Jason Renker
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jasonrenker.bsky.social
Jason Renker
@jasonrenker.bsky.social
270 followers 380 following 520 posts
Jersey City and Catskill. Have been known to defend Social Security during Thanksgiving dinner. Trying to leave things better than I found them.

Editor at The Century Foundation. Posts are my own opinion.
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jasonrenker.bsky.social
Double whammy unemployment day for feds. Government shutdown, and the end of Musk's fork-in-the road deferred resignation program. Here's an updated list of 12 things feds should know before filing UI benefits, from Andrew Stettner at @tcfdotorg.bsky.social

See more here: tcf.org/content/repo...
10 Things Federal Workers Should Know About Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) 1. File in your last duty station, and that state will determine your benefit amount. 2. File with your SF-50 and SF-8, but don’t wait. 3. File for UI even if you are challenging your termination. 4. Don’t panic if you get a $0 monetary determination. 5. The process may take twenty-one days or more. 6. Your home agency must verify your wage. 7. If your claim is delayed, request a wage affidavit. 8. Check your portal, email and mail frequently—you may need to respond to requests for information. 9. Certify and report your work search while you wait. 10. Rules limit how much extra earnings you can receive while collecting UCFE. 11. If you apply for benefits during a furlough in this shutdown, you'll have to refun d the state when you get your back pay. 12. If you are an excepted and required to work without pay, you cannot file but DC and MD have alternate aid.
October 3, 2025 at 5:57 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
They're doing all this with ZERO public input or bipartisan amendments.
June 16, 2025 at 5:22 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Just pointing out the Senator Padilla is a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee that oversees federal agencies that have immigration enforcement responsibilities.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP, AND BORDER SAFETY Senator Padilla is a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety. The first Latino to chair this subcommittee, he leads the consideration of immigration reform proposals, as well as oversight of federal agencies with citizenship, asylum, refugee, and immigration enforcement responsibilities. Senator Padilla is committed to crafting immigration policies that treat all people with fairness and respect, recognize the importance of immigrant families and communities, and support the success of our economy.
June 13, 2025 at 12:12 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Ask a simple question, and the first result is a ridiculous AI answer....again.
An AI Overview search result claiming that while 211,554,500 is the current size of U.S. working-age population, it previously reached a record high of 20,933,408,106,040, which is nearly 21 trillion people.
June 5, 2025 at 3:57 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
It's been 100 days.
www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gro...
A bar graph of real GDP growth, by quarter. The previous five quarters have growth of between 1.7 percent and 3.2 percent; the current quarter shows minus 0.3 percent, which means the economy shrunk.
April 30, 2025 at 1:29 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Not a brave title choice here.
A New York Times article titled 100 Days: How Trump's Second Term Is Changing Power, Institutions, and More. Below the title is a picture of the Black Lives Matter street in Washington, D.C, getting covered over.
April 29, 2025 at 6:14 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Meanwhile, over on Planet AI....
Screenshot of a Google search using the question, "did pope francis open a twitch account?" The AI Overview responds: Yes, Pope Francis opened a Twitch account. His channel, "Godly Gaming with Francis," features sermon-style commentary on video games. It has amassed 300k followers and includes streams available for playback. The account is still active and can be found on Twitch.
April 23, 2025 at 11:12 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
#NewJersey governors forum at #NJPAC in Newark. 🔥🔥🔥
A stage with seven seated candidates and one moderator
April 17, 2025 at 1:09 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
👀
A wood surface with “I heart TCF” written in pencil.
April 16, 2025 at 8:50 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Today I was reminded of this quote from James Baldwin, from his work "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind," in his book, THE FIRE NEXT TIME (1962).
Image of James Baldwin and a quote “And all this is happening in the richest and freest country in the world, and in the middle of the 20th century. The subtle and deadly change of heart that might occur and you would be involved with the realization that a civilization is not destroyed by wicked people; it is not necessary that people be wicked but only that they be spineless.”
April 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
This will always be the best Astros uniform of all time.
J.R. Richard of the Houston Astros wearing their orange rainbow uniform pitches against the New York Mets during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Shea Stadium. Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images
March 19, 2025 at 9:08 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Turmp budget proposes up to $880 billion in Medicaid cuts which translated to the cost of covering all 31 million children in Medicaid
February 26, 2025 at 5:36 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
I never expected the Washington Post's Opinion page to leapfrog over the Wall Street Journal's in taking an anti-government stance, but here we are.
A post from Jeff Bezos saying the Washington Post's opinion page will be "writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets."
February 26, 2025 at 3:34 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Cutting $100 billion over ten years is equivalent to cutting coverage for 3.7 million children; $250 billion is the coverage for 9.3 million children; and $500 billion is the coverage for 18.5 million children.
A figure showing what the potential Medicaid budget targets translate into, in terms of children covered.
February 12, 2025 at 8:21 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
After many years of supporting Liberal candidates and experiencing tremendous industry growth, the Canadian tech sector is now switching to supporting Conservative candidates. The reason for the switch? An increase in the amount of capital gains subject to taxes.
thelogic.co/news/the-big...
The volte-face was in response to the spring budget, where the government announced it would hike the taxable amount of capital gains—the earnings from selling assets like shares, bonds, real estate and companies. The move would only affect the richest Canadians, representing less than one per cent of the population, the government said. In exchange, Ottawa would collect an additional $19.4 billion in taxes over five years to feed back into services like housing and health care.
February 12, 2025 at 12:34 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
And, the NY Post went with it. You should get a commission.
NY Post sports cover with headline "RE-PETE: Alonso saga ends at last as Polar Bear agrees to two-year, $54M deal."
February 6, 2025 at 11:19 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
This is how I cope.
Really bad rendering of a NY Daily News sports cover saying "IT'S A RE-PETE" with an image of Pete Alonso yelling.
February 4, 2025 at 4:36 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
@andykimnj.bsky.social
Screenshot of a post by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wearing an ICE tactical vest saying "7 AM in NYC. Getting the dirt bags off the streets."
January 30, 2025 at 12:59 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Humitas at Galeria Cafe in #JerseyCity.
A plate with two fried eggs and humitas, which is like a corn tamale. The eggs are dotted with hot sauce. Everything is bathed in sunlight.
January 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
I found the missing salt—it’s at the downtown pedestrian plaza.
A pedestrian plaza with people walking. The ground is covered with salt, some areas a half-inch thick, like gravel.
January 23, 2025 at 3:19 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
This just in (from Politico PRO)—Mayor Adams has left funding for NYC's universal 3K program out of the proposed budget. This program was (in my mind) de Blasio's signature achievement. A game changer. What a blow to kids, parents, families, and communities it will be if this doesn't get funded.
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ preliminary budget did not include $112 million for New York City’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds, which is set to expire this summer — a sign the issue will likely take center stage in upcoming budget negotiations.
January 16, 2025 at 10:26 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
#JerseyCity political theater is undefeated.
Councilman James Solomon, former Gov. Jim McGreevey, and Hudson Commissioner Bill O’Dea at the Puertorriqueños Asociados for Community Organization Celebration of the Three Kings (via Solomon's IG). They are dressed as the three kings.
January 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
Where are Amy and Jeff?
A mug of Sapporo, chop sticks, and a soy sauce dish on a restaurant table.
December 27, 2024 at 12:05 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
“You will be visited by three spirits.”

The three spirits:
The Powerpuff Girls, three anime characters with very large eyes, are flying up through the air. Bubbles has blond hair and blue eyes and her theme color is blue; Blossom has red hair and pink eyes and her theme color is pinkish-red; Buttercup has black hair and green eyes, and her theme color is green.
December 25, 2024 at 5:07 AM
jasonrenker.bsky.social
A non-LOTR character who could resist the One Ring.
A picture of Jimmy Carter from about ten years ago. He is wearing a dark suit and tie and is smiling with his mouth and his eyes.
December 23, 2024 at 2:53 PM