'We Have Created the Scarcity on Purpose'
About this episode
Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii argues Democrats need a better answer on affordability than subsidies: abundance. The episode's thesis, captured in its title, is that America has 'created the scarcity on purpose' — layering procedural hurdles like community engagement and environmental review that block housing and clean energy. Schatz describes Hawaii's aggressive housing reforms, the absurdity of a Honolulu bowling alley facing full environmental review, and how permitting thickets stall the rural broadband and clean-energy money Democrats already passed. He and Klein discuss the tension inside progressivism between proceduralism and building, the need to 'clear the thicket' for transmission and housing, and concrete ideas — a college affordability bill, prescription drug reform — aimed at giving Democrats a credible story on prices.