Tipsheet

Good Luck, NYC: Mamdani Pivots to Promising 'Cheaper' Groceries (Remember 'Cheaper' Health Insurance?)

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  November 05, 2025 10:15 AM

New Yorkers are about to learn there's no such thing as a free lunch, and that government never, ever makes anything cheaper.

Throughout the campaign, Zohran Mamdani ran for Mayor of New York with the promise of "free" busing and "affordable" things like housing, education, and groceries.

He also wants a $30 minimum wage, which will make all those "free" goods and services really expensive.

"All of which sounds incredible," says the MSNBC host who won't be impacted negatively by Mamdani's policies.

Mamdani has been consistent in his push for government-run grocery stores, despite being economically and literally illiterate, and believed the funding would come from $140 million in subsidies that didn't actually exist. He defended his policy, saying " the 'promise' of a public option and...urban studies support his case."

In Kansas City, a government-run grocery store shut down this year due to issues including empty shelves, expired and rotten food, and theft (guess those groceries were free for someone). When confronted with the failures of such "public options," Mamdani once again deflected.

"We have to prove not only the efficacy, but the excellence of this idea," Mamdani said.

That's "real socialism hasn't been tried yet," if we've ever heard it.

Mamdani's plan would cost New York at least $60 million, and — much like Obamacare — here's how that scheme works: the government would subsidize groceries to make them "affordable." That will drive up demand without increasing supply, leading to shortages. It also means that retailers would either raise their prices to obtain more in subsidies or that the government would provide substandard products.

Other stores, unable to compete with government-controlled prices, will close their doors. In fact, a spokesman for the United Bodegas of America warned of this very thing back in July and called Mamdani's ignorance a "cancer."

What happens then? You've got government-run grocery stores with empty shelves and rotten food, where theft is rampant and — let's face it — Mamdani's NYPD won't arrest anyone for shoplifting. Food shortages will happen, and then the rationing begins.

In Cuba, citizens are forced to show their ration book to get food at government-run grocery stores.

And here's what some of those rations look like.

Here's what monthly rations looked like in communist-occupied Poland.

Of course, if you aren't a good communist or otherwise incur the wrath of the state for something like not being vaccinated, they can always withhold those rations until you comply. It's a win-win for the big government crowd.

In 1906, American journalist Alfred Henry Lewis warned, "There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy." New York would do well to remember that today.