The Myth of Scarcity

We all say we’re tired of political divisions. Some say what’s needed is to “talk to the other side.”

I say it’s rooted in a fallacy; a myth: that there are sides and that if one side wins the other loses. That’s the myth of scarcity.

Scarcity makes us fracture, trying to grab for our side and deny the other. This approach has motivated the Republican Party in particular; to frighten their donors with redistributionists who’ll strip them to clothe others and to frighten rural voters with “elites grabbing all the goodies” or giving the scarce goodies to urban minorities to get their votes. Democrats amplify this by agreeing there isn’t enough to go around so what’s needed is to take from those who have, to give to those who don’t.

And, so, the squabble continues and nothing gets done, mainly because whatever one side does, the other undoes.

The way forward is to focus instead “what do we need more of and what is stopping us from getting it?”

I see my job in Washington as isolating what we in CD2 need more of and what’s stopping us from getting it.

That’s why I focus on the committees I plan to join. Committees are where the real work gets done and where I can bring to CD2 what we need more of. It’s why I will focus less on working with Democrats and join the bipartisan Problem-Solvers caucus.

I’m not going to DC to impeach our current president. Others will do that work and I’ll support them, but my work will be to roll up my sleeves on the Agriculture, Energy & Commerce, Natural Resources Committees and the Economy and Taxation Joint Committees. That’s where the real work gets done and where I can best serve my constituents.

My North Star, my guiding principle is Tikkun Olam, often translated as “Heal the World”. What it means to me is that no single person can heal the world, but if each of us simply makes better what’s within our reach, together we WILL heal the world. My job is Congress is to do what’s within my reach to unleash each of you to do what’s within your reach, so that, together, will create a better world.