Ezra Klein

Talking about how expensive the ashtray at the Pentagon.

Talking about how expensive the ashtray at the Pentagon.

Yeah, right. So the politics of reform are very important. But also, it also reminds me of something else, like look, you live in a relatively high tax liberal state. I lived in California and then I now live in New York. I hear a lot of people complain about taxes, but what I don't primarily hear them say is just that my taxes are too high. It's that my taxes are too high and I get nothing.

Yeah, right. So the politics of reform are very important. But also, it also reminds me of something else, like look, you live in a relatively high tax liberal state. I lived in California and then I now live in New York. I hear a lot of people complain about taxes, but what I don't primarily hear them say is just that my taxes are too high. It's that my taxes are too high and I get nothing.

Okay, but I want to do the one uncomfortable thing here. Please. Because I want to say yes and. Are we improv? We're improv-ing this bad boy. All right. We're improv-ing. Bring it. Liberals are really comfortable when the government, when the enemy is big business. And it often is.

Okay, but I want to do the one uncomfortable thing here. Please. Because I want to say yes and. Are we improv? We're improv-ing this bad boy. All right. We're improv-ing. Bring it. Liberals are really comfortable when the government, when the enemy is big business. And it often is.

But in a lot of what we were talking about, that 14-stage rural broadband thing I just went through, that wasn't business. That's a good point. Well, I bring this up because we're actually pretty comfortable saying no in some cases, not as many as it would be ideal, to business. We have a politics of that. Well, we have a lot more trouble saying no to is ourselves, our allies.

But in a lot of what we were talking about, that 14-stage rural broadband thing I just went through, that wasn't business. That's a good point. Well, I bring this up because we're actually pretty comfortable saying no in some cases, not as many as it would be ideal, to business. We have a politics of that. Well, we have a lot more trouble saying no to is ourselves, our allies.

Or if you're in a local government, right, a bunch of homeowners who never want the affordable housing. Our idealisms. Yeah. And sometimes our idealism, right?

Or if you're in a local government, right, a bunch of homeowners who never want the affordable housing. Our idealisms. Yeah. And sometimes our idealism, right?

You can sort of imagine if I like unwound those no-fos and everything, how all the things that get in there, like the subcontractor diversity requirements and everything, for the people in the room, it's like, I mean, I don't want to say no to that. Like the people asking for that are good people. They're our friends. Like they're trying to do something good in the world.

You can sort of imagine if I like unwound those no-fos and everything, how all the things that get in there, like the subcontractor diversity requirements and everything, for the people in the room, it's like, I mean, I don't want to say no to that. Like the people asking for that are good people. They're our friends. Like they're trying to do something good in the world.

And, you know, all the things that are making all the building more expensive. Look, there's like a big – I report on this affordable housing project in San Francisco. And it has an interesting fight tucked inside of it. It has a lot of interesting fights in it. You should read the book.

And, you know, all the things that are making all the building more expensive. Look, there's like a big – I report on this affordable housing project in San Francisco. And it has an interesting fight tucked inside of it. It has a lot of interesting fights in it. You should read the book.

Yeah, instead of the double that it usually costs, which it still sounds like a lot. But it was finished for half the cost and half the time. Yeah. One of the big reasons is that they use modular housing construction, offsite factory built housing. First affordable housing to do that either in San Francisco or in, to my knowledge, California though.

Yeah, instead of the double that it usually costs, which it still sounds like a lot. But it was finished for half the cost and half the time. Yeah. One of the big reasons is that they use modular housing construction, offsite factory built housing. First affordable housing to do that either in San Francisco or in, to my knowledge, California though.

I want to fact check that, but I think that's right. Anyway, there's a big fight with the unions on that. But it's interesting because it's a fight in two directions. You have the construction trades who try like hell to kill that project. The only reason they can't kill it is it uses private sector money. But the factory that was doing the modular housing construction was unionized, right?

I want to fact check that, but I think that's right. Anyway, there's a big fight with the unions on that. But it's interesting because it's a fight in two directions. You have the construction trades who try like hell to kill that project. The only reason they can't kill it is it uses private sector money. But the factory that was doing the modular housing construction was unionized, right?

So there was a union benefiting on the other side of this too. But you get into these sort of local political power fights, which are, you know, I know California politics really well, and it's really significant there. And it's not that you can't work with some of your allies. I tell at some length the story of Josh Shapiro rebuilding the I-95 bridge in 12 days as opposed to 12 to 24 months.

So there was a union benefiting on the other side of this too. But you get into these sort of local political power fights, which are, you know, I know California politics really well, and it's really significant there. And it's not that you can't work with some of your allies. I tell at some length the story of Josh Shapiro rebuilding the I-95 bridge in 12 days as opposed to 12 to 24 months.