went through 200+ pages and made sure the punctuation was inside the quotation marks. And I will never forget it.
Weird thing to throw out here on a Saturday, but Discord servers for your department? I don’t want to police a proto-social network, but I also want to give students (prospective and current) info in a place they want it. Yay or nay?
November 8, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Weird thing to throw out here on a Saturday, but Discord servers for your department? I don’t want to police a proto-social network, but I also want to give students (prospective and current) info in a place they want it. Yay or nay?
This is giving me some flashbacks of doing tax foreclosure research in Milwaukee.
Also, drinking Natty Boh in a bathtub as a stand in for champagne? Doesn’t get more Bmore than that.
Also, drinking Natty Boh in a bathtub as a stand in for champagne? Doesn’t get more Bmore than that.
November 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This is giving me some flashbacks of doing tax foreclosure research in Milwaukee.
Also, drinking Natty Boh in a bathtub as a stand in for champagne? Doesn’t get more Bmore than that.
Also, drinking Natty Boh in a bathtub as a stand in for champagne? Doesn’t get more Bmore than that.
The saddest thing I’ve done today is hit “cancel” on my public sector jobs day to-do.
November 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
The saddest thing I’ve done today is hit “cancel” on my public sector jobs day to-do.
Republicans have been warning about socialism for years, but it turns out the call was coming from inside the house.
Trump to the Novo Nordisk CEO: "Maybe you should give us a piece of the company like I've been asking for."
November 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Republicans have been warning about socialism for years, but it turns out the call was coming from inside the house.
The one downside of caring more than a little about audio quality is that I have to wait for the heat to turn off before I can record anything. Trying to get rid of random HVAC noise is super annoying.
November 6, 2025 at 8:22 PM
The one downside of caring more than a little about audio quality is that I have to wait for the heat to turn off before I can record anything. Trying to get rid of random HVAC noise is super annoying.
Preaching to the choir here, but this shot up to the top of my podcast queue for this morning. I always appreciate @reckless.bsky.social's interviews on the subject.
The problems with AI in schools
Teachers had one big question: What are we even doing here?
www.theverge.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Preaching to the choir here, but this shot up to the top of my podcast queue for this morning. I always appreciate @reckless.bsky.social's interviews on the subject.
Alt phrasing: I don't think the ordering of the Articles is indicative of their importance. 🤦♂️
Q: What's your response to Gorsuch's expressing concern about Trump usurping congressional authority?
MIKE JOHNSON: I don't find myself in disagreement with Justice Gorsuch too often, but I think he missed the mark on this one
MIKE JOHNSON: I don't find myself in disagreement with Justice Gorsuch too often, but I think he missed the mark on this one
November 6, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Alt phrasing: I don't think the ordering of the Articles is indicative of their importance. 🤦♂️
Trying to take the Ron Swanson advice of "whole-ass one thing" to heart today. One thing at a time.
November 6, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Trying to take the Ron Swanson advice of "whole-ass one thing" to heart today. One thing at a time.
What is up with weird tech billionaires and wanting to build super secretive schools?
SCOOP (free, as it's FOIA-based!): I obtained 1,665 pgs of documents about "Bicken Ben," a growing private school the Zuckerbergs ran illegally out of their Palo Alto compound
Neighbors complained the school for years. Then, in 2024, they reached their breaking point:
www.wired.com/story/mark-z...
Neighbors complained the school for years. Then, in 2024, they reached their breaking point:
www.wired.com/story/mark-z...
Mark Zuckerberg Opened an Illegal School at His Palo Alto Compound. His Neighbors Revolted
Neighbors complained about noise, security guards, and hordes of traffic. An unlicensed school named after the Zuckerbergs’ pet chicken tipped them over the edge.
www.wired.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:13 PM
What is up with weird tech billionaires and wanting to build super secretive schools?
I appreciate that Ken has a brand. And that brand is attempting to meddle in places where he does not live and has no stake. Feel free to ignore entirely—we in Chicago learned this long ago.
Citadel CEO Griffin says the people of NYC deserve better than Mamdani's talking points reut.rs/4p0JaA9
Citadel CEO Griffin says the people of NYC deserve better than Mamdani's talking points
Ken Griffin, the CEO of Citadel, said on Wednesday he prays the policies that Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani uses to lead New York City are different from his talking points.
reut.rs
November 5, 2025 at 11:03 PM
I appreciate that Ken has a brand. And that brand is attempting to meddle in places where he does not live and has no stake. Feel free to ignore entirely—we in Chicago learned this long ago.
It's incredibly difficult to see how we move past this without some people serving significant jail time.
Bovino was asked in his deposition if that was still true — that all use of force in Chicago had been "exemplary."
Bovino says "no."
Then he's asked if some force had been "less than proper?"
Bovino: "All uses of force have been MORE than exemplary."
Bovino says "no."
Then he's asked if some force had been "less than proper?"
Bovino: "All uses of force have been MORE than exemplary."
November 5, 2025 at 8:50 PM
It's incredibly difficult to see how we move past this without some people serving significant jail time.
Maybe socializing an entire generation about how to use money in an environment of zero interest rates was a bad thing. TVM is a thing, non-zero interest rates are a thing, and borrowing can get unexpectedly expensive.
“.. the number of accounts shifting into serious delinquency—more than 90 days past due—ticked up to 5.33% .. with pretty much all types of debt showing a rise last quarter ..”
@barrons.com #NYFed
www.barrons.com/articles/fed...
@barrons.com #NYFed
www.barrons.com/articles/fed...
November 5, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Maybe socializing an entire generation about how to use money in an environment of zero interest rates was a bad thing. TVM is a thing, non-zero interest rates are a thing, and borrowing can get unexpectedly expensive.
Reposted by Chris Goodman
dawg not the steakhouse wedding font
November 5, 2025 at 3:33 PM
dawg not the steakhouse wedding font
When I teach budgeting, I have an assignment where one of the various options is using budget reserves to "solve" a short-term problem. Students often ask me what they should do, and I almost always respond with "Is it raining?"
It's raining, y'all. It's in the name.
It's raining, y'all. It's in the name.
Utah Senate Democrats are calling on the Legislature’s GOP supermajority to use rainy-day funds to make up for the unfunded portion of Utahns' SNAP benefits.
‘Food is not a privilege’: Utah Democrats tell GOP leaders to use rainy-day funds for SNAP
Utah Senate Democrats are calling on the Legislature’s GOP supermajority to use rainy-day funds to make up for the unfunded portion of Utahns' SNAP benefits.
www.sltrib.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:25 AM
When I teach budgeting, I have an assignment where one of the various options is using budget reserves to "solve" a short-term problem. Students often ask me what they should do, and I almost always respond with "Is it raining?"
It's raining, y'all. It's in the name.
It's raining, y'all. It's in the name.
One of the many reasons I held off on upgrading to macOS 26 was reports of weird audio issues. Since I spend a lot of time doing audio related stuff (videoconferencing but also lecture recording), I held off upgrading. Rogue Amoeba seems to think all is fixed, so I might dip my toes in.
MacOS 26 (Tahoe) Includes Important Audio-Related Bug Fixes
When you upgrade to Tahoe, you’ll benefit from multiple bug fixes. Be sure you move up 26.1 for the best experience.
weblog.rogueamoeba.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:40 PM
One of the many reasons I held off on upgrading to macOS 26 was reports of weird audio issues. Since I spend a lot of time doing audio related stuff (videoconferencing but also lecture recording), I held off upgrading. Rogue Amoeba seems to think all is fixed, so I might dip my toes in.
Oh no, I might have finally found the thing that kills off Things3 for me—robust task integration with Obsidian.
TaskNotes Documentation
Comprehensive task and note management with calendar integration for Obsidian
tasknotes.dev
November 4, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Oh no, I might have finally found the thing that kills off Things3 for me—robust task integration with Obsidian.