Being a socialist means never having to understand how things in the real world work. That includes math, apparently, as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani demonstrated yesterday. He announced he’d managed to miraculously close the city’s gaping budget deficit<\/a> simply by “taxing the rich<\/a>” and not cutting services.<\/strong><\/p>\n That’s a lie, of course. The deficit was closed by delaying city contributions to the pension fun (good luck in retirement, city workers!) and a massive taxpayer bailout from Albany. That means Mamdani got the money from working class New Yorkers, and not “the rich.”<\/strong><\/p>\n But his socialist supporters fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.<\/strong><\/p>\n On May 12th, The New York Post<\/a> posted a list of the increased charges to average New Yorkers to help balance the budget:<\/p>\n As every parent of a teenager has stated at least once, “Money does not grow on trees.” Socialism is expensive.<\/p>\n The New York Post notes:<\/p>\n The Department of Veterans\u2019 Services is also ready to slash unspecified veteran events to save a measly $60,000, and Sanitation is expecting to cancel a battery disposal program to the tune of $353,000.<\/strong><\/p>\n Under the \u201csavings\u201d plan, officials merely re-estimated revenue they believed would be more accurate, including counting on millions of dollars more for handgun licenses, permit applications to the Landmark Preservation Commission and Taxi and Limousine Commission license renewal fees.<\/strong><\/p>\n The lion\u2019s share of savings stems from the Department of Education<\/a>, leaning heavily on vaguely defined \u201ccost containment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n About $149.5 million this fiscal year is expected to be saved from \u201cimproved financial controls,\u201d while an eye-popping $922 million would be saved next year, which would be driven by \u201cimproved financial control,\u201d including $30.3 million in procurement \u201creform.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Mamdani, during a Tuesday press conference announcing his first budget, insisted his team searched \u201cfor every efficiency and savings we can find.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is evidence of a new era of government in our city, one that can balance both ambition and fiscal responsibility, one that can invest in housing, child care, libraries, parks, schools and climate resiliency, while also cutting waste and finding efficiencies,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n I just hope that when Mayor Mamdani goes to President Trump for a bailout, President Trump reacts the same way President Ford did when New York City asked for a bailout in 1975. President Ford said that while there might be risk and some temporary fluctuations in the financial markets, the greater risk to the American people was \u201cprovid[ing] a Federal blank check for the leaders of New York City\u201d and not pushing for a \u201clong-run solution to the city\u2019s problems.\u201d<\/p>\n I guess New York City is still looking for that long-run solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New York City Mayor Mamdani has claimed that he has solved New York City’s budget problem without raising taxes. Great! But let’s look at the small print. On May 15th, Townhall reported: Being a socialist means never having to understand … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rightwinggranny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MamdaniFeeIncreases.jpg\")
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