Though Zohran Mamdani campaigned on reducing the cost of living in New York City, his proposals risk making life harder for the working class and driving them out of their homes.
Mamdani identifies as a democratic socialist; he believes that profit-driven capitalism should be replaced by a democratic, publicly owned economy.
He is a radical who was chosen over moderate liberal Andrew Cuomo and moderate conservative Curtis Sliwa.
“I have run a campaign that speaks about the tools that city government actually has to deliver […] affordability in the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country in the world. And it’s time that we have a mayoral administration that follows through and actually delivers that,” said Mamdani in an interview for Forbes Breaking News.
“Even though it is extremely necessary to have affordable housing in a city as expensive as New York City, I have skepticism how he is going to be able to accomplish this as mayor considering how many higher-up politicians have reacted to him,” sophomore Logan Gladstone said.
His platform is largely focused on reducing the cost of living in New York City so that low-income New Yorkers can live comfortably. Despite the noble objective, his proposals will accomplish more harm than good.
A potentially disastrous proposal is the 30 by 30 policy. It intends to raise the minimum wage by $13.50 over the next 5 years until it reaches $30 per hour, a rate of approximately $2.70 a year: 440 percent higher than previous minimum wage increases. Rather than putting more money in the working class’s pockets, this policy will do the opposite.
Employers will simply try to find individuals who are “worth” the $30 per hour salary – those who don’t meet their much higher standards will lose their jobs. This affects vulnerable populations like disabled people, immigrants and refugees who might not speak English proficiently, and the youth. This adds fuel to one of the most competitive job markets in the world.
“I wanted to find a job, but I couldn’t find one that would hire a 15-year-old, so I babysat instead,” said sophomore Noa Rejwan, a New York City resident.
If she thinks finding a job is difficult now, raising the standard by $13.50 per hour would make it even more demanding.
Businesses may choose to use automated job positions to save money and maximize profits with a large minimum wage in place, which in turn contributes to the shortage of jobs.
Mamdani also proposes to make the public bus system city-sponsored and free for users.
Supporters argue that free buses will benefit low-income workers. Unfortunately, publicly funded services often face struggles with maintenance and inadequate funding, especially when it runs constantly like NYC buses.
Without the revenue brought in by customers, there will be less funding available for maintenance and upgrades.
In addition, bus fares restrain non-transportation uses of the system.
If anyone can ride for free, there is nothing to deter unhoused people from using the bus as a temporary shelter. This will make the bus experience unpleasant for frequent users.
“New York transit is already disgusting as it is. There are homeless people, rats and disorganization. I hate having to use it,” said sophomore Salomon Messulan.
The funding for this proposal would come from a 2 percent tax on taxpayers earning more than $1,000,000 and by increasing the corporate tax rate to 11.5 percent. These tax adjustments also need to be approved by the state.
This part of the population generally doesn’t use public buses and has the greatest ability to relocate, with many already planning to relocate to Florida, a state with no state income tax. Specifically to cities with similar New York qualities, like Miami and Palm Beach.
If they decide they don’t want to be taxed so high on a service that doesn’t benefit them, they’ll just move out of the city. This source of funding is unreliable and risky.
This is happening in the United Kingdom, where tens of thousands of high-net-worth individuals are relocating to places like Monaco and the United Arab Emirates due to rising taxes. A similar move will happen with Mamdani.
Unlike this population, those in need of these free services cannot afford to relocate whenever there is inflation or tax raises. If they have discontent towards the quality of the system, they’re left to deal with it.
Life in New York City for the working class will take a turn for the worse, increasing their daily struggles and decreasing the ease of city living under Mamdani.
