Matthew Melendez
@unioncitymatt.bsky.social
Music. Sociology (of music). Education.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
We could have had nice things
Walz: "I keep saying this -- what is the goal at the end of the day? There's not a single economist who backs tariffs. Linda McMahon -- I bet she's never been in a public school. What is she is gonna do to improve our students' outcomes and lives? There's a vacuum for us to fill."
March 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
We could have had nice things
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
“Elon Musk’s hyperactive efficiency drive failed to prevent US federal spending rising to a record $603bn last month, new Treasury data has revealed, highlighting the Trump administration’s difficulty in drastically cutting the size of government.”
Elon Musk’s cuts fail to stop US federal spending hitting new record
Government spending rose to $603bn in February despite hyperactive efficiency drive, data shows
on.ft.com
March 13, 2025 at 3:15 AM
“Elon Musk’s hyperactive efficiency drive failed to prevent US federal spending rising to a record $603bn last month, new Treasury data has revealed, highlighting the Trump administration’s difficulty in drastically cutting the size of government.”
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Republicans seem to have completely forgotten about the first amendment
Tommy Tuberville: "When it comes to protesters, we gotta make sure we treat all of them the same: send them to jail."
March 12, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Republicans seem to have completely forgotten about the first amendment
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
A critical point.
February 16, 2025 at 2:28 AM
A critical point.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Do I have this right? Elon Musk - the guy in charge of preventing wasteful spending - dropped $40M on a Super Bowl ad?
We could permanently house 800 homeless veterans for $40M. Or provide five million meals to the hungry. Or replace lead pipes in 8,500 homes.
We could permanently house 800 homeless veterans for $40M. Or provide five million meals to the hungry. Or replace lead pipes in 8,500 homes.
February 9, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Do I have this right? Elon Musk - the guy in charge of preventing wasteful spending - dropped $40M on a Super Bowl ad?
We could permanently house 800 homeless veterans for $40M. Or provide five million meals to the hungry. Or replace lead pipes in 8,500 homes.
We could permanently house 800 homeless veterans for $40M. Or provide five million meals to the hungry. Or replace lead pipes in 8,500 homes.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
I wrote this piece before Donald Trump took office.
Making gov efficient matters, but making it truly effective is even more crucial.
The “shock and awe” approach isn’t reform; it’s disruption for disruption’s sake. And when the gov stumbles, people pay the price. www.govtech.com/voices/a-tim...
Making gov efficient matters, but making it truly effective is even more crucial.
The “shock and awe” approach isn’t reform; it’s disruption for disruption’s sake. And when the gov stumbles, people pay the price. www.govtech.com/voices/a-tim...
A Time to Make Government More Effective, Not Just Efficient
As the incoming presidential administration contemplates ways to enact reform, it’s important to consider successful innovations, and move carefully to preserve government services that work.
www.govtech.com
February 5, 2025 at 11:25 PM
I wrote this piece before Donald Trump took office.
Making gov efficient matters, but making it truly effective is even more crucial.
The “shock and awe” approach isn’t reform; it’s disruption for disruption’s sake. And when the gov stumbles, people pay the price. www.govtech.com/voices/a-tim...
Making gov efficient matters, but making it truly effective is even more crucial.
The “shock and awe” approach isn’t reform; it’s disruption for disruption’s sake. And when the gov stumbles, people pay the price. www.govtech.com/voices/a-tim...
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
this honestly goes a long way toward explaining why the coverage of the Biden administration was so egregiously terrible
White House reporters are excited that after four years of boring interviews with subject-matter experts they now get the adrenaline rush that comes from the personal attention of a president who threatens to have them executed. www.cjr.org/political_pr...
January 22, 2025 at 4:23 AM
this honestly goes a long way toward explaining why the coverage of the Biden administration was so egregiously terrible
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Gosh, who could have predicted violent extremism among veterans will grow as a problem? Oh, that's right: those of us who are veterans and have been constantly warning exactly this.
January 2, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Gosh, who could have predicted violent extremism among veterans will grow as a problem? Oh, that's right: those of us who are veterans and have been constantly warning exactly this.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
If you had told me last month that Musk and Vivek and Trump and all their fanboys and supporters would, by late December, be furious with each other over the most clownish, unforced errors borne out of their unchecked egos and failure to read the room, I would have told you:
No shit, Sherlock.
No shit, Sherlock.
December 27, 2024 at 6:59 PM
If you had told me last month that Musk and Vivek and Trump and all their fanboys and supporters would, by late December, be furious with each other over the most clownish, unforced errors borne out of their unchecked egos and failure to read the room, I would have told you:
No shit, Sherlock.
No shit, Sherlock.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Anyone else find it strange that MAGA totally stopped screeching about eggs and the border?
It's almost as if that wasn't really the problem after all.
It's almost as if that wasn't really the problem after all.
December 22, 2024 at 12:18 AM
Anyone else find it strange that MAGA totally stopped screeching about eggs and the border?
It's almost as if that wasn't really the problem after all.
It's almost as if that wasn't really the problem after all.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Happy birthday to one of the GREATEST and most consequential Presidents of my lifetime, who deserves a TON more credit than he gets.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT BIDEN!!!! 🎉
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT BIDEN!!!! 🎉
November 20, 2024 at 5:45 PM
Happy birthday to one of the GREATEST and most consequential Presidents of my lifetime, who deserves a TON more credit than he gets.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT BIDEN!!!! 🎉
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT BIDEN!!!! 🎉
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Analysis by Andrew Van Dam: A new government effort to map hearing loss in America inspired us to dig deeper, revealing a surprising explanation for the partisan gap in hearing loss.
Analysis | Why are Republicans more likely to suffer hearing loss?
A new government effort to map hearing loss in America inspired us to dig deeper, revealing a surprising explanation for the partisan gap in hearing loss.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 13, 2024 at 9:19 PM
Analysis by Andrew Van Dam: A new government effort to map hearing loss in America inspired us to dig deeper, revealing a surprising explanation for the partisan gap in hearing loss.
Reposted by Matthew Melendez
Jon Stewart's "timing was so sharp, his comic exasperation so familiar, you’d think he’d been away for a long weekend instead of more than two presidential terms," our critic James Poniewozik writes of the comedian's return to "The Daily Show."
You Might Not Like What Jon Stewart Has to Tell You
The comedian returned to “The Daily Show,” claiming the prerogative to tell his audience jokes they don’t want to hear.
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2024 at 11:05 PM
Jon Stewart's "timing was so sharp, his comic exasperation so familiar, you’d think he’d been away for a long weekend instead of more than two presidential terms," our critic James Poniewozik writes of the comedian's return to "The Daily Show."