Erich Arvidson

Arvidson attended the University of Missouri. His professional experience includes working as a mortgage loan officer and a personal and small business banker. He has been associated with the Special Olympics, the Mid Missouri Food Bank, the Cooper County Democratic Committee, and the Mizzou Baptist Student Union.[1]

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What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm most passionate about policies that affect our rural poor. Right now I'm focusing on Healthcare, improving infrastructure and combating poverty.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Dolly Parton. I always joke with people that she's the patron saint of poor children, and that I could probably write a book about it. A few reasons that I believe she is worth emulating: she has razor-sharp business acumen, her compassion towards communities that have historically been underrepresented, her acceptance of everyone. Seriously, I could talk a while about Dolly.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Growing up, I used comic books as an escape. I would usually be able to talk my mom into letting me get a couple at the thrift stores where the old issues were often 25 or 50 cents. I clung to Spider-Man's story and the idealistic view that he had of the world. Peter was a hero regardless of how little money he had, or how terrible things were in his personal life. Recently I've been enjoying Miles Morales as he grows into his role as Spider-Man. I remember his quote that plays on the old Uncle Ben quote. 'The people around us are our great responsibility.'

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that I remember with clarity is the Siege at Waco. I would have been almost 4 at the time and I remember watching it on TV with my parents.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Growing up, I had worked a number of odd jobs including mowing lawns, baling hay and umpiring baseball games. My birthday present from my mother, when I turned sixteen, was a tax-paying job washing dishes at Steak n Shake I kept that job for 2 years , eventually working up to the breakfast cook on the weekends. I had to wake up at 4 am to get to work at 5 on the weekends. I still make a mean pancake.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book series is the Lord of the Rings. It's a good way to soak up a day and get deep in a very thought out world. Always a fun read!

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I think it would neat to be Iron Man. His intellect is amazing, and it would be awesome to fly around in a hi-tech suit!

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Truth Hurts- Lizzo

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My family didn't have a whole lot while I was growing up. We struggled with poverty, food insecurity, and were briefly homeless. That said, those were not the biggest struggles that I've had to face.

My biggest struggle is talking with a doctor about my father's medical needs, knowing that he can't afford it, and knowing that I can't afford to give it to him. The next biggest is knowing that we lost time with him due to that inability to cover those expenses.

I'm fighting to make sure that no other Missourian has to make those decisions.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that our representatives should be able to legislate for the struggles and needs of our people. Our founding fathers were very careful to leave out requirements for prior government experience because they believed that people had the ability to choose anyone to represent them, not just select from a pool of insiders.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

I believe that our greatest challenge in the coming decade is the lack of unity with our country. We face a number of challenges that can only be solved by actual good-faith conversations toward a solution. We're going to have to face climate change, the rural/urban divide, income inequality, gun violence, and growing our middle class. We will not make any discernible progress on any of these issues until we address our lack of unity.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe that we need to have term limits in place so that we can have a replenishment of ideas and experiences. I think that it's very problematic to have Representatives that have been serving in the same role for over 40 years. I'd like to see a term limit of 10 years enacted in order to keep these new ideas coming to forefront so that our country can progress.

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