Gail Gardner

Life distractions: US politics, foreign policy, modern cities, great coffee, and adventures raising two boys. 🇺🇦

[Sarah Longwell @SarahLongwell25]

Things conservatives told me when I was in my 20’s:

*Character counts
*Crony capitalism is bad
*Russia is our enemy
*Tariffs are taxes
*The Constitution is sacrosanct
*Government power should be limited, restrained, and checked by congress.

Guess they were just joking.

[Jeremiah Johnson 🌐 @JeremiahDJohns]

I've long said that one of the tragedies of our housing crisis is how it moves families out of cities.

It's very difficult to build any apartments at all, so developers maximize units and cram in as many small studios & 1BRs as they can. Big cities like NYC used to build lots of 2BR and 3BR apartments, and we just stopped doing that.

If we make it much easier to build, we could see a return to the types of units families actually want to live in.

[David J. Bier @David_J_Bier]

Just absurd. Not a single refugee in the world was allowed to come legally, except for white South Africans.

[Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler]

When historic preservation goes from protecting particularly beautiful and interesting old buildings from demolition to opposing a handsome new apartment building *on a surface parking lot,* something has gone very wrong.

[Ryder Kessler @ryderkessler]

Have we forgotten our E.B. White?

[Chris D. Jackson @ChrisDJackson]

I’ll never forget the people who let one raging madman rewrite their entire personality and value system. Watching folks abandon everything they once claimed to believe just to fall in line and excuse the most heinous behavior will be studied for years by psychologists and historians alike.

Donald Trump isn’t just a politician. He’s an infection in the bloodstream of America, and the damage to our national soul is catastrophic.

[David Frum @davidfrum]

Presidents Bush and Obama should make a joint visit to military cemeteries in the UK, Canada, France, Poland, Denmark, etc to say "the America you remember remembers your friendship and sacrifice."

[Shayan @shayan_]

I’m devastated. A good friend and dormmate of mine, Amin Pourfarhang, has been sentenced to death after protesting in Iran 😭 He’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.

Please share. Visibility raises the cost for the Islamic Republic and may stop this execution!

[Sarah Longwell @SarahLongwell25]

I think it’s strange and sad that we’ve stopped venerating the American immigrant story. It’s the story of America. It’s the story of our heritage. And we should continue to celebrate it as the thing that makes America not just what it is, but who we are. 🇺🇸

[Norman Ornstein @NormOrnstein]

In a Harris presidency, you can wake up every morning thinking about what matters to you: your family, your job, your neighbors. In a Trump presidency, you’ll wake up every morning wondering what horrific thing he will do, what turmoil will be driven by his lunacy and sociopathy, what group of Americans will pit against other Americans.

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

@Timodc Respectfully think you’re underselling it. Harris is hitting him in a key area he dominates--the media spotlight. It’s why she’s had trouble gaining traction since the debate. If people are talking about her, and it’s not a disaster, it’s wonderful and a win.

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

PSA announcement! Election stress can look like downing a glass of wine in the middle of the day instead of heading to the gym as planned, or like eating a mochi donut alone in your car while the kids think you’re running an errand. It’s OK. (And all Trump’s fault.)

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

And here in Seattle, SPS is doubling down on the car line by announcing plans to close 20+ schools.

[sam @sam_d_1995]

the American school car line is one of the most broken elements of life in this country.

kids should be able to easily walk or bike or take a bus to school like they do in every other country

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

“As boomers reach a point where they cannot, should not or choose not to drive, they will increasingly rely on public transit—not only in the transit hubs of New York City and Chicago but also in smaller cities and suburbs, where their family or friends may be unable to assist…”

[Regional Plan @RegionalPlan]

Mobility — like easily accessible transit — is key to maintaining health and quality of life for seniors.

A pause on #CongestionPricing is a pause on creating the public infrastructure and accessibility that aging New Yorkers need.
https://t.co/xr8qXQN5jA

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

@DannyInTransit @GovKathyHochul The trips up and down subway stairs with luggage were the toughest parts of my stay in Manhattan this summer. Esp. the trips with my kids and the whole family's luggage--in the "we'll always remember that" category. And having to pay fares for kids, all family unfriendly!

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

This is how hope affects your brain, after long-term deprivation. The news today? Mainlined. A month ago? What is news.

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

Vibrant urban communities have children. Sunday, our family rode our bikes to a beautiful Seattle waterfront park (Myrtle Edwards), crossing downtown to get there. We took the light rail home. I took note of how many school-aged children my two sons saw: 1. And this is normal

[Derek Thompson @DKThomp]

I wrote about the urban family exodus.

America's biggest and richest cities are losing children at an alarming rate.

From 2020 to 2023, the number of kids under 5 declined by
- almost 20% in NYC
- about 15% in LA, SF, Chicago, and St Louis
- >10% in NoLA, Philly, Honolulu

[Gail Gardner @GailEGardner]

To Rs who said about the Biden/Trump race, “Believe me, I don’t like Trump either. His personality flaws sure get in the way. I think they're both bad, and I wish we had better options.” (Code: I have no choice but to vote for him...again). There's a new, marvelous, off-ramp.

[Rep. Nadler @RepJerryNadler]

Today marks what should have been a transformative day for New York City as congestion pricing was due to start today, June 30. Instead, @GovKathyHochul is choosing to continue the status quo of congested streets, leaving a $15 billion hole in the @MTA Budget, and abandoning the MTA’s Capitol Program that included vital station improvements and 2nd Avenue Subway Expansion.

[Ohio AFL-CIO @ohioaflcio]

Business and @AFLCIO labor don’t agree on much, but we can agree that democracy is worth saving.