Just a few of the things I'd like to see addressed here in the US:

• Universal healthcare
• Climate change
• Income inequality
• Reproductive rights
• Electoral reform (use popular vote for president, end gerrymandering)
• Restore fairness doctrine & regulate social media
• Stopping the rise of fascism and the far-right
• Restrict presidential power (no kings/dictators)
• SCOTUS reform (end lifetime terms)

I grew up in Illinois, about an hour northwest of Chicago. As soon as you cross into Wisconsin or Indiana there are fireworks stores EVERYWHERE! And as of a few years ago, Illinois has returned the favor with dispories on its side of the border.

Also as soon as you cross into Indiana, you're bombarded with billboards for "gentlemen's" clubs and ones saying "Hell is Real" and the like.

Crossing into Wisconsin, it never took long to leave the flatness of Illinois behind to have it replaced by the state's rolling hills. You'd also stop seeing businesses with "Chicagoland" in the name once you were north of the border. You do see that in parts of northwest Indiana though

Google Pixel 8

Got it recently after the battery started swelling on my Google Pixel 6 after 3 years of ownership.

I love that it's smaller than the 6, the 120Hz OLED display, the clean software, the 6 remaining years of updates, cameras are great (as were the cameras in the Pixel 6), and (relative) lack of bloatware compared to other phones I've had from Motorola and LG.

I am kind of irritated by the battery life and and how warm the phone tends to get. It was $200 cheaper than the Pixel 9 when both were on sale, but I'm wondering if I should've bit the bullet and gone for the 9.

Overall, I really like the phone for it's features and performance, but wish it had better endurance and ran cooler.

You could give FydeOS a shot. It's based on ChromiumOS so if you like the ChromeOS experience, you'll get to keep it. I believe it also has Linux app support and optional Android app support.