Michael Baskin
@michaelbaskin.bsky.social
Collector of outdoor public benches. Worker for local government. Facilitation, coaching + stories. VT/DC, BOS home.
Outdoor showers only?
Unlabeled coffee that is too hot may have lawsuit precedent but…
Unlabeled coffee that is too hot may have lawsuit precedent but…
June 13, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Outdoor showers only?
Unlabeled coffee that is too hot may have lawsuit precedent but…
Unlabeled coffee that is too hot may have lawsuit precedent but…
June 11, 2025 at 7:59 PM
When a graph really doesn’t make the point
April 13, 2025 at 12:19 AM
When a graph really doesn’t make the point
But stay on corporate devices with subscriptions to other corporates? The times they are a changing.
(Gentle snark, glad to see a student artist expressing themselves)
(Gentle snark, glad to see a student artist expressing themselves)
April 5, 2025 at 11:53 AM
But stay on corporate devices with subscriptions to other corporates? The times they are a changing.
(Gentle snark, glad to see a student artist expressing themselves)
(Gentle snark, glad to see a student artist expressing themselves)
The office fridge…or sometimes you want to know and sometimes you don’t.
The internet loves cats…and curiosity in this situation may be death knell
The internet loves cats…and curiosity in this situation may be death knell
March 26, 2025 at 8:11 PM
The office fridge…or sometimes you want to know and sometimes you don’t.
The internet loves cats…and curiosity in this situation may be death knell
The internet loves cats…and curiosity in this situation may be death knell
Reposted by Michael Baskin
Nerd alert
Who works for the government and why does their work matter?
Tune in to @c-span.bsky.social on 3/21 at 8 PM ET to catch @elizabethlinos.bsky.social talk with Michael Lewis about his new book! 📖
More airing times here -> www.c-span.org/event/book-t...
Tune in to @c-span.bsky.social on 3/21 at 8 PM ET to catch @elizabethlinos.bsky.social talk with Michael Lewis about his new book! 📖
More airing times here -> www.c-span.org/event/book-t...
Michael Lewis, "Who is Government?"
www.c-span.org
March 20, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Nerd alert
If @amtrak.com disappears, what happens to cities like @boston.gov, NYC, and DC and all the places linked together that people call community?
March 21, 2025 at 12:25 AM
If @amtrak.com disappears, what happens to cities like @boston.gov, NYC, and DC and all the places linked together that people call community?
March 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Michael Baskin
Indiana University student Daniel Jenkins has spent years helping students register to vote & navigate the state’s already-strict election laws. He warns banning student IDs at the polls would create even more barriers, especially for out-of-state students.boltsmag.org/indiana...
Indiana Republicans Move to Ban Student IDs for Voting
The new restriction, paired with Indiana’s stringent voter ID rules, would make it much harder for many young people to vote in a state that already ranks near-last in turnout.
boltsmag.org
March 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Indiana University student Daniel Jenkins has spent years helping students register to vote & navigate the state’s already-strict election laws. He warns banning student IDs at the polls would create even more barriers, especially for out-of-state students.boltsmag.org/indiana...
Building codes finally make the news! When was the last time most folks thought about them? Miami building collapse? Vermont floods? LA wildfires? If only there was a way to prepare for a stronger America…
FEMA backtracks on stronger building codes for disasters
www.npr.org/2025/02/20/n...
FEMA backtracks on stronger building codes for disasters
www.npr.org/2025/02/20/n...
Exclusive: Trump administration drops work on stronger building codes for disasters
To help homes survive more intense disasters, FEMA has been developing recommendations for stronger building codes. The Trump Administration has pulled them back.
www.npr.org
February 21, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Building codes finally make the news! When was the last time most folks thought about them? Miami building collapse? Vermont floods? LA wildfires? If only there was a way to prepare for a stronger America…
FEMA backtracks on stronger building codes for disasters
www.npr.org/2025/02/20/n...
FEMA backtracks on stronger building codes for disasters
www.npr.org/2025/02/20/n...
Reposted by Michael Baskin
@harvardkennedy.bsky.social asked a few of us to comment on the first weeks of DOGE. Read the perspectives of a wide range of faculty: www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...
Analyzing DOGE actions one month into Trump’s second administration
Faculty analysts at Harvard Kennedy School reflect on President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency one month into the new administration.
www.hks.harvard.edu
February 20, 2025 at 1:46 PM
@harvardkennedy.bsky.social asked a few of us to comment on the first weeks of DOGE. Read the perspectives of a wide range of faculty: www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...
Push me down. Words for public trash cans, not public servants.
Lift us up.
Lift us up.
February 21, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Push me down. Words for public trash cans, not public servants.
Lift us up.
Lift us up.
Public servants do amazing work in government every day to make things better for those we serve.
Today we lift up and celebrate those Bright Spots so we can scale and expand.
Today we lift up and celebrate those Bright Spots so we can scale and expand.
February 4, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Public servants do amazing work in government every day to make things better for those we serve.
Today we lift up and celebrate those Bright Spots so we can scale and expand.
Today we lift up and celebrate those Bright Spots so we can scale and expand.
“The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.“ -Pres Eisenhower
We’re seeing a lot of cutting right now - seems to me there are options
We’re seeing a lot of cutting right now - seems to me there are options
February 4, 2025 at 1:06 PM
“The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.“ -Pres Eisenhower
We’re seeing a lot of cutting right now - seems to me there are options
We’re seeing a lot of cutting right now - seems to me there are options
Reposted by Michael Baskin
💡 This week's AI News that Caught Our Eye includes discussions of AI as a disaster planning tool and economic simulation planning partner. Featuring @michaelbaskin.bsky.social, @mitchweiss.bsky.social, @stephaniekelton.bsky.social, @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social
rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/news-th...
rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/news-th...
rebootdemocracy.ai
January 30, 2025 at 6:38 PM
💡 This week's AI News that Caught Our Eye includes discussions of AI as a disaster planning tool and economic simulation planning partner. Featuring @michaelbaskin.bsky.social, @mitchweiss.bsky.social, @stephaniekelton.bsky.social, @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social
rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/news-th...
rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/news-th...
There is power and joy in imagining vibrant futures.
January 30, 2025 at 11:17 PM
There is power and joy in imagining vibrant futures.
A shake up in govt shakes up people's lives - a pause means rent checks don't get paid and people get evicted, small businesses can't meet their obligations. We're all about to learn a lot about what our government does for us.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Trump's Federal Funding Pause Threatens State Financials
President Donald Trump’s federal funding pause threatens more than $1 trillion that flows to states, cities and other local governments, putting everything from transit infrastructure to housing proje...
www.bloomberg.com
January 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
A shake up in govt shakes up people's lives - a pause means rent checks don't get paid and people get evicted, small businesses can't meet their obligations. We're all about to learn a lot about what our government does for us.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A good way to resist making govt worse for people? Make govt better with people.
January 21, 2025 at 11:58 PM
A good way to resist making govt worse for people? Make govt better with people.
So many folks have spent so long working to build trust in government through intentional, user tested government websites. And then....Woof.
h/t to hardworking colleagues in the #PlainLanguage #UX #CX communities of practice.
h/t to hardworking colleagues in the #PlainLanguage #UX #CX communities of practice.
January 21, 2025 at 11:42 PM
So many folks have spent so long working to build trust in government through intentional, user tested government websites. And then....Woof.
h/t to hardworking colleagues in the #PlainLanguage #UX #CX communities of practice.
h/t to hardworking colleagues in the #PlainLanguage #UX #CX communities of practice.
Reusing old office supplies is great …but apparently “insert this end in typewriter” is a sign these may have reached the end of their sticky life
January 21, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Reusing old office supplies is great …but apparently “insert this end in typewriter” is a sign these may have reached the end of their sticky life
A good sign for transportation policy?
@buttigiegdem.bsky.social ‘a final message?
Mild understatement with solid directions
@buttigiegdem.bsky.social ‘a final message?
Mild understatement with solid directions
January 21, 2025 at 12:38 AM
A good sign for transportation policy?
@buttigiegdem.bsky.social ‘a final message?
Mild understatement with solid directions
@buttigiegdem.bsky.social ‘a final message?
Mild understatement with solid directions
Reposted by Michael Baskin
Fukuyama: “The truth of the matter is that implementation is part of policymaking; if a policy can’t be properly implemented, it shouldn’t be rolled out in the first place since it will simply contribute to the narrative of ineffective and incompetent government.” open.substack.com/pub/persuasi...
We Need Policy Implementers, Not Policy Makers
Why the United States can’t buy technology.
open.substack.com
January 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Fukuyama: “The truth of the matter is that implementation is part of policymaking; if a policy can’t be properly implemented, it shouldn’t be rolled out in the first place since it will simply contribute to the narrative of ineffective and incompetent government.” open.substack.com/pub/persuasi...
January 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM
