January 22, 2016 10:28AM 

# Appreciating Abundance 

By [Chelsea Follett](https://www.cato.org/people/chelsea-follett) 

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Thanks to [market exchange](http://humanprogress.org/blog/1500-dollar-sandwich-illustrates-exchange-raises-living-standards), Americans enjoy a greater variety of food choices, [pay less](http://humanprogress.org/static/2015) for groceries than before, and have [more income left over](http://humanprogress.org/static/1930) after grocery expenses. And, of course, this abundance is not limited to food, but extends to [material goods](http://humanprogress.org/static/3028) and [technology](http://humanprogress.org/static/1440).

Bafflingly, there are those who bemoan abundance. Bernie Sanders, to name one, has [said](http://reason.com/blog/2015/05/26/bernie-sanders-dont-need-23-choices-of-d), “You don’t necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers.”

When grocery-shopping to stock up for the impending blizzard, many of us on the U.S. East Coast were met with extremely limited choices and nearly barren aisles. When I attempted to buy sliced cheese, for example, there was only a single kind left: Swiss. There was no provolone or Muenster or pepper jack or cheddar or Colby any of the other varieties normally available. Although I find Swiss cheese bland, I bought it because it was my only option. I and many others were “living the dream” of those who romanticize scarcity.

An economics professor summed up the situation in this humorous [tweet](https://twitter.com/DLin71/status/690372714721320964):

![Media Name: scarcity.png](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/humanprogress.org/70183364905/scarcity.png?itok=s3EWlL-_) 

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