"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
The old adage, popularized by the brilliant economist Milton Friedman in the 1970s, boils down to this:
Resources are scarce, or at least somewhat limited, and even if a product, service, or other expenditure appears to be "free" to the recipient, someone or some entity ultimately bears the expense.
The truism isn't difficult to understand. At some point, even children get it.
Unfortunately, Democrats, so-called "democratic socialists," and Marxists fail to get it. Or do they? After all, one of the foundational tenets of Leftism is wealth redistribution. And now that New York City has a spanking-new (Marxist) mayor, city residents are about to find out two things the hard way:
One, Zohran Mamdani sees wealth-redistribution as a panacea with the *best* of them. And two, if Mamdani can't snag enough money from New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state government, he's already threatening what I'll call "trickle-down taxation."
I mean, a dyed-in-the-wool socialist has gotta do what he's gotta do, right?
Our story begins with Mamdani on Tuesday posting what amounts to a whiny post on X about his new proposed budget, in which he threw a hissy fit:
Today, I’m releasing the City’s preliminary budget. After years of fiscal mismanagement, we’re staring at a $5.4 billion budget gap — and two paths.
One: Albany can raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy and the most profitable corporations and address the fiscal imbalance between our city and state.
The other, a last resort: balance the budget on the backs of working people using the only tools at the City's disposal.
The first path matches a structural crisis with a sustainable and fair solution. I know where I stand.
New Yorkers voted for bold change and competent leadership. We will deliver both, and we look forward to partnering with Albany to protect working New Yorkers.
Wrong, bud — there are multiple paths, but we'll get there in a bit. Oh, and "balancing the budget on the backs of working people" has been far from anathema to the Democrat (socialist) party for decades.
Today, I’m releasing the City’s preliminary budget. After years of fiscal mismanagement, we’re staring at a $5.4 billion budget gap — and two paths.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 17, 2026
One: Albany can raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy and the most profitable corporations and address the fiscal imbalance between…
So, About That 'On the Backs of Working People' Thing
Even the New York Times put it succinctly:
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday proposed to raise property tax rates in New York City by nearly 10 percent, a measure he is preparing as a “last resort” to be deployed if he cannot persuade Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise income taxes on the wealthy.
The suggested 9.5 percent increase would affect more than 3 million single-family homes, co-ops and condos and over 100,000 commercial buildings, Mr. Mamdani said as he delivered his preliminary spending plan.
The mayor acknowledged that his proposal would not merely force the wealthy to pay more taxes, but would also be a “tax on working- and middle-class New Yorkers,” and stressed that this was not his first choice.
What a surprise that Mayor "Warmth of Collectivism" is already showing his true colors, right?
Not at all. Anyone who didn't see this kind of "governance" coming before this guy was even elected either wasn't paying attention, was in denial, or knew it would happen — sooner than later.
The mayor finally admitted what everyone already knew:
His new tax scheme isn’t just aimed at the “rich.” It’s a full-blown grab at the wallets of working and middle-class New Yorkers —the same people already crushed by the city’s record cost of living. His schtick of sounding reluctant was disingenuous at best: the Democrat playbook is clear: tax, spend, panic about deficits, continue to raise taxes.
Mamdani further whined:
If we cannot follow this first path. we will be forced onto a much more damaging path of last resort — one where we have to use the only tools at the city’s disposal: raising property taxes and raiding our reserves. The second path is painful. We will continue to work with Albany to avoid it.
Forced? By whom? Other than the Democrat go-to of as much wealth-redistribution as is required to rob a sufficient amount of money from Peter to pay Paul, I mean.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Zohran Mamdani's 'Green Schools for a Healthier New York City’ Is a Monumental Waste of Money
Enter, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Turns out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been watching the Mamdani madness. On Tuesday, the popular Republican put the whole insane thing into perspective:
FL = 23+ million people
NYC = 8 million people
The entire Florida state budget is $117 billion.
FL = 23+ million people
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) February 18, 2026
NYC = 8 million people https://t.co/ifGFXVgzCk
Let's do a bit of quick math, shall we?
$117 billion divided by 23 million equals $5,087 per resident.
$127 billion divided by 8 million equals $15,875 per resident.
Now ask yourself a question. Would you rather live in Mamdani's New York City or DeSantis' Florida?
Look, I get it; NYC isn't Florida, and vice versa. The Big Apple's baggage, including budget deficit and overall debt, isn't new, but having a self-declared democratic socialist (Marxist) as mayor is about the worst solution anyone could concoct — but NYC voters made it a reality. Moreover, it's only going to get worse — mark my words.
The Bottom Line
When will the Democrats learn? No.
With NYC and other large Democrat-controlled cities already in fiscal disaster, throwing good money (taxpayer dollars) after bad (Democrat deficit-spending) is a way of life. A life that will ultimately suffer the same consequence as has every other failed socialist experiment in history.
Incidentally, a third option is to stop redistributing billions of taxpayer dollars, governor.
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
Help us continue to report on his radical policies and expose the Democrats who support him. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member