By Kate Callen
The year 2025 hit San Diego with a double dose of political wreckage.
Along with the rest of the country, we watched a president take a sledgehammer to democracy. Here at home, we saw a mayor extort taxpayers to replenish a treasury he looted.
Donald Trump and Todd Gloria began their second terms with the same playbook: They would use their executive powers to do whatever they damn well pleased.
This is called “tyranny,” and it’s the subject of a book that a wise friend gave me in 2025 to raise my hopes for 2026.
Tyrants have been with us since cave people learned to conquer one another. Sooner or later, they all topple. But the wait can be agonizing. Are there steps we can take to speed things up?
On Tyranny by University of Toronto historian Timothy Snyder is a primer on disrupting despotism. Snyder has studied the Holocaust and led efforts to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty. He has seen autocracies destroy nations, and he knows how they can unravel.
I won’t apply his insights to Trump because I can no longer bear to think about the horror of that man. I leave him to Editordude Frank, who has the inner fire for it.
Gloria is a different story. Over two decades, I’ve watched him fall upward from an earnest young aide to Susan Davis to a glossy protégé of local magnates. He was never cut out to be mayor, and he has failed at the job.
But he still has three years in office. How do we minimize the damage he can do in the time he has left? And more importantly, how do we prevent another despot from succeeding him in 2028?
Snyder’s book is subtitled “Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” I’ve read each of his lessons through the prism of “How can community activists in San Diego use this to start taking our city back?” Here are a few that stood out.
Defend institutions. Why did Gloria risk the solvency of Balboa Park with new parking fees that would alienate visitors? Because he assumed the public would just roll over. The fight for Balboa Park is only beginning. Every future candidate for elected office in San Diego should be asked to make an iron-clad promise to bring back free parking and restore this civic treasure.
Practice corporeal politics. This is a fancy way of saying: Get up from your computer, leave your house, and show up in public support of democracy. “No Kings” marches have had a seismic impact. In 2025, City Council chambers were filled with community leaders in brightly colored T-shirts demonstrating solidarity. Gloria, who never attends Council meetings, has reportedly nicknamed these activists “The Shirts.” So yes, he has noticed.
Contribute to good causes. Or contribute to good candidates. Autocrats feed on the wealth of cronies who profit from abuses of power. Populists must depend on support from the public. Ordinary people make up in numbers what they lack in money. If you are disgusted by San Diego’s pay-to-play government, support candidates of your choice financially and give them more than you think you can afford.
Investigate. Tyranny’s worst enemy is truth. The more truth comes to light, the weaker tyrants get. We want to take this opportunity to thank Rag followers for helping us root out government misconduct by giving us the coordinates on where to dig. One of our top 2025 stories, Geoff Page’s expose of the Mission Beach “surplus lands” scam, started with a tip from a reader.
Please keep those tips coming in 2026. We’re in this together.
Those four were great choices, Kate. They seem so simple and logical when written out, but to actually do those things takes energy and commitment. But, energy and commitment are the by-product of people who have just had enough. And, there is lots of that today.
I really don’t know why to distract with the Federal level. There is so much out of personal control that amounts to time spent spinning wheels. Frank would likely disagree, but, we tend to fix what is in our control. That does not mean we ignore it. It can obscure the priority or what is controllable.
We do spend much time on the local level which is great, but leave out the state level here. There seems to be a Newsome can do no wrong approach here. 4 failed budgets in a row. Failed homeless and bullet train policies are highlights. Corporate home ownership allowed and land owners be damned. Now it’s the billionaires tax to run more wealth out of the state. The super majority needs to be reduced. Keep these guys honest. Where are we keeping corporations out of home ownership?
Todd is odd.
Who else would put out the ADU policy he has while gutting infrastructure fees? We reduce single family starter home ownership for investors to build investment driven properties without realizing a key component to step up family wealth has been pulled out from under by reducing inventory.
And yet we have Midway Rising conflicts of interest. We have Ash St. conflicts of interest. We almost had the 30 mil a year homeless shelter conflict of interest. Property taxes rise. Water fees rising. Trash fees rising. Parking fees rising. And the unions, mainly associated with Browning and Rottenstreich keep representing candidates that proliferate this city and county. Now the unions want to raise sales taxes in the city and county. Even after all the increases in costs they are in control to say no. More keeping corporations out of home ownership. Including AirBnB’s.
There will come a time to vote a person who you may not agree with. That doesn’t mean they will be there forever. That can mean they will neutralize the majority and keep them honest acting in good faith. GLTY.
I agree with you, Chris. We need to keep it local and ‘non-partisan’.
We have 10 elected officials at city hall (9 cc + TG); all Democrats and only one (RC) who appears to have some good ideas and tries to have thoughtful discussion about policy. This is the worst and most incompetent city council ever.
So another suggestion would be let’s vote for the person who will advocate for San Diegans and stop this insane one-party rule.
Thanks Lisa and generally agree but most opponents seem to be of the opposite extreme which discourages any change what so ever unfortunately. I had thought this might change with the last mayor and D9 races, but here w we are.
Great article Kate and I share your thoughts too Geoff.
We will be launching the Repeal the Fees campaign first of the year to gather signatures to stop the trash tax and also paid parking at Balboa Park. We hope the Rag will promote these initiatives so we will get enough signatures in order to put these measures on the 2026 ballot.
Neither of these fees that were passed by the current city council will put a dent in the deficit nor generate revenue and should be repealed by the public. But local media must get the word out so that people will become informed voters.
In addition, we will need a majority of community advocates to get elected on the council in November 2026 so they can overturn Todd’s destructive agenda. That will be the beginning of the resistance by the new city council.
Let’s rise up as long time community advocates and vote for the person that will speak out for our communities whether they have a D or R after their name. We would do well with more moderate thought that is non-partisan.
The Repeal the Fees campaign is a fantastic concept. Inevitably, anyone who threatens the status quo will be labeled as a MAGA supporter. Class warfare sells, & that is how we ended up with Sean E-R. As history has shown, the Unions who benefit from the City Council ‘s largess, will fund a media blitz of mailed flyers and TV time, in support of the politicians they own. So far, this has worked. At some point in the looting, you’d think the citizenry would turn on them, giving us another Prop 13 moment, but in 2025/6 the Mayor, City Council, & County will champion 2 sales tax increases, a 5400% increase in property sales tax, 2nd home $5000 per bedroom tax, increasing trash fees, doubling parking fees (then again 4x that for downtown), & the elimination of coastal height limitations, + parking fees in our greatest park. If all this isn’t enough to end this sorry era, we deserve our fate.
I agree with your every word, Norman. If you want to register your support for the Repeal the Fees campaign, go on the website: RepealtheFees.com You will be notified when the petition drive begins.
Thanks Lisa, I’m willing to work on getting signatures on my block. You have my contact info. Let me know when I can pick up the forms. Norm
Great articles, thanks to all of you.
I’m wondering about the building one could learn to sky-dive in that was/is located downtown. The sky-diving went belly up, if I remember correctly, then it was to be turned into a one stop shop for the homeless, with social services staff on site and other services to assist the homeless. Then it just wasn’t the topic of news any more. Is it now standing vacant? Dumb and dumber are going to come up with a viable plan for H Barracks, and the homeless. HA! They better not follow the old plan of “first come, first served”. That will put predators in the same area as teens, family’s, single women, and bring on the lawsuits. Hopefully they figured out a better plan, or better yet have someone that knows what they’re doing in on figuring out a viable plan.
No, we don’t need someone with an R or a D after their name. We need a Democratic Socialist. Someone who would advocate for free transit, or how about this, free transit for kids. Would that really break the bank? Bust the budget? Really? you think so? We need to take housing out of the hands of Wall Street corporations, make developers pay for the infrastructure that their developments overload, like sewers, streets, fire and police protection. We need someone who will advocate for the people, not the corporations and/or the unions. We need to put our resources into schools, libraries, parks and open space. But none of that will happen if you look for a middle road between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Those two parties have not served us well in the past and they will not do it going forward. To move forward we need bold action, not the same old same old.
Democratic socialism would ruin CA’s innovation driven economy which is the source for the majority of our tax base. The top 1% of earners pay on average 38% to 46% of all income taxes and the middle class has been fleeing CA to other states.
Let’s not develop an eat the rich mindset, this isn’t 1789 France, CA is the 4th largest economy in the world within the most dynamic U.S. economy.
Capitalism is imperfect but it is the only viable option and a better solution is an abundance liberalism agenda where we prioritize expanding supply—ex) housing, workforce development, infrastructure, and clean energy—by reducing regulatory barriers.
We need to empower our people to join in on free enterprise so that more have an opportunity to earn and dream.
We should not trust CA politicians with more funds because the facts would argue too much waste and fraud to ignore:
California’s tax burden is among the highest in the United States, and our state’s fiscal trajectory raises important questions about how tax dollars are being collected and spent and whether current policies are delivering the outcomes residents expect.
1. California’s Tax Burden and Spending Growth
California’s state and local tax burden — including income, sales, and property taxes — ranks near the top nationally, in part because of high marginal income tax rates and progressive tax structures. The Tax Foundation reports that California’s top marginal income tax rate is the highest in the nation, which affects both individuals and businesses. ?
Since Governor Newsom took office, state spending has increased substantially. This growth reflects pandemic-era demands, but it also includes structural expansions in ongoing programs. The Legislative Analyst’s Office and other analysts have highlighted widening deficits despite past surpluses, which suggests long-term budget sustainability challenges.
2. COVID-19-Era Mismanagement and Budget Issues
During the pandemic, California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) lost track of billions in unemployment insurance due to fraud and system issues. State audits documented that at least $11.4 billion in unemployment benefits were paid to ineligible claimants, with tens of billions more under investigation or disputed, making it one of the largest cases of program mismanagement during the pandemic.
These issues contributed to record-high unemployment payouts and delays in benefits for eligible residents. Mismanagement of large emergency programs erodes public confidence and raises questions about fiscal controls.
3. Homelessness Spending and Outcomes
California has spent large sums on homelessness. Independent research indicates that the state allocated around $24 billion since 2019 toward homelessness programs, yet the total population of unhoused individuals increased during this period. This suggests weak linkage between spending levels and measurable reductions in homelessness when accountability and outcome tracking are limited.
Local oversight reports also cite gaps in spending transparency and service effectiveness, underlining the need for stronger performance measures in state and local homelessness policies.
4. Fiscal Accountability and Tracking Outcomes
Public auditing and oversight bodies repeatedly note gaps in California’s tracking of major programs, which makes it difficult for taxpayers and policymakers to assess whether large expenditures are achieving stated goals. Transparent performance metrics are foundational to responsible budgeting. This concern isn’t unique to one sector; similar issues arise across large service categories unless explicit outcome measures are adopted.
5. Economic Competitiveness and Population Trends
California’s cost of living — including housing and taxes — is a major factor in interstate migration patterns. Independent data shows that more residents are moving from California to other states such as Texas, Florida, and other lower-cost, lower-tax states. For example, data from recent years indicate that hundreds of thousands of Californians relocated out of state, with Texas alone gaining a significant share of new residents, many attracted by lower housing costs and tax burdens.
Ezra, you make many assertions but don’t back any of them up. You have no idea of what democratic socialism is — and most of us don’t either because it has never been allowed to happen.
Let’s see how that works out for NYC, first.
Apparently advocating for the people equates to endless new fees and ever increasing taxes, championed by our very own Democratic Socialist on the Council. I see no free transit for kids, all I’m seeing is wildly out of scale housing projects that have trashed our community plans, discarding the hard work from generations of San Diegans who were advocating for their communities. Oh that’s right, public open space, lawfully adopted height restrictions, and environmental regs no longer matter either. I’ve seen quite enough from this failed experiment in Democratic Socialism, thank you very much.
I agree completely, Norman. We have an opportunity to get a majority of community advocates elected to the city council and they can reverse ‘Todd’s Glorious’ agenda. I hope people will be empowered to vote for the person over party.
Let’s also realize that the two incumbents who are darlings of the local Democratic Party (Foster & Lee) have no record to stand on except rubber stamping Todd’s developer driven agenda.
It is the responsibility of everyone to be an informed voter. Go to all meet and greets during the campaign and find out if candidates can have a two-way conversation to discuss issues and not mudslinging, more problems and solution discussion.
Please do not use the ballot as a memory test by checking the box on the names you recognize. The future of our city depends upon it.
Let’s change the dynamic and stop this zombie council from destroying our city.
Anyone want to run for District 3? If so, maybe we can recall Whitburn rather than having him working against our district.
Norman, you are very quite mistaken if you think the current city council travels in democratic socialist politics. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yeah, I know Elo-Rivera calls himself that in some circles, but from his practices, is not a democratic socialist at all. So, there has NOT been any experimentation as you assert; if has been experimentation in legislating what developers want.
There is no possible way you really think the current Mayor and city council are “Democratic Socialists”.
I think Democratic Socialism is the latest buzzword. But actually, we should be aware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Does anyone have the true definition of what DS is? I think it’s a siren call from charlatan politicians to gather their liberal flock.
Can we stop using these labels?
Because actions speak louder than words.
Lisa, we agree on a lot of needed changes to San Diego, but here we part company on this issue. Democratic socialism is not some “buzz” word. Socialism in general is a society — yet to be genuinely achieved — where goods, services and labor are shared equally by all citizens. Democratic socialism is that system and run in a democratic way. Many Americans fear the word “socialism” but a lot of socialist thought and attempts began in this country, and historically, it’s been socialists who have been at the forefront for the right of unions to exist, for the 5-day and 40-hour standard work week, for vacations, for sick time, for the right of women to vote, for the rights of African-Americans and women to vote and participate in society, for free public education, for an end to imperialist wars — like Vietnam and Iraq — for trying to save the environment, for more democracy at the community level, against corrupt politicians and corporations — man, the list goes on.
Well, I suppose much of the split goes back to Weimar Germany where the Democratic Socialists merged with the Communist party, but here’s 2 bits from AI… “The key difference is their relationship to capitalism: a social democrat seeks to reform capitalism through a strong welfare state, while a democratic socialist aims to replace capitalism with a socialist economic system through democratic means.” I suspect most advocating for “Democratic Socialism” are really Social Democrats vs Communists. I’m not sure where looting the public and bayoneting the wounded falls into this equation, but I see the term “Progressive” thrown around a lot.
Thanks, Norman for your information.
Frank, I’m not saying DS isn’t a thing. But still believe using the term Democratic Socialist is red meat for the Progressive base of the Democrat party when the trrm is used.
We see examples of this with Sean Rivera using this label in vain. Therefore classifying it as a buzzword.
Lisa, Democratic socialism describes most modern democracies, including our own. You have to understand that many of the institutions that we rely on every day are socialism, including police and fire protection. The capitalist alternatives would be hiring Pinkerton or Black Rock to patrol our streets and keep us safe. For fire protection we would have private companies that will save your home if your payments are up to date. If you are not a subscriber or if you are not paid up, they let your house burn. Is that what you want? Or, how about Social Security and Medicare? Do you want to scrap those? Please, stop with the red-baiting and talk about issues. And Norman, if you are looking for a wolf in sheep’s clothing look no farther than Sean Elo-Rivera. He is in no way a Democratic Socialist. If he were he would advocate for free transportation, free child care, parks, libraries, schools etc. He has not. He is closer, in policy, to Richard Nixon or Ronald Reagan than Zoram Mamdani. Where is this experiment in Democratic Socialism that you are tired of? We don’t have free transportation, we’ve never tried that yet. Or did I miss it when we had it?
“Where is this experiment in Democratic Socialism that you are tired of?” The sad irony – in my youth the San Diego Zoo was free for local kids under 16, parking in the park was ample and free. Roads were maintained, & City salaries, though below private sector pay, offered great benefits and a retirement. Charging to park at the beach, would have been viewed as lunacy. Zoning was under local control, with communities having an ever greater say in how development would be implemented. There were times when I spoke before Council against these plans, “on what planet does it make sense to zone for duplexes, 6 blocks from the proposed Symphony Towers?”, and I recall Bob Filner paying close attention. But, at least it was a local discussion as to what was appropriate. Now it’s one party control, ideologues declaring absolute authority over ever-increasing aspects of our lives, often bestowed from Sacramento. The leadership of this party (Sanders, AOC,etc) describe themselves as Democratic Socialists. Now I’m hearing that this isn’t really Democratic Socialism. Well, whatever you wish to call it, this batch of Party authoritarians will own our dystopia of erased zoning and implementing a fee-based access scheme for our public spaces. As for Transit, is anybody seriously defending SANDAG? The fix is in. If a Mayor from the wrong Party is elected, he will not be seated, instead the Party (controlling their Council) will send a different representative. The State gamed it further, ruling that SANDAG votes are population weighted, which just hands control to Todd Gloria, San Diego being the 800# gorilla in the room by population. The Party owns this fiasco, and the argument if they have named themselves properly, I will leave to others.
Norman, are you calling me a communist because I espouse socialism? I don’t think you understand the difference. Maybe you should stop looking to AI to support your arguments. And once again lets stop with the red-baiting and talk about policy.
The Democratic Socialists broke away from the Social Democrats in Germany, as they did not believe that Socialism can work within a Capitalist system. They chose to ally themselves with the Communists, who shared their contempt for capitalism. Although the Social Democrat candidate still won the 1932 Presidential election in Germany, they were weakened. We all know what followed. You can follow whatever star you wish, it doesn’t change history.
Norman, calm down. You are talking about the Democratic party and then including Bernie Sanders. He is an independent. You talk about one party control in San Diego but we have never elected a Democratic Socialist to anything in San Diego. So, I ask you again, what is this experiment? Here? In San Diego? Once we had only Republicans, now we have only Democrats. When did we have an experiment in Democratic Socialism? Did I miss it?
Bernie described himself as a Democratic Socialist in both his Presidential Campaigns. “Sanders clarifies that his vision of democratic socialism is not state socialism or communism, but rather an extension of American progressive values.” Ok Bernie. We’ve got lots of those here in California at every level of City, County, & State government. So we are back to “pick your definition”. However the bottom line remains that at some point the Left, or D’s, DS’s or Progressives own this mess. And as mentioned in my initial post, I’ve seen quite enough of it.
Okay, Norman, you’ve said your piece — you’ve had your say. You casually assert the ‘D’s own this mess.” And what mess is that? City politics in San Diego? Where were you when the Republicans had control over the city and county governments — for years, for decades? Are you new to SD? If not, do not you remember what a mess SD was in earlier times, when SD was Nixon’s “favorite city” and Reagan’s home base? Or Susan Golding’s raid on the city treasury or Sanders raid on our libraries and then Faulconer’s purchase of 101 Ash St?
Thanks, Frank. Enough said.
Frank, it’s obvious you have a blind spot when it comes to any kind of constructive criticism of the Democrats. While that is your individual right, this is not quality journalism.
To only look into out city’s past and blame our city’s problems of today on former administrations that happen to have been Republican, is really a false flag.
Currently, our mayor and city council are all Democrats. If they had been competent, they could have corrected the past wrongs. But, we have had the opposite take place.
During the last 10 years, our population in San Diego has grown by 1.1%. Yet the city’s staffing under this current administration has increased by 27%. City salaries increased with automatic salary increases. Yet, none of our elected officials at City Hall have agreed to suspend their salary increases during their terms in order to plug the deficit. Wouldn’t that have demonstrated some Democratic Socialism ideals you tout?
Instead of popping the ciyy’s staffing bslloon, its answer is to inflict pain on citizens by cutting services and increasing fees. But conversely, developers have a key to city hall and get their DIF fees waived so their invasive projects pencil out.
We are on the brink of bankruptcy due to the city’s malfeasance.
I think it’s time we realize that the ideals of the Democrat and Republicans are filled with greed & feed. We have to admit that both party’s are not remotely what they once were.
Aren’t you tired of political talking points that are not followed up by action that has been shown by our elected officials at city hall?
Out city is burning around us, Frank, and we all must help to put it out rather than throwing gasoline on the fire with these continued verbal admonishments in your posts. Please do not tarnish the integrity of the Rag with its longevity of straight talk on issues the other media outlets won’t cover. Let’s stop these angry posts. Peace, Frank, and let’s make 2026 a positive year together.
Lisa, it’s curious you’d make these claims about any ‘blind spot.’ Have you not been reading the Rag for these last few years? If you had, you would have to acknowledge the Rag’s weekly and nearly daily onslaught of criticism against Gloria and most of the city council. How could you overlook that?
We’ve consistently argued that the city hall filled with Democrats has been acting like Republicans. Unlike you, we don’t see the situation now being one where residents turn to the Republicans for “relief.” GOP mayors constantly drained city funds … and we’re not about to call for another Republican former mayor to take over.
These races are non-partisan, Frank. So maybe we should avoid all party labels and focus on the person without continuing to smear those who, heaven for bid, may not have a D after their name.
The OB Rag has proudly stood for reform in local government for many years, whether San Diego was led by the GOP or Democrats. But there’s also no denying the stats that Lisa offers about ballooning Council and staff salaries while green lighting increased costs and reduced services, for citizens — not to mention our leaders’ incompetence and corruption.
The Editordude calls for a democratic socialist reset in our elected officials that is
responsive to the needs of the people, not to the politicians and their well-heeled campaign contributors. We need more Bernie, less business-as-usual.
As I’ve said before, Lisa we don’t need someone with an R or D after their names, we need a Democratic Socialist. We have never had even one of those, and so you can’t possibly blame our problems on them, can you?
You are projecting, John. I’m not blaming our problems on DS, if you read my posts I am merely calling out the malfeasance of our mayor and city council who happen to all be Democrat.
Our current elected officials like Sean Rivera are using the term in their speeches to rally the base. We know his actions are the complete opposite of that and he is a con man who uses labels incorrectly which make them buzzwords.
I think our test case on DS will be demonstrated in NYC. I find Mamdani a bright passionate person. Let’s hope that he is successful.
Lisa, I am glad to hear that we agree on so much. I apologize if I misconstrued or misunderstood what you have said. Happy New Year.
Frank, you ask “am I new to San Diego?” My father was born in San Diego in 1913, Mom moved here circa 1924 from Alameda. I was born here in 1954. I know what a functioning Democracy looks like. I may have only lived in Ocean Beach for 41 years, but that’s long enough to recognize a decline.
Who’s arguing that there hasn’t been a decline? Nobody.
I would argue that the decline has not been in the governance. Do you remember when the mayor and several city council members were indicted for bribery? The decline has been in our lifestyle and the livability of San Diego. We have had corruption for as long as I can remember. That is what has led to the decline. I’m not sure what a functioning democracy would look like . I’ve never seen it here in San Diego.
@Frank Gormile I recommend you read Abundnace by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, which is a solid critique of democrats by democrats.
California’s innovation-driven economy is the foundation of its tax base and fiscal capacity, since the Gold Rush to Oil to Agriculture to Hollywood to Tech. Policies that significantly undermine private investment, entrepreneurship, or high-skill employment risk weakening the very engine that funds public services. California is the world’s fourth-largest economy, embedded in the most dynamic national economy, and that position is not accidental.
California’s tax structure is already among the most progressive in the United States. Data from the California Franchise Tax Board and the Tax Foundation show that the top 1% of earners contribute roughly 38% to 46% of state personal income tax revenue, while California maintains the highest top marginal income tax rate nationwide. Seeking to tax people more when politicians are not currently responsibly administrating is to any one with common sense a bad idea.
At the same time, U.S. Census data confirm sustained net domestic out-migration, driven largely by housing costs, taxes, and cost of living.
Concerns about fiscal stewardship are not abstract. During the pandemic, audits of the California Employment Development Department documented at least $11.4 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments, one of the largest program failures in state history. Separately, reports from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office highlight persistent structural deficits despite prior surpluses.
Homelessness spending illustrates a broader accountability challenge. California has allocated tens of billions of dollars since 2019, yet statewide homelessness counts have continued to rise, underscoring weak links between spending levels and measurable outcomes. California’s Legislative Analyst has multiple times informed the public that data around where billions in homeless funds are going let alone the outcomes of those programs. Sorry to inform the people here but homelessness has increased significantly even after spending over $24 B since 2019.
A more sustainable path emphasizes “abundance-oriented” reforms: expanding housing supply, workforce development, infrastructure, and clean energy by reducing regulatory barriers and improving performance measurement. Capitalism is imperfect, but expanding access to free enterprise—paired with strong accountability for public programs—offers the most credible path to shared prosperity and durable public trust.
A while ago, we posted E. Klein’s major article on the Democrats. We criticize local Democrats all the time.
See https://obrag.org/2025/09/stop-acting-like-this-is-normal-shut-the-federal-government-down-ezra-klein/
By your last post Ezra, I thought you had read the book. Abundance. Ezra Klein is spot on.
May be a good read for you Frank.