With Mamdani's recent victory in New York City, his dangerous socialist policies threaten much of the NYC that we all know and love. Including what you're going to be able to eat.
NYC has been a beacon of freedom for years, and part of the freedoms we enjoy in the good ol' U.S. of A. include what you choose to put in your body. But Mamdani wants to fund state-run grocery stores, claiming that they can help control grocery prices. Yet we have seen this fail time and time again. Just look at Kansas, where the state-sponsored grocery store garnered international infamy for "empty shelves and rotten smells."
From the Soviet Union to Venezuela, Cuba, Hungary, and Poland, state-run grocery stores mean long lines, empty shelves, corruption—and even black markets peddling expired food. Hard pass.
The shelves aren't just bare in these grocery stores; the produce and "healthier" options are almost nonexistent. And if they do exist, the products are usually spoiled and rotten, much like Mamdani's proposed reforms.
These government-run grocery schemes have failed everywhere – here at home and around the world. And now, as the chaos of the Schumer Shutdown leaves millions panicking over lost SNAP benefits, Democrats think the answer is more government control? Please. When the state controls your food, it controls you – what you eat, how much, and whether you eat at all. History's proven it every time: state-run stores can't keep food fresh, stocked, or affordable. So how will this be any different in New York City? It won't.
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Private grocers know they will be undercut by these government-funded stores because they cannot match the cost structure. Bodega owners in NYC worry that "competing with the city having business is not going to be something that we can support." In addition, the cost of launching and operating these state-run stores is substantial, and most require additional subsidies to try to survive, costing the taxpayers around $60 million a year. But hey, it's what y'all voted for…
And if these fail? The private stores would bear the brunt of increased risk and reduced business activity around them. Leading to larger stores and privately owned bodegas closing their doors, as New Yorkers are going to be forced to get what they can from a state-run program that is doomed to fail.
Bottom line: Bodega owners and grocery stores will not be able to compete, on their already narrow margins, with a state-run store. Leaving New Yorkers empty-handed, with only socialism to thank.
Don't fool yourself.
There will not be fully stocked state-run grocery stores for people to choose what they put in their bodies. The private sector has long operated grocery retail under competitive market conditions, and introducing a government player could alter supply-chain dynamics, pricing norms, and business models.
There will not be fresh produce or healthier options because they are not as shelf-stable as processed junk. And if there are, the rations could be absolutely wild, like they are in Cuba.
The more junk we eat, the lazier we get.
The lazier we become, the less we care about what is happening in the world and our contribution to it. Might be a bit of a stretch here, but you get the point.
Food is freedom. The freedom to choose how we want to live and what we want to eat. If you're not allowed individual sovereignty over your own body because you can't control what you have to eat or the options available to you, are you even in America anymore? Say goodbye to MAHA, New York.
Ashley Evdokimo is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Salem Media Group, overseeing brand strategy and cross-platform storytelling across its national media, radio, and digital divisions.
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