It seems so long ago and far away [Steve, it was maybe last month —Editor] that New York City's Democratic Socialist Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, promised residents everything from free bus rides to universal child care to free groceries — because you just know that nobody was going to prosecute shoplifters at Mamdani's crony-run grocery stores.
Now, as the New York Post put it late Tuesday, comes the bill that will "nickel-and-dime New Yorkers with hidden fee hikes" to pay for all the free stuff that Mamdani won't actually, you know, deliver at all.
IF ONLY SOMEONE COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING.
Sorry for using the Caps Lock and the boldface and the italics without also making the text red, but I can never remember how to do that.
"Fast and free" bus rides on the New York City Transit system were the centerpiece of Mamdani's Chicken-Breast-en-Croûte-in-every-pot campaign, and also one of the first broken promises. In early April, Politico reported that Mamdani "campaigned on three things: freeze the rent, universal daycare and fast, free buses," but that "New Yorkers — obviously used to slow buses — are going to have to keep waiting for free ones."
The money just wasn't there.
And Another Thing: My favorite take on the whole free bus rides thing was in a February edition of The City: "Mamdani Calls for Free Express Buses. Some Riders Say They Want Better Service Instead." Because if there's anything that big, socialist governments deliver, it's better service.
The money also isn't there for universal "free" health coverage for kids, which got scaled down in March to a pilot program for just 2,000. Even that few will cost taxpayers $73 million — and it comes from Albany and Gov. Kathy Hochul's largess.
Speaking of whom, today, "Gov. Hochul and Mayor Mamdani announced a sweeping new state funding package," PJ Media's own Matt Margolis reported. "The announcement was dressed up in the usual Albany language about affordability and working families, with Hochul declaring it 'a results-driven, responsible partnership,'" because none dare call it what it really is.
A bailout.
Granted, NYC's deficits predate Mamdani, but if there's a campaign promise of his that didn't involve exploding the city's deficit even further, I haven't read of it.
Which brings us to how the new mayor plans to nickel and dime his constituents into oblivion — or at least into constant annoyance.
"City Hall plans on jacking up the costs for ambulance transportation to net nearly $25 million more a year and charge people for EMS help even if they aren’t taken to a hospital, which would add another $10 million to the coffers," plus increased traffic ticketing, a crackdown on the STAR credit for property owners, increased audits, and... higher tree replacement fees? Really?
Really.
"Mayor Zohran Mamdani officially rolled out his $124.7 billion spending plan Tuesday as he patted himself on the back for closing a so-called multibillion-dollar budget gap with short-term fixes," the Post reported, "but included a menu of hidden fee hikes."
The biggest belly laugh was when Mamdani promised $368 million in savings from “improving the efficiency of public services” and another $947 million by merely "improving our financial management, claiming revenue that the city is owed, and accurately estimating expenses."
And I'm the Pope of Siam.
"Banking on yet to be determined revenue-raising gimmicks and identifying fake savings are not wins," a Democratic operative told the paper. "This budget plan is as real as Kim Kardashian’s lips."
Yeah, but unlike Mamdani, Kardashian pays her own bills.
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