The recent visit by the incoming mayor of New York to the Oval Office for a meeting with President Trump drew plenty of attention and plenty of commentary. Some saw it as a political surprise. Others saw it as an overdue conversation between the incoming leader of America’s largest city and the president of the United States. I saw something else. I saw an opportunity to have an honest talk about the kind of country we want to be and the kind of future we will leave to our children.
When you strip away the noise of the moment, the Mamdani and Trump meeting reminds us of a basic truth. There are only two broad paths a society can follow. One path puts trust in free people making free choices. The other puts trust in government directing more and more of life. We have names for these two paths. Capitalism and socialism. And the choice between them has real consequences.
We do not need a textbook to see the difference. We can learn it from the real world.
In the early 1990s, Poland was an impoverished nation newly freed from the failed socialist/communist Soviet Union. Its people had lived for decades under central planning and political repression. When it finally gained its independence, Poland made a decision that changed everything. It embraced capitalism. It trusted its citizens to build businesses and take risks. It opened its doors to investment and innovation. That choice lifted the country. Today, Poland has become a modern success story. Its per capita income has risen to levels comparable to wealthy nations like Japan. Millions of people who once had little hope now enjoy rising opportunity and a brighter future.
Venezuela chose a different path. In the 1990s, Venezuela was the richest nation in South America. It had the energy resources and the human talent to become one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But in the late 1990s, it elected a socialist named Hugo Chavez who promised fairness and prosperity through greater state programs - socialism. Today, Venezuela is a military dictatorship, a nation where three out of four people live in poverty. Its economy collapsed. Its citizens fled by the millions. What was once the continent’s richest country became a warning for anyone tempted by political promises that sound easy.
Poland and Venezuela started in very different places. Yet their destiny flipped because of the choices they made. One trusted its people. The other trusted its government. One rose. The other fell. The lesson is not complicated. Capitalism works. Socialism does not. Freedom works. Central control does not. Capitalism captures human nature in a positive way. When we have ownership and can keep the fruits of our labor, we work harder, more creatively. Incentives matter! Socialism fails on this critical point every time.
Here in the United States, we are going through a moment of deep frustration and may be tempted by easy answers that never work. Costs are high. Interest rates are high. Buying a home is out of reach for many young families. People feel like the country is drifting and Washington is unable or unwilling to respond. I understand that frustration. In fact, I share it. But frustration is not a plan. And anger is not a substitute for understanding how we got here.
A smaller government, as intended in our Constitution, with fiscal restraint, would change everything. It would lower pressure on prices. It would lower interest rates. It would restore confidence to businesses and families. It would put America on a path to long-term financial health instead of the road to disaster we are on now. This is not ideology. It is common sense. Every family knows it must live within its means. Every business knows it cannot borrow without limit. A nation is no different. We can have the prosperity of Poland or the decline of Venezuela. The choice is ours.
That brings us back to the meeting in the Oval Office. What matters is not which party the mayor belongs to or what city he represents. What matters is that we understand the decisions that determine our future. We should want leaders who understand that more government is not the answer. Growth comes from freedom. Opportunity comes from strong private enterprise and a market economy. Prosperity comes from sound economic policy. These are not partisan ideas. They are American ideas.
We the people, must understand what must be done, then demand that our elected representatives fix the mess they created. That will require some hard choices. And it will require voters who are willing to support leaders who have the courage to support sound economic policy.
The future is still ours to shape. The question is which path we will choose.
Les Rubin is the Founder and President of Main Street Economics