Matt Robare
@mattrobare.bsky.social
Writer, urbanist, supporter of public transit.
Reposted by Matt Robare
“Hegseth, Noem, Bondi, and Patel were meant to serve Donald Trump as authoritarian apparatchiks reshaping the power ministries of his government. They’re doing what they were appointed to do.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-only-d...
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-only-d...
The Only Democrats Trump Likes...
...are ones accused of corruption.
www.thebulwark.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:22 PM
“Hegseth, Noem, Bondi, and Patel were meant to serve Donald Trump as authoritarian apparatchiks reshaping the power ministries of his government. They’re doing what they were appointed to do.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-only-d...
www.thebulwark.com/p/the-only-d...
@alonlevy.bsky.social How did Labour manage to be even worse than anyone thought? open.substack.com/pub/catching...
We’re getting worried about Great British Railways
Nationalisation can work, but the Government isn’t doing it right
open.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:02 PM
@alonlevy.bsky.social How did Labour manage to be even worse than anyone thought? open.substack.com/pub/catching...
Reposted by Matt Robare
Meanwhile, the Putinists at the ECB think their job is to prudently invest Russia's money for it and safeguard it from Ukraine and its allies. In Europe, there are those the law binds but does not protect, like immigrants, and those the law protects but does not bind, like enemy states.
More than five weeks after Russian troops first started to swarm into the southern outskirts of the Donetsk Oblast city, Pokrovsk has been decisively overrun, although Kyiv still claims a presence inside the urban area.
Pokrovsk in Russia's grip as sister city stares down encirclement
Ukraine's great fortress city of Pokrovsk has officially fallen — as far as Moscow is concerned.
More than five weeks after Russian troops first started to swarm into the southern outskirts of the Do...
kyivindependent.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Meanwhile, the Putinists at the ECB think their job is to prudently invest Russia's money for it and safeguard it from Ukraine and its allies. In Europe, there are those the law binds but does not protect, like immigrants, and those the law protects but does not bind, like enemy states.
Reposted by Matt Robare
Rolling Stone: clearly documents a 30+ year long con job. A rural county's own leadership lined their pockets by helping ag interests destroy the water supply.
Everyone who read the article apparently??: Amazon data centers did this in 2011
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Everyone who read the article apparently??: Amazon data centers did this in 2011
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
'The Precedent Is Flint': How Oregon's Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis
Amazon data centers constructed in eastern Oregon's farmland have worsened a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
www.rollingstone.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Rolling Stone: clearly documents a 30+ year long con job. A rural county's own leadership lined their pockets by helping ag interests destroy the water supply.
Everyone who read the article apparently??: Amazon data centers did this in 2011
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Everyone who read the article apparently??: Amazon data centers did this in 2011
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Reposted by Matt Robare
San Francisco just upzoned the Sunset, the Richmond, North Point, and a bunch of the Marina. I truly never thought I'd see the day. Huge congratulations to the local activists at @sfyimby.bsky.social who worked so hard to make this happen.
S.F. Mayor Lurie’s ‘Family Zoning’ plan approved in major legislative victory
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie won his biggest legislative victory Tuesday with approval of his “Family Zoning” plan, which will allow taller and denser housing in city neighborhoods.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:36 AM
San Francisco just upzoned the Sunset, the Richmond, North Point, and a bunch of the Marina. I truly never thought I'd see the day. Huge congratulations to the local activists at @sfyimby.bsky.social who worked so hard to make this happen.
Reposted by Matt Robare
“The killing of the survivors by this moral slum of an administration should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself.”
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | A sickening moral slum of an administration
Regarding Venezuela, Ukraine and much more, Trump and his acolytes are worse than simply incompetent.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:03 AM
“The killing of the survivors by this moral slum of an administration should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself.”
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Matt Robare
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
![Excerpt from a BBC article: ""We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."
She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.
They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.
This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.
The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract - and the chinos are an option.
"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.
"We get paid per piece," she explains. "It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.""](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreiber7g4o5pujmzmjjzsp5dkz7blfexburuwjispfpv6dki7akjb7a@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
Reposted by Matt Robare
one of my first blog posts is about inclusionary zoning mandates and how they so often backfire by resulting in *less* subsidized housing being built
November 10, 2025 at 4:17 PM
one of my first blog posts is about inclusionary zoning mandates and how they so often backfire by resulting in *less* subsidized housing being built
Reposted by Matt Robare
Europe's biggest problems:
* Extreme right parties destabilize society
* Insufficient cross-border integration reduces scale
* Putin is threatening invasions
* Heathrow has difficult plane transfers
* Extreme right parties destabilize society
* Insufficient cross-border integration reduces scale
* Putin is threatening invasions
* Heathrow has difficult plane transfers
November 11, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Europe's biggest problems:
* Extreme right parties destabilize society
* Insufficient cross-border integration reduces scale
* Putin is threatening invasions
* Heathrow has difficult plane transfers
* Extreme right parties destabilize society
* Insufficient cross-border integration reduces scale
* Putin is threatening invasions
* Heathrow has difficult plane transfers
Reposted by Matt Robare
Suddenly "hate speech" is bad. Suddenly "dehumanizing" people is bad. Suddenly "cancel culture" is good. Suddenly words have consequences.
The modern American right in 2025, folks.
The modern American right in 2025, folks.
September 16, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Suddenly "hate speech" is bad. Suddenly "dehumanizing" people is bad. Suddenly "cancel culture" is good. Suddenly words have consequences.
The modern American right in 2025, folks.
The modern American right in 2025, folks.
Reposted by Matt Robare
RFK Jr: It's gonna be the biggest infusion of federal dollar into rural healthcare in American history
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
September 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
RFK Jr: It's gonna be the biggest infusion of federal dollar into rural healthcare in American history
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
Reposted by Matt Robare
Ossoff: He never should have been confirmed by the senate and he needs to resign. It is one thing to be a skeptic or a reformer. It is quite another to be a fool…
September 4, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Ossoff: He never should have been confirmed by the senate and he needs to resign. It is one thing to be a skeptic or a reformer. It is quite another to be a fool…
Reposted by Matt Robare
So maybe the problem wasn’t with the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics?
September 5, 2025 at 3:24 PM
So maybe the problem wasn’t with the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics?
Reposted by Matt Robare
I like imagining punny newspaper headlines sometimes.
On a story about a broken engagement: "Near-Mrs."
On a story about a broken engagement: "Near-Mrs."
September 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I like imagining punny newspaper headlines sometimes.
On a story about a broken engagement: "Near-Mrs."
On a story about a broken engagement: "Near-Mrs."
Reposted by Matt Robare
After Trump’s summit in Alaska, his meeting with Zelensky and European leaders, his phone call with Putin, and his claims of “significant progress” with zero specifics, Putin now has the exact same position he has had for the last 3 years.
August 21, 2025 at 11:58 AM
After Trump’s summit in Alaska, his meeting with Zelensky and European leaders, his phone call with Putin, and his claims of “significant progress” with zero specifics, Putin now has the exact same position he has had for the last 3 years.
Reposted by Matt Robare
ED1 was incredible. Proved beyond any doubt that the LA establishment wants to grandstand about homelessness and housing without actually doing anything. The minute that housing developers called her bluff and proposed a ton of 100% affordable units, she began a furious retreat.
There was a brief window, when ED 1 was still in its original form, when I thought Los Angeles might finally have a mayor who was somewhat serious about addressing the housing and homelessness crisis. My bad!
August 21, 2025 at 4:35 AM
ED1 was incredible. Proved beyond any doubt that the LA establishment wants to grandstand about homelessness and housing without actually doing anything. The minute that housing developers called her bluff and proposed a ton of 100% affordable units, she began a furious retreat.
Reposted by Matt Robare
Recently, I shared a Lord of the Rings subway map, & I had a bunch of people asking me to do a Narnia version. Well...here you go!
It's covers all 7 books, so it's a lot more complicated the the LoTR ones. And if you like it, it's available to buy on my Etsy store:
www.etsy.com/shop/Surpris...
It's covers all 7 books, so it's a lot more complicated the the LoTR ones. And if you like it, it's available to buy on my Etsy store:
www.etsy.com/shop/Surpris...
August 1, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Recently, I shared a Lord of the Rings subway map, & I had a bunch of people asking me to do a Narnia version. Well...here you go!
It's covers all 7 books, so it's a lot more complicated the the LoTR ones. And if you like it, it's available to buy on my Etsy store:
www.etsy.com/shop/Surpris...
It's covers all 7 books, so it's a lot more complicated the the LoTR ones. And if you like it, it's available to buy on my Etsy store:
www.etsy.com/shop/Surpris...
Reposted by Matt Robare
Like you I've seen all the pics people post here abt the steady increase of tacky gold crap he keeps adding to the oval office. But somehow it wasn't until I saw this picture that it just hit me. What the actual fuck. Like a Vegas whorehouse.
August 19, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Like you I've seen all the pics people post here abt the steady increase of tacky gold crap he keeps adding to the oval office. But somehow it wasn't until I saw this picture that it just hit me. What the actual fuck. Like a Vegas whorehouse.
Reposted by Matt Robare
NIMBYs everywhere believe that “being included in the decision making process” means getting their way, and that any process that does not produce the results they wanted is unfair and illegitimate.
August 18, 2025 at 11:35 PM
NIMBYs everywhere believe that “being included in the decision making process” means getting their way, and that any process that does not produce the results they wanted is unfair and illegitimate.
Reposted by Matt Robare
Me arriving in Alaska:
Customs: Name?
Me: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Customs: Occupation?
Me: No, just here to give Donald his evaluation.
Customs: Name?
Me: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Customs: Occupation?
Me: No, just here to give Donald his evaluation.
August 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Me arriving in Alaska:
Customs: Name?
Me: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Customs: Occupation?
Me: No, just here to give Donald his evaluation.
Customs: Name?
Me: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Customs: Occupation?
Me: No, just here to give Donald his evaluation.
Reposted by Matt Robare
Reposted by Matt Robare
want to be in a throuple. not for love, just the homes i want to buy require 3x my income
August 10, 2025 at 4:40 PM
want to be in a throuple. not for love, just the homes i want to buy require 3x my income
Reposted by Matt Robare
The New York Times uses the word “maximalist” because it’s afraid to use the word “dictatorship.”
August 9, 2025 at 3:25 AM
The New York Times uses the word “maximalist” because it’s afraid to use the word “dictatorship.”
Reposted by Matt Robare
200 days into Trump's term, where are we?
In the race between Trump's authoritarianism and efforts to resist it, authoritarianism is ahead. And while there are hopeful signs from the public, the chance of effective resistance is, for now, being fatally undermined by the capitulation of the elites.
In the race between Trump's authoritarianism and efforts to resist it, authoritarianism is ahead. And while there are hopeful signs from the public, the chance of effective resistance is, for now, being fatally undermined by the capitulation of the elites.
August 9, 2025 at 9:13 PM
200 days into Trump's term, where are we?
In the race between Trump's authoritarianism and efforts to resist it, authoritarianism is ahead. And while there are hopeful signs from the public, the chance of effective resistance is, for now, being fatally undermined by the capitulation of the elites.
In the race between Trump's authoritarianism and efforts to resist it, authoritarianism is ahead. And while there are hopeful signs from the public, the chance of effective resistance is, for now, being fatally undermined by the capitulation of the elites.
Reposted by Matt Robare
Vacancy trutherism is a gateway drug to fascism.
People who think we can house the homeless in vacant homes are one step from saying we should deport the homeless from California, where there's a housing g shortage, to Mississippi, Arkansas, and other states where most vacant homes are located.
People who think we can house the homeless in vacant homes are one step from saying we should deport the homeless from California, where there's a housing g shortage, to Mississippi, Arkansas, and other states where most vacant homes are located.
I'm tired of this take
August 9, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Vacancy trutherism is a gateway drug to fascism.
People who think we can house the homeless in vacant homes are one step from saying we should deport the homeless from California, where there's a housing g shortage, to Mississippi, Arkansas, and other states where most vacant homes are located.
People who think we can house the homeless in vacant homes are one step from saying we should deport the homeless from California, where there's a housing g shortage, to Mississippi, Arkansas, and other states where most vacant homes are located.