Reflections on Socialism in Contemporary Policy
Over half a century ago, I personally experienced how Mao Zedong’s socialist policies dismantled market competition, stifled innovation, and ultimately led to economic disaster in China. As someone who witnessed that era, I was alarmed when, just last week, Zoran Mamdani won over 50% of the vote in New York City, espousing proposals that resemble socialist ideals, such as city-owned grocery stores, free public transportation, uniform rent control, and even defunding the police.
While these ideas might sound positive on the surface, they risk repeating the social class strife and heavy state control that wrecked China from the 1950s to the late 1970s—this time in the financial heart of the world.
The uncomfortable reality? Although America triumphed in the Cold War, it appears to be faltering in the ideological battle at home.
Take Mamdani’s push for “just cause eviction” laws and rent control. He contends these measures protect tenants from being exploited, yet they’re likely to hinder real estate ownership and investment, mirroring Mao’s housing strategies.
In communist China, the government assigned apartments to families in urban areas, but poverty was rampant. My own family of five was squeezed into a 200-square-foot space without basic amenities like running water or a toilet. Currently, rent control measures are already affecting parts of New York, leading to a projected 20% increase in housing costs elsewhere. It feels like what Mamdani proposes could just be a disguise for stagnation, rather than meaningful improvement.
Mamdani’s advocacy for “Medicare for All” and free buses also overlooks financial implications. Mao’s “barefoot doctors” aimed for equality in healthcare but fell painfully short, resulting in many preventable deaths. The U.S. healthcare system, driven by competition and results-oriented research, leads globally in breakthroughs. Meanwhile, estimates suggest that offering free transit in New York could cost taxpayers around $1 billion per year—without actually enhancing services. Promises of “free” services in socialist systems often lead to shortages and inefficiencies.
The idea of government-run grocery stores raises further concerns. Back in Mao’s day, state-operated shops led to chronic shortages of essentials. Citizens were limited to meager rations, often having to rise before dawn to stand in long lines just to secure their monthly allowance of meat. Mamdani’s threat to stifle private competition in food distribution feels ominously reminiscent of that past.
Moreover, his stance on defunding the police in favor of vague “community safety” alternatives is troubling. In 2020, he co-sponsored a bill to slash NYPD funding by $1 billion, claiming it was to address systemic racism. This approach echoes the actions of Mao’s Red Guards, who undermined law enforcement and replaced them with ideological enforcers, leading to disorder and suffering.
Since 2020, crime in New York has surged by 15%, as per NYPD data. Weakening law enforcement doesn’t safeguard vulnerable populations; it exposes them to greater risks. For me, as a father living in New York, Mamdani’s approach to policing strikes a deeply personal chord.
He also aims to eliminate gifted and talented programs in public schools, branding them as “unfair.” However, these initiatives often serve as crucial pathways for high-achieving students from various backgrounds.
We cannot ignore the lessons from the cultural revolution in China, which crushed intellectualism and stifled innovation. It seems that New York might be making a similar error. A report from the Department of Education in 2022 indicated that gifted programs boosted math skills by 25%, yet Mamdani wants to scrap them in the name of “equity.” As an Asian American parent who has nurtured a child in STEM, I understand how essential it is to foster excellence rather than level it.
Mamdani’s policies reflect an ideology I have long fled from. Socialism frequently thrives on utopian promises made to voters who often haven’t faced its dire consequences. I have lived through it, and I see the alarming signs.
Yet, astonishingly, according to an exit poll, 70% of voters aged 18 to 44 supported Mamdani, while only 40% of older voters did. More disturbingly, 57% of college-educated New Yorkers cast their votes in his favor, compared to just 42% of those without a college degree. This points to an unsettling trend of pro-socialist indoctrination bubbling up in American educational institutions.
The harsh truth remains: although America may have won the Cold War, it risks losing its ideological foothold at home. To slam the door on a potential socialist takeover, we need to push for reform in higher education and teach kids about the real implications of socialism starting in K-12 schools.
