The Parts of Running I Was Most Afraid Of
I think we should offer and expect our leaders to be human.
Oz Sighting #5: The $3,000 Paragraph (The Scarecrow’s Logic)
It costs $3,000 to appear in the Oregon Voters' Pamphlet.
I couldn't afford it. Seven people wanted to help me get there. Every single one of them was already stretched.
That's not a fundraising failure. That's the system working exactly as designed.
Oz Sighting #4: The Union That Stopped Listening
I believe in unions. I still do.
But belief isn't the same as silent support.
This is Oz Sighting #4 — what happens when any system stops listening to the people it's supposed to serve.
Why DOGE Missed the Most Obvious Opportunity in Government
With genuine expertise in database management and UX design, DOGE could have approached tax filing the way a serious product team approaches a broken user experience: map the pain points, reduce unnecessary steps, build in real-time guidance, and design for the people who struggle most with the current system — not the ones with accountants and lawyers.
What Redesign Looks Like; Without Utopian Hand-Waving
The question isn’t whether redesign is possible.
It’s whether we are willing to stop protecting systems that benefit a few at the expense of everyone else — including the future.
We don’t need perfect answers.
We need leaders willing to redesign instead of retreat.