Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈
@josephpolitano.bsky.social
69K followers 510 following 8.8K posts
Writing a data-driven newsletter about economics @ apricitas.io Nuance? In this Economy Full Employment Stan, Brazilian Coffee Tariff Victim |
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josephpolitano.bsky.social
everybody say yay metro go metro we love da metro
A picture of a metro train pulling into NoMa Gallaudet station at midday
josephpolitano.bsky.social
tell him we appreciate his service 🫡
josephpolitano.bsky.social
If anything, the inflation-adjusted data makes the growth in investment since 2022 look even more stark than the nominal data here
josephpolitano.bsky.social
To add to this thread, with the annual National Economic Accounts update released recently we got our 1st estimates of real data center construction

It's tripled since 2022, reaching $25B/yr. Keep in mind this doesn't include investment in computers within, which have risen by $100B
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Yeah E line ridership is up 2.6% year-on-year, doing better than the rest of the system. But displacement, the lack of new housing, easier drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, and work from home are all cutting into ridership
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Rail is doing better than bus (in part because of the LAX station opening), but both are unfortunately down year-on-year. Which train do you usually take?
josephpolitano.bsky.social
I'll also add that I'm unsure how this data got published despite the government shutdown lmao. Either the process is entirely automated after agencies submit their data to the feds or I salute the great patriot going unpaid as they post data to the Federal Transit Admin website
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Once again, usually I'd end these threads by talking about the rapidly-growing ridership on Seattle Link, but they haven't submitted official federal data for several months (their website says ridership is up 27% year-on-year).

I've emailed Sound Transit to see what's going on
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Ridership on Valley Metro Rail in Phoenix is also rising thanks to the opening of the B-line to south Phoenix back in June. Passenger counts are up more than 15% year-on-year, hitting the highest levels since COVID.
josephpolitano.bsky.social
In brighter news, ridership on the Bay Area's Caltrain continues to grow in the wake of the route's electrification—ridership is up 52% compared to this time last year, hitting the highest levels since the onset of the pandemic
josephpolitano.bsky.social
However, ridership on LA Metro remains down significantly since the intense ICE raids and federalization of the CA national guard in June—compared to last year, 6.6% fewer Angelenos are taking public transit, despite expansions to LA Metro Rail
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Washington DC has now reclaimed its title for the strongest post-COVID transit recovery of any US metro area, inching back ahead of New York MSA

Miami, LA, & Seattle are all above 3/4ths of 2019 ridership, while Chicago, SF, & especially Atlanta have seen weak recoveries
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Another month of US transit agency data is just in, and DC's WMATA remains the fastest-growing major US transit agency, with ridership up 13% compared to last year

King County Metro (Seattle) & SEPTA (Philly) have also performed well, while LA Metro & NJTransit have lost riders
josephpolitano.bsky.social
I was honestly disappointed by Dan Wang's Breakneck—for a book giving itself the difficult task of understanding the world's largest country, it felt uncomfortably surface-level. I wished it gave space for the details that could do justice to such an important topic
www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Joey Politano's review of Breakneck
3/5: I was honestly a bit disappointed by Breakneck—for a book giving itself the difficult task of understanding the world's largest country, it felt uncomfortably overgeneralized and surface-level. ...
www.goodreads.com
josephpolitano.bsky.social
AirTrain is driverless! The 7 uses ATO! People are just deranged
josephpolitano.bsky.social
got killed by a stray bullet in Columbus, possibly the last confederate officer to die in the war. Talk about a buzzer beater RIP bozo
josephpolitano.bsky.social
1858 version of “the wise man bowed his head solemnly and spoke: ‘theres actually zero difference between good & bad things. you imbecile. you fucking moron’
Text of a book reading “What is the difference between a Yankee violating the fugitive slave law in the North, and a Southern man violating the law against the African slave trade in the South?”
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Those are signed and coming the 16th
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Way ahead of you king
josephpolitano.bsky.social
bought Chandler’s Campaigns of Napoleon and Mikaberidze’s The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
josephpolitano.bsky.social
Decided I should start a Goodreads—here's my 1st review, of Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

"Financial crime thriller about a terrorist attack on the Species Extinction Market" is an exceptional pitch, and yet doesn't come close to how good the actual book is
www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Joey Politano's review of Venomous Lumpsucker
5/5: "Financial crime thriller about a terrorist attack that wrecks the Species Extinction Credit Market" is such an exceptional pitch, and yet that does not even come close to capturing how good the ...
www.goodreads.com