Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 1d

Wouldn't it be nice if we had the transparency to know which of our public servants shorted the market before this?

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 1d

Global stocks pummeled on Trump China tariff announcement on.ft.com/3KGbyZr

Global stocks pummeled on Trump China tariff announcement

Reversal comes after equity indices hit a series of new records in recent weeks

on.ft.com

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 1d

The UK and the US share a lot in common when it comes to political dysfunction.

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Reposted by Felix Ling

Make Votes Matter @makevotesmatter.bsky.social · 1d

Proportional Representation is the radical idea that a party that gets 30% of the vote should never have 100% of the power.

In most stable democracies, this is already obvious. Why not here?

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Reposted by Felix Ling

ProRep Coalition @prorepcoalition.bsky.social · 2d

Hey Oakland and Sacramento -- come canvass with us at No Kings Day next Saturday, October 18th!

You can learn more and sign up to join us by reading our latest newsletter: prorepcoalition.org/so/f5PdA1GD6...

Join Us for “No Kings” Rallies & Canvassing for Proportional Representation

Dear friends, As Californians debate Proposition 50, one thing is clear: our democracy is still trapped in the gerrymandering wars of a two-party system. Whether you’re voting yes, no, or are still un...

prorepcoalition.org

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Reposted by Felix Ling

ProRep Coalition @prorepcoalition.bsky.social · 1d

"[T]he 'winner-take-all' system used in most U.S. elections... contributes to polarization.... By contrast, proportional systems allow more voters to see their preferences reflected in Congress, can reduce partisan divides, and virtually eliminate gerrymandering."

www.amacad.org/news/publica...

New Publication on Expanding Representation in Congress

A new publication, which emerged from the Academy's Our Common Purpose work, proposes alternatives to the “winner-take-all” system used in most U.S. elections. The proposed alternatives have the poten...

www.amacad.org

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 4d

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

- Lord Acton

www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immi...

Adult bystanders were vomiting and a 2-year-old required medical treatment because of ICE, who were apparently annoyed just at being identified.

Feds deploy apparent tear gas in Chicago chase after activists block agents

Hovering helicopters and unmarked vehicles were part of a federal enforcement operation in the Logan Square neighborhood

www.newsnationnow.com

Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 4d

Why are both GDP *and* unemployment up so much? AI increasing productivity.

Why isn't this reducing inflation? Tariffs and immigration restrictions.

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/behi...

Behind Job Weakness Are Hints of a Productivity Revival. Is AI the Reason?

The artificial intelligence investment boom resembles the tech spree that brought a productivity renaissance three decades ago.

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Felix Ling

ProRep Coalition @prorepcoalition.bsky.social · 5d

It really truly is. Anybody who looks at countries using first-past-the-post (aka plurality voting) sees a situation worth emulating.

#ProportionalRepresentation #EndTheDuopoly #EndPolarization #FairSeats #MultiPartyAmerica

Jared 🔶 @quantumjared.bsky.social · 6d

Democracy may be the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried, but FPTP is the worst form of democracy. We need proportional representation.

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Reposted by Felix Ling

NPR @npr.org · 5d

Employees say their out-of-office messages were changed without their consent to include language blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

Federal workers sue the Education Department over partisan shutdown emails

Employees say their out-of-office messages were changed without their consent to include language blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

n.pr

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 7d

Trump in 2013: "[W]hen they talk about the...shutdown, they’re going to be talking about the president of the United States.... They’re not going to be talking about who was the head of the House, the... Senate.... So I really think the pressure is on the president."

www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...

Donald Trump Talks Government Shutdown, Sep 20 2013

YouTube video by Michael McKee

www.youtube.com

Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 8d

With the government shutdown "preventing" the jobs report, investors are predictably turning to private alternatives.

And predictably, they are *confirming* the weakening labor market that led Trump to fire Erika McEntarfar at BLS.

www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 8d

Leaders who seek to be uniters instead of dividers treat both sides fairly.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump Administration Withholds $2.1 Billion of Federal Funds From Chicago

The administration has been freezing funds for projects in Democratic-led cities and states during the government shutdown.

www.wsj.com

Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 8d

Quite predictably, the party in power gets blamed for government shutdowns, and in this case they control all three branches.

www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 8d

For president, remove Electoral College and use RCV instead. Or switch to a parliamentary system instead.

All public servants required to keep all assets in blind trusts (no stock trading).

Reverse Citizens United and implement public campaign financing.

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 8d

Proportional representation for a less polarizing multi-party system that includes more voices.

Nonrenewable fixed terms for SCOTUS justices confirmed by 2/3 of the Senate.

Repeal 17th Amendment so the Senate acts like the German upper chamber and defends state rights against federal encroachment.

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Reposted by Felix Ling

ProRep Coalition @prorepcoalition.bsky.social · 8d

The tumultuous times we're facing make it clear that our political system is aging and in sore need of an update.

#ProportionalRepresentation is the highest priority fix.

Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 10d

Our two-party system creates zero-sum politics, driving gerrymandering and voter disillusionment. Most democracies use proportional representation instead, which encourages coalition-building and better reflects voter priorities.

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Reposted by Felix Ling

Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 10d

🎧 Just dropped: the latest episode of our podcast #ThisOldDemocracy! @msifry.bsky.social talks to @jrdresden.bsky.social from @protectdemocracy.org about fusion voting and proportional representation. Give it a listen now. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...

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Reposted by Felix Ling

ProRep Coalition @prorepcoalition.bsky.social · 10d

Some people say “If you want to be heard, run for office.”

Cool. But maybe… just maybe… we should also fix a system that ignores most voters.

Start with #ProportionalRepresentation.

"You deserve it," in neon letters. By Mareko Tamaleaa via https://unsplash.com/photos/you-deserve-it-signage-u29A-hrVgJU.

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 10d

Good.

Countries with more politically independent central banks see less inflation because fighting inflation requires politically unpopular moves (i.e., raising taxes, cutting spending, raising interest rates).

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 10d

Supreme Court blocks Trump from immediately firing Fed’s Lisa Cook on.ft.com/3VMMfHl

Supreme Court blocks Trump from immediately firing Fed’s Lisa Cook

Justices defer decision on president’s bid to sack central banker until January 2026

on.ft.com

Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 11d

This is what two-party systems are good for: tearing a country apart and creating civil wars.

It's not like this in multi-party countries with #ProportionalRepresentation.

protectdemocracy.org/work/proport...

Reposted by Felix Ling

Fix Our House @fixourhouse.bsky.social · 15d

The @nytimes.com and @natecohn.bsky.social shared their readers' ideas for how to stop gerrymandering. The most popular proposal? Proportional representation.

"Proportional representation would make gerrymandering irrelevant. But it would do a lot more than that." t.co/1nLM8D02E8

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/upshot/redistricting-gerrymandering-alternatives.html

t.co

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 11d

Yeah, have a nice day.

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 12d

Sorry, "what about Israel" is the anti-PR equivalent of "but what about her emails," so my patience for the point only extends so far, and your refusal to even consider the broader cross-country data as being more generalizable struck me as a bad-faith actor tactic.

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Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 12d

And Shugart went beyond just signing the open letter in support of Proportional Representation. He explicitly made a call for it himself:

fruitsandvotes.wordpress.com/2021/01/19/e...

Emergency electoral reform: OLPR for the US House

Because the constitutional emergency is likely too deep to just turn the page, small-d democrats face an emergency of another kind. The need to adopt proportional representation has never been grea…

fruitsandvotes.wordpress.com

Felix Ling @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 12d

Matthew Shugart in particular has affiliations with University of Haifa, has done consulting work with the Israel Democracy Institute, and is a contributor to an upcoming book about Israeli politics and society.

jewishstudies.ucdavis.edu/people/matth...

Matthew Shugart

Matthew Shugart is Professor of Political Science. His main research interests are comparative political institutions, especially electoral systems and political parties. Many of his works incorporate...

jewishstudies.ucdavis.edu

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