The Next Wave of Socialist Politicians Will Bring Crisis, Not Change
From free buses to rent control, their big promises ignore the hard lessons of socialism’s failures.
The Socialist politicians are coming!
In Minneapolis, Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh is favored to be Minneapolis' next mayor.
In New York City, bettors say there's an 80 percent chance that socialist Zohran Mamdani will be the next mayor.
"We have to continue to elect more socialists, and we have to ensure we are unapologetic about our socialism," says Mamdani.
But he should be apologetic! Socialism wrecks lives.
My last column/video covered some of Mamdani's bad ideas, but he has so many, I needed part II:
Mamdani promises buses "fast and free for every New Yorker."
Free would be nice, if the city could afford it. It can't.
And it's a peculiar proposal from a man who complains about what government does now: "These are the slowest buses in the country!"
Will they move faster when they're free?
Public transport is a good example of socialist confusion about what makes things work.
I ask people, "Who do you think built New York's subways?" Most say: "the government."
Who else could afford to dig tunnels and buy trains so everyone, rich and poor, can ride? Private businesses wouldn't do it. They wouldn't be able to charge enough to cover their costs. That's why government must do it!
But actually, private companies built most of New York's subways. The trains only became government-run after 1939, when the capitalists proposed raising the fare from 5 to 7 cents.
NYC's mayor called that "a grab for the public's pocket" and took control.
He promised they wouldn't raise the fare.
But within a few years, the fare was 10 cents. Now it's $2.90.
And when NYC tries to build new subways, they struggle to get it done.
One train line was supposed to be finished in 1938. Then they said 1980. Today, it's still not done, but it's already the world's most expensive subway.
They work so slowly that subway cars built for it (they cost a million dollars each) can no longer be used; they don't fit the tracks.
That's government work.
Mamdani also promises to make workers' lives better by raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour.
That's popular. But just dumb.
Last year, California demanded fast-food workers be paid at least $20 an hour. Unions and politicians cheered.
But when companies have to pay even beginners $20 an hour, they employ fewer people.
Pizza Hut laid off 1,200.
Over the next year, while other states added jobs, 18,000 California fast food workers lost jobs.
Customers also get hit. Even Good Morning America noticed: "Restaurants in the state have increased prices by 10% faster than all other states."
Finally, "Freeze the rent!" shouts Mamdani. Socialists like rent control.
Most voters do, too. But that's because most don't realize that, aside from bombing a city, little destroys apartment buildings more than rent control.
Saint Paul, Minnesota, imposed rent control in 2021. Multifamily building permits fell by 80 percent. In Minneapolis, its twin city, building permits increased.
So St. Paul rolled back its rent control.
But now Minneapolis' likely new mayor wants to impose it? Don't socialists ever learn?
No.
The vice president of the Minneapolis City Council is a socialist. I once asked her, "Where has [socialism] ever worked?"
She was silent an interminable nine seconds.
Finally, she said, "I'm doing a fine job representing my community."
Her policies would wreck her community.
George Will says he wants Mamdani to win because, "Every 20 years, we need to experiment with socialism" so people can watch it fail.
But can't the model of failure be what Gov. J.B. Pritzker is doing to Illinois? Gov. Gavin Newsom bankrupting California? We need a third example?
Sadly, we're about to get one.
I want to ask my likely new mayor, "How will your socialism succeed when every other, everywhere in the world, brought poverty and misery?"
So far, he hasn't responded to my interview requests.
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