Contrary to comrades who shriek that these ideas have never really been tried, there have been many instances of these concepts failing in the real world.
One example: government grocery stores.
Critics will point to the Soviet Union and Venezuela for historical examples of how government-managed, not-so-super markets have failed. The local government in Kansas City attempted to solve the very problems Mamdani aims to address, mainly "food deserts." After receiving tens of millions of dollars since 2018, the nonprofit KC Sun Fresh struggled with inventories and crime, forcing the operator to shutter its doors in August. Other stores in Florida and Kansas have faced similar situations despite receiving subsidies.
Does Mamdani want free bus service on his first day in office? Probably, but the economics make little sense. The costs would rocket; fare-free transit would transform buses into homeless shelters, and riders would be packed like sardines. Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber pushed back against the idea that Mamdani says will cost only $700 million, stating that this policy proposal requires intensive analysis and review.
Many of today's university and college students, fed up with soaring tuition costs, love the idea of free schooling. The student loan system has produced enough unintended consequences and moral hazards. Turning college into a free ride will only exacerbate the adverse outcomes, such as students skipping classes, studying less, and enrolling in worthless programs. This does not include the cost to New Yorkers.
Free market economist Assar Lindbeck quipped in the 1960s that rent control was "the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities, except for bombing." Mamdani's socialist crusade involves price controls: freezing rents below their market price.
While economists disagree on many things, the broad consensus is that rent control breeds disaster and achieves the exact opposite of its intended effect. New construction stalling, property owners doing little to maintain their units, and young people being priced out of the rental market are among the problems that arise.
Proponents will regularly tout Canada as the beacon of universal childcare. In 2021, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed up to $30 billion in new spending to create government-regulated childcare, allowing families to spend just $10 a day. Years later, it has been rife with problems. Waitlists have ballooned by as much as 115% in various municipalities; spaces have fallen short of targets, and attendance has dropped, signaling growing frustration with the care provided. But these challenges have been common in Australia, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Switzerland.
Despite the mountain of evidence, the clarion call among the socialist crowd will be, “Well, real [insert utopian fantasy here] has never been tried.”
Socialist Madness
This Halloween, the scariest costume is not a ghost, a goblin, or Gary Busey. It is a certain mayor with a manifesto and a smile. He is a democratic socialist who appeals to NYU graduates with dissertations on dialectical materialism, and young white leftists with visions of nationalizing Starbucks. New York City will no longer be called the Big Apple but rather The Big Struggle. This is Zohran Mamdani’s city.
The most terrifying words in the English language are not “boo!” or “All I want for Christmas is you.” They’re “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
