Chris Conzen
@chrisconzen.bsky.social
Pronouns: He, Him, His. Community College professional and advocate for student success.
A favorite pastime of NJ pundits is claiming there's some mass exodus out of NJ. Yet, somehow, we're still overcrowded and new (overpriced) developments keep getting built.
This MAGA activist claims Republicans are ‘fleeing’ N.J. Here’s what the numbers actually say
While Scott Presler points to a single Instagram post as evidence, state records show Republicans have added nearly 164,000 voters over the past four years.
www.nj.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
A favorite pastime of NJ pundits is claiming there's some mass exodus out of NJ. Yet, somehow, we're still overcrowded and new (overpriced) developments keep getting built.
It’s not a broken promise, it was a lie; one of many that the rubes who thought a man born into corporate culture somehow represented the common person.
Opinion | Trump’s Broken Promise to Confront Corporate Power
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM
It’s not a broken promise, it was a lie; one of many that the rubes who thought a man born into corporate culture somehow represented the common person.
“Imagine defending a suitor who’s a serial arsonist because the other guy has a jaywalking citation; both bachelors are lawbreakers, after all. That’s the perverse moral arithmetic of more than a few Trump apologists.”
Opinion | The Outrageous False Equivalences That Prop Up President Trump
Aren’t his apologists exhausted by their moral calisthenics?
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:39 AM
“Imagine defending a suitor who’s a serial arsonist because the other guy has a jaywalking citation; both bachelors are lawbreakers, after all. That’s the perverse moral arithmetic of more than a few Trump apologists.”
DOGE “cut muscle, not fat”; 26K experts rehired after brutal cuts
Government brain drain will haunt US after DOGE abruptly terminated.
Government brain drain will haunt US after DOGE abruptly terminated.
DOGE “cut muscle, not fat”; 26K experts rehired after brutal cuts
Government brain drain will haunt US after DOGE abruptly terminated.
arstechnica.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:35 PM
DOGE “cut muscle, not fat”; 26K experts rehired after brutal cuts
Government brain drain will haunt US after DOGE abruptly terminated.
Government brain drain will haunt US after DOGE abruptly terminated.
The chef’s kiss in this decision is how the judge quotes Alito in the decision.
Comey, James cases dismissed as judge disqualifies interim US attorney Lindsey Halligan
A judge concluded Halligan’s appointment violated laws that limit the ability of DOJ to install top prosecutors without Senate confirmation.
www.politico.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:29 PM
The chef’s kiss in this decision is how the judge quotes Alito in the decision.
7 of the top 10 “coolest markets” in the country are in Florida.
US home price insights — November 2025
Year-over-year price growth continues its downward trend, only rising 1.2% in September 2025. Some states have pockets growing at a more rapid pace. | Cotality
www.cotality.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:27 PM
7 of the top 10 “coolest markets” in the country are in Florida.
The thing about all of those MAGA X accounts actually being from outside the US is that, for those with critical thinking skills, it's pretty obvious why, but for those without those skills or just so deep into TDS, they will never make the connection.
November 24, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The thing about all of those MAGA X accounts actually being from outside the US is that, for those with critical thinking skills, it's pretty obvious why, but for those without those skills or just so deep into TDS, they will never make the connection.
Every time they react to this, they are telling on themselves.
Pentagon says it's investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy 'illegal orders'
Pentagon says it's investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy 'illegal orders'
Pentagon says it's investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy 'illegal orders'
The Pentagon says that it is investigating Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military law after Kelly joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for…
apnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Every time they react to this, they are telling on themselves.
Pentagon says it's investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy 'illegal orders'
Pentagon says it's investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy 'illegal orders'
Activists Are Using ‘Fortnite’ to Fight Back Against #ICE
Activists Are Using ‘Fortnite’ to Fight Back Against ICE
Players are role-playing ICE raids in “Fortnite” and “Grand Theft Auto” to prepare for real-world situations.
www.wired.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Activists Are Using ‘Fortnite’ to Fight Back Against #ICE
From what I know of it, I think ranked- choice voting is a positive, but I’m curious to hear the good-faith arguments against it.
Scoop: Democrats eye ranked-choice voting for 2028 primaries
It's a tool that drew national attention when it propelled New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to a decisive primary win.
www.axios.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:18 AM
From what I know of it, I think ranked- choice voting is a positive, but I’m curious to hear the good-faith arguments against it.
So MAGA is actually a devolution from apes
Chimps shock scientists by changing their minds with new evidence | ScienceDaily
Chimps shock scientists by changing their minds with new evidence | ScienceDaily
Chimps shock scientists by changing their minds with new evidence
Chimps may revise their beliefs in surprisingly human-like ways. Experiments showed they switched choices when presented with stronger clues, demonstrating flexible reasoning. Computational modeling…
www.sciencedaily.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:26 PM
So MAGA is actually a devolution from apes
Chimps shock scientists by changing their minds with new evidence | ScienceDaily
Chimps shock scientists by changing their minds with new evidence | ScienceDaily
A smaller population resulting from lower immigration means a smaller economy...more restrictive immigration means fewer working-age immigrants paying taxes. Finally, economists link immigration to productivity growth...making America less hospitable to immigrants will eventually make America poorer
Opinion | We’re Seeing What a No-Immigration Economy Looks Like
Making America less hospitable to newcomers will eventually make our country poorer.
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:38 PM
A smaller population resulting from lower immigration means a smaller economy...more restrictive immigration means fewer working-age immigrants paying taxes. Finally, economists link immigration to productivity growth...making America less hospitable to immigrants will eventually make America poorer
A good read on why, no matter how much they say they will replace the ACA with something “better”, they can’t without doing something contrary to some of their longest held beliefs.
Republicans Will Never Find a Health Care Replacement - The American Prospect
The GOP is too wedded to free markets and scornful of the welfare state to ever make anything in health care work.
prospect.org
November 23, 2025 at 7:34 PM
A good read on why, no matter how much they say they will replace the ACA with something “better”, they can’t without doing something contrary to some of their longest held beliefs.
Reposted by Chris Conzen
Kavanaugh stop. Smashed the kid’s car windows and arrested him. He told them he was a U.S. citizen. The officer replied “I don’t care.”
www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
High school senior, a U.S. citizen, detained by ICE in Oregon
The 17-year-old was held more than five hours Friday in an ICE facility, his brother said.
www.oregonlive.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Kavanaugh stop. Smashed the kid’s car windows and arrested him. He told them he was a U.S. citizen. The officer replied “I don’t care.”
www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
“In the illiberal world created by Trumpism, you don’t have to ask—you can just proclaim. You can change on a dime, saying or thinking anything at all.”
Does MAGA Have Ideas?
A new book traces the intellectual origins of Trumpism—straight into the void.
www.newyorker.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:26 PM
“In the illiberal world created by Trumpism, you don’t have to ask—you can just proclaim. You can change on a dime, saying or thinking anything at all.”
Well, this explains being more openly critical
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, former Trump loyalist, says she is resigning from Congress
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a once-loyal supporter of President Donald Trump who has become a critic, says she is resigning from Congress in January.
apnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Well, this explains being more openly critical
My non-Higher Ed friends caught the NPR piece mentioned by Dr. Kelchen here. It's a reminder that the perceptions of Higher Ed are much more impactful than the facts.
College Prices Have Not Risen Dramatically in the Last Decade—But Will That Change?
Higher education is facing a crisis of confidence among the general public, and much of that is driven by concerns regarding affordability. For example, about 80 percent of Democrats and Republican…
robertkelchen.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:18 PM
My non-Higher Ed friends caught the NPR piece mentioned by Dr. Kelchen here. It's a reminder that the perceptions of Higher Ed are much more impactful than the facts.
“What should give Americans equal pause is the inhumanity happening beyond the cameras, away from the view of judges and lawyers and the media. Due process is not a constitutional right afforded only to citizens; legal restrictions on unlawful detention apply to all people on U.S. soil.”
Opinion | ‘The System Is Meant to Break You’: What ICE Is Doing to People Here Legally
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
“What should give Americans equal pause is the inhumanity happening beyond the cameras, away from the view of judges and lawyers and the media. Due process is not a constitutional right afforded only to citizens; legal restrictions on unlawful detention apply to all people on U.S. soil.”
“It is not hard to predict chaos and confusion for the next several years. That is time that should be used instead to strengthen our education system and help states and localities with all the guidance and assistance and funding they need.“
Downgrading Education Is a Disastrous Misreading of What Our Country Needs
Guernsey: Amid demands to improve reading and integrate AI, do we really want to be a country without a Department of Education in the 21st century?
www.the74million.org
November 20, 2025 at 6:07 PM
“It is not hard to predict chaos and confusion for the next several years. That is time that should be used instead to strengthen our education system and help states and localities with all the guidance and assistance and funding they need.“
“Florida’s rapidly expanding voucher program effectively bankrupted the K–12 funding formula in 2024–25, resulting in a $47 million deficit.”
“Whatever could go wrong, Has gone wrong” – Accountabaloney
Florida’s rapidly expanding voucher program effectively bankrupted the K–12 funding formula in 2024–25, resulting in a $47 million deficit. Today, the Florida Legislature received a briefing on the…
accountabaloney.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:48 AM
“Florida’s rapidly expanding voucher program effectively bankrupted the K–12 funding formula in 2024–25, resulting in a $47 million deficit.”
Reposted by Chris Conzen
“When will the woke left realize the evil of cancel culture”
New: Reuters has tallied job losses, suspensions and investigations stemming from the reaction to Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination. Its findings: More than 600 Americans have been punished, and the figure is likely to be an under-count.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
November 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM
“When will the woke left realize the evil of cancel culture”
Reposted by Chris Conzen
New: Reuters has tallied job losses, suspensions and investigations stemming from the reaction to Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination. Its findings: More than 600 Americans have been punished, and the figure is likely to be an under-count.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
November 19, 2025 at 11:35 AM
New: Reuters has tallied job losses, suspensions and investigations stemming from the reaction to Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination. Its findings: More than 600 Americans have been punished, and the figure is likely to be an under-count.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." US Constitution
White House prepares executive order to block state AI laws
Draft document obtained by POLITICO calls for task force and multi-agency approach.
www.politico.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." US Constitution
“The Trump administration’s restructuring plan will create “more confusion, more mistakes and more barriers” for students and families in need of support”
‘Selling off the Department of Education for parts’: The agency’s major overhaul faces fierce backlash
The Trump administration’s restructuring plan will create “more confusion, more mistakes and more barriers” for students and families in need of support, advocates say.
19thnews.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
“The Trump administration’s restructuring plan will create “more confusion, more mistakes and more barriers” for students and families in need of support”
Multiple health professions were excluded from the higher professional student loan cap. Now, casual observers may say “well, colleges should lower tuition for those programs”. But it’s not that simple.
November 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Multiple health professions were excluded from the higher professional student loan cap. Now, casual observers may say “well, colleges should lower tuition for those programs”. But it’s not that simple.