continued from page care, city-owned ….

continued from page

care, city-owned grocery stores — the only thing missing is free ice cream for all. And pay for it all by taxing the wealthy and taxing business.

An example of the mindlessness is to tout, as does Mamdani, almost doubling the minimum wage to $30 per hour as part of an overall agenda to make life in New York City more “affordable.”

Affordable implies lower costs, lower prices. But raising wage costs and raising business taxes increases prices. Surely a third grader can figure this out.

The question now is if this is a sign of a direction of the country, or if this is a one-off in a disproportionately left-wing city.

We cannot dismiss that this is a sign of a direction of national sentiment. Specifically, the socialist seeds are planted in our Democratic Party.

As I recently reported, new Gallup polling shows 66% of Democrats with a positive view of socialism and 42% of Democrats with a positive view of capitalism.

Gradually, Democratic leaders are crawling out from under their rocks and endorsing Mamdani. Latest is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries clearly understood the implications of coming out in support of this guy, and he minced his words with caveats. But in the end, he endorsed him. It is not just a matter of the clear experience with the failures of socialism. Just recently the Fraser Institute published its annual Economic Freedom of the World Report. The report shows with clarity that countries that are most economically free — less government, less intrusive regulations, laws that protect private property — have per capita income six times higher than countries in which these economic freedoms are not protected.

Our country is not at a fork in the road trying to decide which way to turn. The reality is we already took a wrong turn. The massive government spending and debt weighing us down mean we must unwind from many bad decisions in the past.

The current government shutdown is a sign of where we’re headed. We’re shut down because Democrats want to spend even more money.

This defines where we’re going.

Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Zohran Mamdani with great hesitation for a good reason. He knows that Mamdani and his friends in the Squad in Congress, fellow members of the Democratic Socialists of America, set the new brand of the Democratic Party.

It’s sad. But it’s true.

Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS. COM