Sam Workman
@sam-workman.bsky.social
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
📍Morgantown, West Virginia, Appalachia
🌎 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-workman
🌎 https://samuelworkman.owlstown.net
Pinned
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
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...
open.substack.com/pub/wvweakly...
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.
I dunno. This is tough.
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.
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
November 10, 2025 at 7:53 PM
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.
I dunno. This is tough.
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.
November 10, 2025 at 1:21 AM
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.
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.
1. The hungry? ❌
2. The uninsured ❌
3. Societal air travel addiction ✅
We'll see I guess.
November 9, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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.
1. The hungry? ❌
2. The uninsured ❌
3. Societal air travel addiction ✅
We'll see I guess.
This. Lots of titting no tatting.
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
November 9, 2025 at 11:16 PM
This. Lots of titting no tatting.
Reposted by Sam Workman
“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
— 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
November 8, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Sam Workman
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
November 8, 2025 at 8:51 PM
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”
Reposted by Sam Workman
Adaptation 🤝 Mitigation
"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
November 9, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Adaptation 🤝 Mitigation
Reposted by Sam Workman
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...
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
November 8, 2025 at 8:14 PM
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...
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...
I mapped a few of these closures a while back - Outback, Hooters, Applebee's, etc are all in big trouble as a category.
The closure of the local Outback Steakhouse is a major blow.
November 8, 2025 at 9:58 PM
I mapped a few of these closures a while back - Outback, Hooters, Applebee's, etc are all in big trouble as a category.
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.
My $0.02 on grade inflation, which I'm grateful to the @dailypenn.bsky.social for publishing.
URL: www.thedp.com/article/2025...
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
November 6, 2025 at 6:57 PM
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 Sam Workman
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...
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
November 6, 2025 at 2:46 PM
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...
www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
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.
November 6, 2025 at 12:47 AM
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.
Both great points.
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
November 4, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Both great points.
This.
November 2, 2025 at 11:25 PM
This.
🧵... 💡🔌
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/)
November 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM
🧵... 💡🔌
Great 🧵
Is social media dying? How much has Twitter changed as it became X? Which party now dominates the conversation?
Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed.
Here are the key take-aways 🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed.
Here are the key take-aways 🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
October 30, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Great 🧵
Appreciate the realism. Unless we're putting down our phones, staying home, and committing to a life most couldn't handle for much more than a day, we aren't meeting emissions targets. Mitigation and human capital is the way. #climate #publicpolicy
www.axios.com/2025/10/30/b...
www.axios.com/2025/10/30/b...
Bill Gates' pivot on climate change escalates debate with scientists
Some say Gates is highlighting an "overdue" political reality.
www.axios.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Appreciate the realism. Unless we're putting down our phones, staying home, and committing to a life most couldn't handle for much more than a day, we aren't meeting emissions targets. Mitigation and human capital is the way. #climate #publicpolicy
www.axios.com/2025/10/30/b...
www.axios.com/2025/10/30/b...
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.
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
October 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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.
In the case of national outlets, this well-earned.
How Americans’ trust in information from news organizations and social media sites has changed over time
U.S. adults under 30 now trust information from social media almost as much as from national news outlets
Half of 18- to 29-year-olds say they have at least some trust in the information they get from social media sites.
www.pewresearch.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:43 PM
In the case of national outlets, this well-earned.
"Evil is a point of view..."
October 29, 2025 at 1:19 AM
"Evil is a point of view..."
Jeffries/Schumer/etc desperately need this skeet. Lots of actors needing titted/tatted currenrly.
tit for tat only sustains stable cooperation if people are genuinely afraid that you will tit them if they tat you
The best thing we can do while out of power is make all the miscreants and degenerates who power the Trump regime afraid of what will happen to them the moment the shoe is on the other foot. Convince as many as possible that quitting their jobs right now is the smartest thing they can do.
October 29, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Jeffries/Schumer/etc desperately need this skeet. Lots of actors needing titted/tatted currenrly.
It's debatable whether policy actually matters at all in a world so sorted. If the electorate (whatever electorate might mean in this context) changes course, Kahnemann & Tversky (domain of losses) probably have more to say about it than policy or elections folks.
what the hell are you talking about man, biden's entire presidency was about the middle class. it was the entire political theory behind deliverism and the economy
October 28, 2025 at 12:12 AM
It's debatable whether policy actually matters at all in a world so sorted. If the electorate (whatever electorate might mean in this context) changes course, Kahnemann & Tversky (domain of losses) probably have more to say about it than policy or elections folks.
As section chair, I once had a gentleman graciously volunteer to chair a panel, but only if it addressed transportation policy in the 1970s. This was circa 2016.
9.
The answer is 9.
The answer is 9.
I'm organizing a conference section.
≈160 authors submitted papers.
Bet you can't guess how many of them volunteered to be discussants.
≈160 authors submitted papers.
Bet you can't guess how many of them volunteered to be discussants.
October 27, 2025 at 12:53 PM
As section chair, I once had a gentleman graciously volunteer to chair a panel, but only if it addressed transportation policy in the 1970s. This was circa 2016.
Reposted by Sam Workman
Please repost:
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
October 23, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Please repost:
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
I get that humanizing stories sells content and makes for good copy. But, need to get to the empirics before we've read this man's whole life story.
According to a new report, cancer rates are skyrocketing in this tiny country. What's causing this to happen? And what steps can be taken to turn the tide? n.pr/48IISJ7
This nation has the fastest rising rate of cancer cases -- and deaths -- in the world
According to a new report, cancer rates are skyrocketing in this tiny country. What's causing this to happen? And what steps can be taken to turn the tide?
n.pr
October 23, 2025 at 1:20 AM
I get that humanizing stories sells content and makes for good copy. But, need to get to the empirics before we've read this man's whole life story.