By Greg Sagan, Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 13

You probably aren’t very interested in what I’m thankful for this year. And you are quite likely not very interested in what I think you should be thankful for this year. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find that the naked political divide in America right now leaves you weary, frustrated, restless and afraid. These are poor pillars for gratitude.

But, as we sometimes hear said in these parts, no matter how thin the pancake it always has two sides.

Economists have an interesting take on the questions, “What is wealth?” One perspective, when viewed through the lens of economics, is that wealth is choice. It’s easy to see the connection when you look at it: If you have little money then a “vacation” may be a “staycation” that only lasts a weekend. If you have a lot of money then a vacation may be anywhere in the world for months.

In America we have embraced an economic system that not only provides many choices for all kinds of goods and services but also makes them available at a pretty reasonable cost. Homes, cars, clothes, food, entertainment all have many options in America. We might start our celebration of Thanksgiving with an enthusiastic appreciation for this material cornucopia.

We also have quite a market for ideas, ranging from the simple to the complex, the popular to the profound, the mundane to the majestic. We can find interesting ideas and different perspectives everywhere from comic books to colleges, from professors to plumbers, from those with deep knowledge to those with none. We may be thankful for this selection, too.

In this political season we also have a new form of wealth in the candidates running for Congress in Texas’ 13th Congressional District. As I write this, there are seven announced Republican candidates for Texas 13 and two considering it. I also have two fellow Democrats joining me in this race. In 2018 your choices for Congress were either Republican Mac Thornberry, Libertarian Calvin DeWeese, or me. Some would say this was a paucity of choices. I might well agree.

So this Thanksgiving offers you a chance to reflect on at least one form of wealth available to all Texans in this District, the wealth of candidates and their philosophies and perspectives willing to represent you in Congress.

You may not be thankful for the condition of our political discourse right now, but at least on this Thanksgiving you don’t have to ponder the gloomy poverty of no choice at all.