This is true of any public good (transit! parks! libraries!) and progressives fail by ignoring it. Almost nothing you do matters if you don't maintain public safety and order. I'd have thought the election of Eric Adams in 2021 taught NYC Dems that, but only a little.

Some are, some aren't. But even before this news, international tourism was dropping, because of Trump rhetoric. Down $12.5 billion this year. NYC specifically has cut its forecast for international tourists in 2025 by 17%. Meanwhile, international travel is booming elsewhere.

It just sounds boring to faux-serious political analysts to say "It's all about vibes". The results of Bush-Kerry, Obama-McCain, Obama-Romney, Trump-Clinton, Biden-Trump, Harris-Trump? Even when I liked the results, it was VIBES. Admitting this annoys people with policy beefs.

All these "audits" avoid the harshest truth: The median voter is dangerously irrational. Voters were mad at an aging Biden's hubris. but jumped at the aging Trump, who post-Jan 6 was endless hubris? Mad about inflation, but wanted tariffs, etc?. It was not a serious election.

RT @sam_d_1995: in all of 2025, two New Yorkers have been killed on the subway. in comparison, two New Yorkers were killed *last night* in….

The Global Liveability Index has calculated its most liveable cities in 2025, and not surprisingly to anyone who’s been there, Copenhagen tops the list.

RT @Tesho13: This gets at one of the biggest mistakes the urbanist movement made and continues to make. Being “anti-car” is a losing argume….

Visited Governors Island the other day with some fellow guides. It’s such a treasure.

RT @GeauxGabrielle: The US brain drain will be felt for generations. Germany never recovered from theirs. Neither will we.

RT @micah_erfan: Imagine watching Star Wars and not understanding the Empire is fascist. That’s a level of media illiteracy I didn’t thin….

People act as if Trump's insanity is not affecting peoples lives. BS. I started a tour company in 2016 from nothing, & have made it fairly successful. Finally have a job that I like. Trump has fucked over tourism so much, I am likely done within the next year. I'm heartbroken.

RT @katrosenfield: hard to overstate how much the culture has been shaped by the fact that circa 2011 sites like Jezebel—and, subsequently,….

The way people talked in 2023/2024, you’d have thought the average American had a spreadsheet on their phone tracking weekly variances in food prices over many years, and all that. Now, people are largely 🤷🏻‍♂️. Biden was boring, and had bad vibes. Ultimately came down to that.

RT @davidfrum: Russia helped Trump in 2016. Trump welcomed the help. The help made a difference to the election outcome. Some deny those fa….

A masterpiece.

This all recently came to mind because I'm in the process of selling off a core chunk of my Simpsons collection, and many think I'm crazy. I still collect various toys/etc, but I believe in the Marie Kondo mentality. getting rid of things that don't bring you joy anymore.

Highlight of this era of my life: Flown out in 2007 for the release party (at Universal Studios Hollywood) of a new Simpsons video game. Met with Simpsons creators Matt Groening & James L. Brooks. Random celebs I met at that party included Ian Ziering and Zach Levi. The A-list!.

I was once the most famous Simpsons collector in the US. Toy executives would meet with me to consult on upcoming product rereleases. I was flown out to major Simpsons events in the era before "influencers" was a major thing. I hosted panels at San Diego Comic Con. Geek fame!.

RT @literaryeric:

RT @mateosfo: This is a great opportunity to point out a substantial population of very-online-activist youth have been fully brainwashed b….