New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is now promising that his taxpayer-funded, socialist grocery stores will require zero identification — meaning non-New Yorkers, including illegals and tourists, can stroll right in and load up on discounted food while actual residents foot the bill.
This comes after one of his own officials floated a “library-card-esque” system to make sure only city residents could take advantage of the 30 percent markdowns, sparking immediate outrage.
While critics may portray this as a ‘damned if you do’ trap for Mamdani, it’s not. The criticism yesterday was in the irony of requiring ID, which leftists, in opposition to the vast majority of Americans, believe is racist.
The reality, however, is worse.
“We’re talking about a city-run grocery store, one in each borough, which, by the way, you do not need an ID to shop at, no matter what you’ve just heard in the news of today,” the mayor told Joy Reid.
The implication is clear here. The outrage was a construct of the right. A fiction. And of course, Mediaite helped spread that idiotic narrative, with their angle that Mamdani “laugh(ed) off” the “MAGA uproar.”
The “uproar” was over the hypocrisy. And the concerns were not made up.
Jeanny Pak, the interim president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, said: “We are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of library card-esque thing, and also we manage who’s buying and that it is focused on everyday New Yorkers.”
Pretty clear-cut statement there.
Now that the mayor has pivoted and done a 180, it’s safe to assume they are not, in fact, “focused on everyday New Yorkers.”
Non-New Yorkers, including illegal aliens and out-of-towners, will be able to shop at the taxpayer-funded stores.
“NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone. There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop,” a City Hall representative told the New York Post.
Funded on the backs of New Yorkers. But anybody can reap the benefits. This move continues the trend of Mamdani being a weapons-grade economic illiterate. He likes to discuss fairness for all but implements a government program that is inarguably unfair to actual residents of the city.
Hellbound and Down 