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Patrons wishing to use Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Pass must show valid photo identification. Illinois residents seeking discounted tickets to enter the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago must show ID. New Yorkers will now have to show some type of identification if they want to get the 30% discount on Mayor Zohran Mamdani's groceries. And yet, critics will shriek about racism when advocates propose voter ID laws.
Zohran Mamdani: No 30% Off for You!
The democratic socialist mayor unveiled the blueprint of his government-owned grocery stores. The crux of the idea is providing everyone with 30% off groceries on meat, produce, dairy, and other day-to-day pantry items. The proposal has already been met with scorn because it is likely a disaster in the making.
As Liberty Nation News pointed out, one way the city-run shops will backfire is basic arbitrage. In other words, what would stop somebody from taking advantage of the 30%, clearing off the shelves, and then reselling the groceries at or above the retail price. His solution is to implement a “library-card-esque system.”
"This is a program for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling," Mamdani told reporters.
New York City CFO Jeanny Pak provided some additional details for the media. "[W]e are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of a library card-esque thing, and also we manage who's buying and that is focused on everyday New Yorkers," Pak said. "So, we are mindful of that, and so we're going to make sure that we have all the things in place to ensure that that does not happen."
First, the system could still be exploited with identification. Paulie “Two Fingers” Russo who lives in the Bronx could apply for a card and receive 30% off a carton of eggs and a slab of steak to resell in the market. Or Acme International could hire Little Jimmy to run an errand to the neighborhood Mamdani-owned store and obtain these below-market savings through bulk buying.
Second, it is highly ironic that progressives and leftists are demanding identification to prevent odious actions, and yet proclaim that it is racist to request voter ID.
‘Practical Inventory Management Tool’
The mayor’s office pushed back against some of the reporting and criticisms.
In a statement to Fox News, Zohran Mamdani’s spokesperson dismissed comparisons between the ID proposal and President Donald Trump’s proposed SAVE Act or other voter ID laws. Instead, the city official described it as an inventory management tool.
"It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale,” the spokesperson told the news outlet. "To be absolutely clear: NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone," the spokesperson continued. "There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop."
At the same time, there might not be a form of ID at all. New York City could institute a customer card akin to various loyalty programs offered by various American grocers.
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Whatever the case, Mamdani and his team are weighing some type of ID to prevent resources from being abused, which is the same case that many conservatives espouse regarding voter ID. As former trillionaire Elon Musk said on X: "Oh, the irony is too much."
Let Them Have 30% Off
While many have quipped about the mayor’s 30% discount, other observers say this will result in other government-owned enterprises moving forward.
Venture capitalist David Friedberg, during a recent episode of The All-In podcast, thinks "everyone's got it a little bit wrong in assuming" the Mamdani-led crusade will fail. "I think that these things are going to create a radical spectacle, an exuberance for socialist policies that's going to kind of light a fire for socialism around the country, unfortunately," he said. "Because at the end of the day, no one has to pay the bill, because the bill doesn't come due for some time."
It will not fail overnight, but these government endeavors will crumble over time. Time and again, they have been attempted across the United States only to result in empty shelves, more taxpayer-funded bailouts, crime, and eventual closure.
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