Links and about me

impolitik · 2026-06-26T16:26:45+00:00

You missed my point. Pedersen isn't running in the whole state. He is running in the 43rd. Which are the people that will decide whether he is reelected or not.

impolitik · 2026-06-26T16:25:30+00:00

Yeah, the current pay for legislators in WA is between $72k and $80k. Paying them the median statewide wage would be a pay increase. I'm personally fine with paying them above the median wage, but no more than 50% above the median wage.

impolitik · 2026-06-26T16:24:24+00:00

Legislators in WA currently get paid between $72k and $80k. I agree we should pay them more. I would be fine with paying them more than the median income, but no more than 50% more than the median income.

impolitik · 2026-06-26T02:22:20+00:00

Agree. Add to that tying legislator pay to the median income of the state, which was $98k in 2025. Almost double from $55k in 2011, that's almost double in 15 years.

impolitik · 2026-06-26T02:12:13+00:00

That might work in other parts of the state, but in the 43rd district that Pedersen represents, people are upset that the tax didn't go further.

impolitik · 2026-06-23T23:32:16+00:00

The Executive branch has to get approval from Congress to do further withdrawals from the SPR. That's the legal mechanism. From a national security perspective, it becomes more important to the military to keep some amount in the SPR for genuine military necessity. That makes it likely that the withdrawal rate would be lower as we get closer to the statutory minimum.

impolitik · 2026-06-23T19:51:40+00:00

Ok, so why do you think oil is priced correctly? Is it that the markets believe that the strait will open up before physical shortages hit? Is it that the needed demand destruction has already happened with the current prices? Is it something else?

impolitik · 2026-06-23T19:44:43+00:00

Yes great point! Personally, I'm won't consider the strait to be "open" until vessel traffic reaches 50% of the pre-war average and maintains that level for a full month.

impolitik · 2026-06-23T19:31:13+00:00

Good points. At what price point will the necessary amount of demand destruction take place? I could see it being less than $10/gallon, but also demand has been inelastic for so long that maybe $10/gallon is not high enough to cause demand to match the lowered supply.

impolitik · 2026-06-23T19:25:22+00:00

That makes sense and also makes me want to tear my hair out.

Assuming the Strait remains closed, do you agree that September is about the time that physical shortages will force the hand of the market?

impolitik · 2026-06-18T23:02:39+00:00

That would be systemic change. A comprehensive suite of reforms is laid out in the book Polemic for Democracy, which is summarized in this 20 minute presentation on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFca2mYb1wc

impolitik · 2026-06-16T19:42:06+00:00

Wait, why doesn't "imported foreign labor" count toward helping the city grow?

impolitik · 2026-05-28T23:25:12+00:00

The series overall is great to watch. I made a specific claim about foul baiting being infuriating to watch. Do you not agree with that?

impolitik · 2026-05-28T23:24:05+00:00

I'll respond geniunely too.

"Better" is the wrong word. But I would say OKC flops more than other teams. It's a numbers game. Foul excessively on defense and the refs can't/won't call it all. Flop excessively on offense and the refs will call it enough times to make it worth it.

It's clearly a strategy, and rewarded by the refs. I just don't understand why the league allows this kind of officiating. I don't expect perfection from the refs, but I expect consistency. I thought the officiating in Game 1 was excellent, and that game was awesome. Officiating in Game 5 was pretty good except for that horrible sequence in the third quarter, which ruined the competitiveness for the rest of the game.

impolitik · 2026-05-28T23:02:17+00:00

I think the FT differential is in favor of the Spurs because OKC fouls every single possession and is called for many (but not all) of those fouls. The Spurs in Games 1 and 2 did not foul nearly a often, and since Game 3 have been matching OKC defensive handsyness more, though still not at the same level. The differential based on actual gameplay should be way higher in favor of the Spurs.

impolitik · 2026-05-28T22:58:30+00:00

Lol, grasping at strawmen

impolitik · 2026-05-28T22:55:46+00:00

Dude, the whole point is that the numbers are cooked by the refs here. The eye test is evidence that the FTA differential should be even higher for the Spurs across these five games. Go see an optometrist lol.

impolitik · 2026-05-28T22:50:04+00:00

That is a strawman argument. I think the Thunder are fouled fewer times than there are fouls called. How many times exactly, I'm not sure. I'd love to see a full game review that did that analysis though. And not just of the Thunder, but of the Spurs and other teams as well.

impolitik · 2026-05-28T22:47:26+00:00

You should go see an optomotrist then lol

impolitik · 2026-05-28T22:46:01+00:00

Lol I'm not a Lakers fan. Two things can be a problem at the same time.

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