Socialism Fails

Editor, Times-Union:
They used to call crazy people insane. Now they are known as Democrats. The election of Mamdani as mayor in New York City proves that. We have seen centuries of examples of socialism failing. When colonists came to the Virginia Colony over 400 years ago, everyone was expected to share the profits from what they produced and sold with all the colonists. The productive colonists didn't like to share with those that were lazy, so they didn't have a reason to produce as much as they could. But when capitalism was unleashed and people could keep all the profits from their labors, production increased tremendously.
For over a century we have witnessed the failure of socialism many times. Experts predicted before the Russian Revolution that by 1950, Russia's economy would be as great as America's. With all the natural resources they have, I can see why. But socialism kept that from happening. Prosperous nations that adopted socialism became poor nations. But those that pushed socialism smiled and promised wonderful things that often were free. I'm sure Lenin promised his people a new golden age in which everyone would do better. What most people didn't know was that he was rich enough to own seven Rolls Royces with at least one of them having skis on the front so it could be driven in the snow.
Socialism has been economic poison for centuries because it promises a lot and delivers economic disaster. It relies on changing human nature so that everyone is more concerned about everyone doing well and no one is selfish. If everyone was economically equal, the tax base would be incapable of paying for free things that Mamdani has promised. He candy-coated the poison of socialism and the majority of the voters swallowed it. With bus rides being free, buses will become homeless shelters on wheels and criminals will terrorize riders like they do in the subways. There will be no incentive to build new housing and rent control will cause landlords to let apartments become slums since they won't be able to afford to maintain them due to higher costs. In the Soviet Union the government controlled the grocery stores and they had plenty of empty shelves and little selection. The rich will flee the city and companies will relocate their headquarters to economically favorable states. Cops will go where the public respects them and social workers will die when confronting criminals that will make the city similar to the New York City of "Escape From New York."
Unthinking democracy will bring disaster.
Rick Badman
Warsaw, via email