Mamdanis definition of socialism sounds like state-controlled totalitarianism: critics

Far-left New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered an impassioned definition of socialism this week — one critics say rivals state-controlled totalitarianism — claiming in a podcast interview that it’s the job of the government to ensure the masses have “whatever you need.”“Socialism, to me, it means that you will have whatever you need to live a dignified life and that it is the government’s job to deliver on that,” Hizzoner told comedian podcaster Theo Von on Thursday when asked to define the political and economic system he’s pushing on the city.“It’s a belief that you shouldn’t live in a place where all you can do is pick your own leaders,” added the card-carrying Democratic Socialists of America member.“You should also be able to have that power in the rest of your life, right? People talk about it as the extension of democracy from the ballot box to the rest of your life.“What do people mean by the rest of your life? They mean your workplace, your home, things like that.”“When people say dignity, I want to be very clear, we’re talking about the things that allow you to take a breath: housing, childcare, public transit,” the mayor said.“No one should be priced out of these things.

These are non-negotiables; you need these to live.”City Council Minority Leader David Carr (R-Staten Island) said Mamdani’s definition of socialism “sounds a lot like” state-controlled “totalitarianism.”“I can’t imagine even his most ardent supporters would want to live in a state where the government determines everything you need to live a dignified life, whatever that is,” said Carr.Other critics scoffed at Mamdani’s remarks, telling The Post Saturday that the mayor’s tax-the-rich, anti-capitalist agenda is pie-in-the-sky planning that is driving investors, residents and businesses out of the Big Apple.“The Mayor says it’s government’s job to deliver ‘whatever you need.’ I have a different view of government...