Month: March 2025

You’ve probably seen that chart going around. U.S. interest payments hitting $1.2 trillion. Chamath and the DOGE crowd are using it to argue for deep cuts.

Let’s look closer.

Yes, interest payments have gone up. A lot. That’s what happens when the Fed hikes rates after years of borrowing at almost no cost. But context matters.

That $1.2 trillion is eye catching but incomplete. What matters is how it compares to the economy. According to the St. Louis Fed and CBPP, interest as a share of GDP was higher in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Projections put us at about 3.2% by 2026. Not ideal, but within historical range. We’ve been here before.

The CBO expects this to keep rising. That deserves attention. But it’s not the apocalypse some are making it out to be.

We can afford it. A 3 to 4 percent interest burden is manageable for a country with our economic strength. We’re not a household. We issue debt in our own currency. U.S. Treasuries remain a cornerstone of global finance.

We also have choices. Managing debt means investing in our economy. The CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act are doing that. Innovation, clean energy, manufacturing. Driving job growth and attracting private capital.

Equally important is not gutting the public workforce. Scientists at NIH. Diplomats at State. Teachers, engineers, park rangers. The people doing hard work that keeps things running. And now the same crowd is floating Social Security privatization.

Here’s the other stat getting attention: interest as a percentage of federal revenue. It’s rising, but that’s not just spending. It’s revenue. The 2017 tax law slashed government income, adding $1.9 trillion to the debt. Overall the debt rose $7.8 trillion under Trump.

Now some of the same people who pushed those policies are pointing to the debt they created to justify dismantling government. They know what they’re doing.

Even if you’re worried about debt, slashing science and diplomacy won’t fix it. It will weaken the institutions we depend on.

We need an honest conversation. One that looks at spending and revenue both. Not scary charts designed to frighten people.

Lately I’ve been writing a lot about politics. I’ll get back to that soon. But this blog has never been about just one thing. Politics, yep. But also tech, travel, photography, music. Whatever’s on my mind. So today I want to share some personal tech I’ve been using now that I’m back in private citizen mode.

Here’s what I’ve been relying on:

Granola. I’ve tried a bunch of AI meeting tools but this is the first one that actually feels useful. It doesn’t record or transcribe. It just produces clean notes that capture what matters. After every meeting I use a Raycast hotkey to copy the notes into Apple Notes so I have them everywhere. Mobile version is great too.

Raycast. I put off trying this for way too long. I thought it was just a fancier Spotlight but it’s so much more. Crazy fast. Endlessly customizable. Packed with so many features. Clipboard management, text snippets, controlling Spotify with a quick command. The AI extensions are wild. I use it to summarize articles and translate text and generate playlists. Every time I think I’ve found everything it can do I stumble on something else.

Superhuman. I’ve used it for years but while I was in government most of my email was on a controlled system so I barely touched it. Now that I’m back I realize how much I missed it. The AI has gotten seriously good. Search is instant and smart. I can ask “when is my next flight?” or “show me tax documents from my advisor over the last three months.” But where it really shines is replying. A few prompts and I have a response that sounds like me.

Arc Browser and Arc Search. This one’s tricky. The Browser Company seems to be moving toward their next thing, DIA. But for now Arc Search is still my default on iPhone. Fast, great ad blocking, smooth gestures. On desktop Arc is packed with thoughtful features. Powerful UI, keyboard shortcuts, fast profile switching, solid Chrome extension support. 1Password works way better here than Safari. Just a great browser.

Chorus.fm. My go to for music discovery. Old school in the best ways. No algorithm. Just solid recommendations and real discussions.

Camera bags (or lack thereof). After years of trying every camera bag imaginable I’ve landed on two that aren’t meant for cameras. A tote from our local Nantucket grocery store and a backpack from Pakt. They don’t scream “camera bag” and they just work.

That’s the list. The political posts will be back soon :)