In this article I want to focus on a different portion of the path to American Abundance outside of the major cities. I recently listened to an episode of the Ezra Klein show that featured congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who is the representative for Washington state’s third congressional district.
The focus of the podcast was on how a democrat like Gluesenkamp Perez is handling the policies of President Trump since her district voted for the Republican president in the last election. Its a tricky situation to be in politically, but Gluesenkamp Perez maintained a simple focus throughout the interview and that focus is what I want to write about.
I recently read the book Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, and so the perspective of restoring lost productiveness was in my brain. Klein and Thompson focus on what the liberal political movement needs to do to become a force for productivity instead of being an obstacle to it. Their focus is largely on the coastal cities where they have spent time. I very much appreciated their perspective on what can be done to build more homes, energize scientific discovery and restore industry. The questions I’ve had is what this looks like for areas outside the major cities.
The Future of American Abundance Will Start Small
Gluesenkamp Perez brings an interesting perspective to this Abundance conversation because she is from rural Southwestern Washington which includes Vancouver and a number of small towns. As a resident of Spokane in the Eastern part of Washington, I related to her perspective on what it means to move forward economically for areas outside the major coastal cities.
The first aspect of where this Abundance starts small is with businesses that are local in nature. Gluesenkamp Perez discussed the auto shop that she and her husband run. The reason that businesses like this will be the future is that they can’t be replaced by AI and won’t be targeted by larger corporations. Its not the type of business that will make its owners incredibly wealthy, but it can provide for a great life.
The other thing that comes through in the interview is that Gluesenkamp Perez is focused on building the trust of the people in her community. The constant focus of major media on new technology can cause us to forget that a trustworthy business is an amazing asset. It’s the kind of strength that takes time to develop but also can’t be replicated and replaced.
I am a believer that there will continue to be opportunities for local businesses particularly when it comes to fixing cars, working on homes or meeting other practical needs in a community. There are so many people retiring from these types of professions, and they will be growing in many areas as people move out of larger cities.
My wife works as a realtor in Spokane and as the city grows there is a constant need for contractors. We’ve seen several successful businesses start up and gain footing the past few years. The best part is that in smaller communities like Spokane or rural Southwestern Washington, these careers can provide an income to buy a home and start a family.
American Abundance Will Need to Be Scrappy
The simple reality for most Americans is that getting on stable footing financially in your 20s and 30s is much harder than we anticipated coming into adult life. It’s as if we set out on a 5-mile hike only to realize it was 14 miles and went up the side of a mountain. This is another area where Gluesenkamp Perez offered a great perspective that I believe is part of helping people get through the slog to begin to build wealth.
She was matter of fact about encouraging her child to play outside and was willing to share that her appliances were purchased second hand. What makes Gluesenkamp Perez so refreshing is that she’s proud of these realities. I could relate given that my wife and I almost exclusively purchased our furniture on Craigslist for the first 10 years of our marriage and we did all our home projects ourselves in Austin as we scraped by with young kids.
The lie that seems to weigh on so many people today is the expectation that this journey would be easier or that it wouldn’t require us to be scrappy to save money and stay out of debt as we pushed through our late 20s and into our 30s. I loved to hear someone who embraces people who work with their hands and on the value of passing appliances through communities (provided they are actually built well). However, if we are prepared for the fact that we will need to buy fixer upper houses, find second-hand furniture and think creatively to get through these years then it can help us keep momentum for the journey.
I have worked in aerospace and pharmaceutical manufacturing for most of my career and the jobs I’ve seen these industries create are another example of how I see scrappiness being the future. I’ve had friends who started as welders, inspectors and production technicians work their way into promising careers, buy homes and flourish. There is an amazing value in people who can perform challenging technical work and problem solve with equipment in modern manufacturing. This hands-on experience then opens opportunities to move on to management or working with the quality group in these highly regulated industries. These types of jobs need to be celebrated in a community and that is something it was clear that Gluesenkamp Perez understood. Jobs like this are available all over the country, often in communities that are relatively affordable like Grand Rapids, St. Louis or Indianapolis.
The question is whether people will value moving towards these manufacturing roles that are available and have to longer term vision to see where it can take them.
American Abundance will Require Embracing Local Community
My favorite part of the tone that Marie Gluesenkamp Perez set in her interview with Ezra Klein was that she wholeheartedly embraced the views and needs of her community. She obviously knew what people were thinking and had spent time talking to them. She was part of the fabric.
When she discusses the challenges of poverty and drug use in her community it was not at a distance, but they were people in her community in need of help. One of the challenges from the book Abundance was when the government spends money on problems, but nothing really comes as a result. There is a disconnect when it is all just numbers on a page. Personal connection and people serving their communities will always lead to more change even if it is small in scale.
Ever since Covid threatened the restaurant industry, my wife and I have had a stronger realization that the coffee shops and cafes that we love aren’t just an automatic part of the scenery. Especially in a smaller city like Spokane, these places need people to think about time and money spent as an investment in order to survive. This is a major balancing act for a frugal finance blogger like me who is constantly looking at the budget, but my wife has been a great balance in this area. She promotes her work mostly through giveaways to local businesses. It ends up giving a boost to coffee shops, bakeries or small restaurants. It also encourages our network to get out and learn about their local businesses.
As we move into our 40s and see our disposable income rise, we definitely try to keep this type of thinking in mind. There is a never-ending flood of convenience at our fingertips and so it takes intentionality to ensure some of the that money goes into our local community. This also ensures that we continue rubbing shoulders with our neighbors and hopefully ensuring small businesses can continue hiring.
I don’t know what the future holds for Spokane or Southwestern Washington where Marie Gluesenkamp Perez calls home, but I do believe that her perspective is cool to see and gives me hope for the future of American Abundance.