The Mamdani Experiment In Socialism

[Derec]

Speaking of unsourced.

Speaking of unsourced, what is your answer to my point that the 750k has been dragged through op eds and undergrad papers for years, without an explanation as to how it was derived.

You show one unsourced photograph. No clue of where the photo was taken.

It says "NYC Green Cart Queens". And as bilby figured out, the Q41 bus runs through Queens.
But sure, the photo might have been taken in Bogota.

And this is your argument that there are no food deserts.

Not the entire argument of course. I wrote a lot more about this upthread. This is chiefly an argument that full-service grocery stores are not the only way that access to fresh produce can be provided. It seems that carts like these are a great solution for dense urban neighborhoods with a lot of foot traffic.
And besides, these carts have even been mentioned in one of your links. But again, might be something they are doing in Bogota.

 

[Derec]

Do Soros and Steyer hold sway over the government the way the Kochs, the Mercers, Bezos, Leonard Leo, Peter Theil, and Musk do?

Well not this one, but they were influential when Obama and Biden were in the White House.

Also, afaik Leo is just an activist, not a billionaire. And the Left has a lot of activists that influence Democratic administrations.

 

[Derec]

No they don't. This is a poor whataboutism from Derec.

It's not a whataboutism. If anything, you ranting about the Kochs et al in a thread about Mamdani is the whataboutism.

 

[laughing dog]

Riiiight. It's a bad idea economically even though no one has any idea how it is going to operated or at what scale. Doesn't matter that it was a campaign promise and that the promiser was elected.

This lack of specificity is further evidence of just how unserious a figure Mamdani is.

Plans are usually works in progress.

But yes, I cannot conceive a version of this that would be a good idea economically. Either it's "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing" (but still costing plenty) if it remains at the five stores. Or alternatively it will be a much more expensive boondoggle which will cannibalize other grocery stores' business.

As I pointed out earlier, given the number of private competitors, it is hard to imagine it will have a large effect on those competitors, especially since it seems to be selling very low margin items.

Your replies are almost always full of imagination, so I think you could do it if you try.
Low margin means that private sellers will not be able to compete on price with the government-subsidized Mamdani Marts. Perhaps not a big problem if it's only five of them, but the same goes for any utility of them.
And as you pointed out earlier, and I expanded upon, there is a large number of grocery stores and bodegas in NYC. So many that the average distance between former is 600' and between latter 400'. Again, what need is there for the Mamdani Marts?

Depending on who is eligible to buy at promised discounts, it may help a relatively small segment of the population. And, it may be a gigantic snafu and fail spectacularly. It certainly doesn't merit the amount of teeth gnashing and fear I've seen in this thread.

I don't think he mentioned any eligibility restrictions. And this is Political Discussions. Critiquing what government officials say or do is what we do.

Yes, very imaginatively. But the effort in trashing this plan in the making exceeds is likely effects. The kneejerk fear is typical of the ideologically blindered.

 

[Patooka]

By the way, is that poor quality video (not even a proper video capture, just somebody taking a video of a TV screen) from a fictional TV show supposed to be some kind of argument?

Yes, but I'm unsurprised it went over your head.

I did not say that they cause equal damage, I just made a point that your list was one sided.

It so heavilly skewed to the right that anything Soros etc achieve is a rounding error comparatively speaking. Again to use the analogy I wrote in crayon - talking about jaywalking in the context of murder is fucking stupid. Likewise using the "BuT tHe LeFt DoEs It ToO !!!!!!!!oneoneone" in this context.

And you liking them is a reason why nothing you say should be taken seriously by anyone.
Especially since you like them for a very petty reason and do not seem to have looked into their history or positions.

I have, same as I've looked into your history and postions. Same as you've done for me. I stand by my post

 

[Patooka]

No they don't. This is a poor whataboutism from Derec.

It's not a whataboutism. If anything, you ranting about the Kochs et al in a thread about Mamdani is the whataboutism.

My rant was a response to:

What about those wealthy democrats? Hollywood?

Well, what about them?

It is easy to tell them apart.

Wealthy on the right are dressed in black. Wealthy on the left wear shining armor and ride white horses.

My view from the center is they are both equally corrupt and exploitative.

Microsoft under Bill Gates was highly exploitative and predatory in its guest for profit and dominance. As greedy as any conservative arch villain. Gates was anti competitive suppressing completion.

The left and right are equally part of the economic problems.

And in that context it is very much appropriate. Again, and I told you this before, if you think it is whataboutism:

Tell that to Steve

 

[ZiprHead]

Do Soros and Steyer hold sway over the government the way the Kochs, the Mercers, Bezos, Leonard Leo, Peter Theil, and Musk do?

Well not this one, but they were influential when Obama and Biden were in the White House.

Cite?

Also, afaik Leo is just an activist, not a billionaire. And the Left has a lot of activists that influence Democratic administrations.

No. Leo just received the biggest donation of all time to his conservative action fund, 1.6 billion.

 

[ZiprHead]

It says "NYC Green Cart Queens". And as bilby figured out, the Q41 bus runs through Queens.
But sure, the photo might have been taken in Bogota.

I, of course. knew it was in NYC. It says so right on the cart. The point is it doesn't prove there are no food deserts in NYC.

 

[RVonse]

To reduce the left-wing ecosystem to just "Hollywood" is simplistic. Also, I never understood the hatred for the Kochs. Not too familiar with the Mercers. But the Left has its own billionaires, most prominently Soros and Steyer.

Do Soros and Steyer hold sway over the government the way the Kochs, the Mercers, Bezos, Leonard Leo, Peter Theil, and Musk do?

I would not call CNBC right wing yet they think Soros does hold more sway:

American billionaires spent a record $880 million on the U.S. midterm elections

George Soros' $128 million in contributions made him the top political donor, followed by shipping magnate Richard Uihlein and hedge-fund founder Ken Griffin.

www.cnbc.com

Peter Theil is a special animal IMO because although he appears to be on the right and libertarian side. Yet most libertarians absolutely can not stand him being involved with Palantir Technologies. The company working with the government to reduce everyone's liberty and freedom. Peter Theil is just a wolf in sheeps clothing. Peter Theil just wants whatever is good for Peter Theil.

Nor is it really fair to call Musk a solid right wing billionaire. He was actually mostly liberal until the left started to train wreck the country into the ditch with open borders.

Laughing Dog says in this thread that Gates is not a liberal yet most of the time Gates has fought for liberal causes such as reducing climate destruction.

Is Bezos really right wing? I thought the Washington Post was mostly liberal.

The billionaires and Hollywood are probably just like the rest of us and all over the political spectrum. So the big problem is not that the billionaires are right or left, the big problem is that they can and do use their money to control and capture the government that the rest of us have to live with.

Instead of hating the people we need to learn to hate the game.

 

[Harry Bosch]

To reduce the left-wing ecosystem to just "Hollywood" is simplistic. Also, I never understood the hatred for the Kochs. Not too familiar with the Mercers. But the Left has its own billionaires, most prominently Soros and Steyer.

Do Soros and Steyer hold sway over the government the way the Kochs, the Mercers, Bezos, Leonard Leo, Peter Theil, and Musk do?

I would not call CNBC right wing yet they think Soros does hold more sway:

American billionaires spent a record $880 million on the U.S. midterm elections

George Soros' $128 million in contributions made him the top political donor, followed by shipping magnate Richard Uihlein and hedge-fund founder Ken Griffin.

www.cnbc.com

Peter Theil is a special animal IMO because although he appears to be on the right and libertarian side. Yet most libertarians absolutely can not stand him being involved with Palantir Technologies. The company working with the government to reduce everyone's liberty and freedom. Peter Theil is just a wolf in sheeps clothing. Peter Theil just wants whatever is good for Peter Theil.

Nor is it really fair to call Musk a solid right wing billionaire. He was actually mostly liberal until the left started to train wreck the country into the ditch with open borders.

But now the right is trying to ruin our economy with graft, tariffis, and war. Maybe he'll come back to the left? Or maybe join the sensible middle!

 

[ZiprHead]

To reduce the left-wing ecosystem to just "Hollywood" is simplistic. Also, I never understood the hatred for the Kochs. Not too familiar with the Mercers. But the Left has its own billionaires, most prominently Soros and Steyer.

Do Soros and Steyer hold sway over the government the way the Kochs, the Mercers, Bezos, Leonard Leo, Peter Theil, and Musk do?

I would not call CNBC right wing yet they think Soros does hold more sway:

American billionaires spent a record $880 million on the U.S. midterm elections

George Soros' $128 million in contributions made him the top political donor, followed by shipping magnate Richard Uihlein and hedge-fund founder Ken Griffin.

www.cnbc.com

Three years old and completely dwarfed by Leonard Leo receiving a single contribution of 1.6 billion of dark money for his political action campaign.

Peter Theil is a special animal IMO because although he appears to be on the right and libertarian side. Yet most libertarians absolutely can not stand him being involved with Palantir Technologies. The company working with the government to reduce everyone's liberty and freedom. Peter Theil is just a wolf in sheeps clothing. Peter Theil just wants whatever is good for Peter Theil.

Theil is a nut case, imo.

Nor is it really fair to call Musk a solid right wing billionaire. He was actually mostly liberal until the left started to train wreck the country into the ditch with open borders.

How do you know that is what turned Musk to worship Trump and give public Nazi salutes?

Laughing Dog says in this thread that Gates is not a liberal yet most of the time Gates has fought for liberal causes such as reducing climate destruction.

This I agree with.

Is Bezos really right wing? I thought the Washington Post was mostly liberal.

And Trump wants Bezos to change that, the same way he is doing it to CBS,

The billionaires and Hollywood are probably just like the rest of us and all over the political spectrum. So the big problem is not that the billionaires are right or left, the big problem is that they can and do use their money to control and capture the government that the rest of us have to live with.

Instead of hating the people we need to learn to hate the game.

The game is made up of the things people do. They cannot be separated.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[GenesisNemesis]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

 

[Tigers!]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

Socialists were not teh only ones who fought for the weekend. Though happy to claim all the credit it seems.

 

[TV and credit cards]

The city run West Side Market deep in the bowels of Cleveland Ohio has been in operation since 1840.
-It is the largest SNAP/TANF redeemer in Ohio.
-The Produce Perks Program in partnership with the City of Cleveland matches dollar-for-dollar spending on fresh greens for eligible families.
-The Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth write "prescriptions" for free produce to patients with diabetes and hypertension.
-Dave's Market just across the street moved in in 1993. Hasn't folded yet.

What attracts people from all over to the West Side Market? Food from around the world. Families who have held booths within for a hundred years or more and have kept the ethnic tradition alive.
Even with the disinvestment of the city, the West Side Market has survived and is finally getting the city investment it deserves.

Want to make Mamdani Marts work? Encourage ethnic fare of the neighborhoods they're in.

 

[laughing dog]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

Socialists were not teh only ones who fought for the weekend. Though happy to claim all the credit it seems.

Do you have a link that shows the weekend is solely due to the efforts of socialists? I ask, because no one claims it here.

 

[ZiprHead]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

Socialists were not teh only ones who fought for the weekend. Though happy to claim all the credit it seems.

Who else?

 

[GenesisNemesis]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

Socialists were not teh only ones who fought for the weekend. Though happy to claim all the credit it seems.

Who else?

The business owners who finally got off their asses and decided to do it!

 

[laughing dog]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

Socialists were not teh only ones who fought for the weekend. Though happy to claim all the credit it seems.

Who else?

I looked it up. In the U.S.A, labor unions, and Jewish textile workers. Henry Ford instituted it in his plants to increase labor productivity and to increase leisure time for workers which he expected to increase demand for cars.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

View attachment 54886

Also having a weekend, which socialists fought for. I guess having a weekend is socialism.

Socialists were not teh only ones who fought for the weekend. Though happy to claim all the credit it seems.

Who else?

I looked it up. In the U.S.A, labor unions, and Jewish textile workers. Henry Ford instituted it in his plants to increase labor productivity and to increase leisure time for workers which he expected to increase demand for cars.

You should thank Henry Ford too for finally getting off his ass to do it!!! Show some GRATITUDE!!!