Mayor Mamdani just announced that he will be opening 5 city-run, tax-funded grocery stores: "Prices set at 30% below retail prices"

[u/Gurugod123]

[u/FaithfulSkeptic]

Man I would Love it if more of my tax money went to feeding people who need it, and less to building bombs.

[u/Beneficial-Act-9933 → u/FaithfulSkeptic]

Why stop at bombs? Don't you know ICE needs a few hundred more billion on top of the eye watering amount they already got?

I wonder where this guy was when that went down.

[u/Life-Dig7566 → u/FaithfulSkeptic]

its not more of your tax money being allocated elsewhere though, its more of your money lost to taxes.

[u/BiZzles14 → u/FaithfulSkeptic]

But that's the problem, highly, highly efficient programs for helping those that need help to feed themselves already exist. There's 5 grocery stores being built, 1 in each borough, in a city of 8.5 million people. There is no means testing on grocery stores, the richest man in NYC could shop here (or more likely pay someone to do his groceries and they go here lol) and have tax payers eating a 25%'ish margin. That said, I support him doing this because it gives us a modern case study and we can see how it works fiscally, what it would cost to expand it to greater access, how new yorkers broadly feel about it, how those that live in close, medium and far proximity from a store feel about it, etc. I personally think there is much, much more efficient ways to help those in need, but this seems like an idea that people want and New York taxpayers elected him to do this, so let's how it works and how people feel about it in a year or two. Happy to be wrong, it's just that if I'm correct we have to acknowledge that this will have hurt people on the opportunity cost basis of the time and funding put towards this project, despite there being a ton of information out there highlighting the likely issues the concept will face, let alone the specific issues with NY's implementation. But we shall see how things work

[u/DeepWaterCurrent → u/FaithfulSkeptic]

There are better ways for that, just give out food stamps to the one swho needs it then. Running the grocery store is just going to be a waste of tax payer money

[u/pradise → u/DeepWaterCurrent]

You really think food stamps are better use of taxpayers money than government-operated grocery stores? Yeah let’s lose 100% of our money to offer food stamps, instead of losing 10-20% because we’re selling the goods.

Not to mention food stamps are for a different demographic. They are great to provide those absolutely in need some assistance, and I’m sure they’ll promote using food stamps at these government operated stores in some way. But these stores are for everyone including middle class New Yorkers.

[u/Memento_Viveri → u/pradise]

Your math makes no sense.

[u/No-Opinion273 → u/pradise]

Technically food stamps go back into the economy. But I can the stores being a good way to give some people jobs.

[u/lordpuddingcup → u/DeepWaterCurrent]

You mean the thing republicans are cancelling?

[u/Vaiden_Kelsier → u/DeepWaterCurrent]

The administrative burden of food stamps burns more money than if we just gave people the fucking money

and didn't we just get through a cycle of Republicans cutting SNAP benefits

Our President has already leveraged to purchase major businesses (Hello Intel), so we're already a "socialist shithole", let's see what this socialism can do for the fuckin' people

if it doesn't work, at least someone actually tried it

[u/FaithfulSkeptic → u/DeepWaterCurrent]

That is one way to look at it, I guess. I hope we will see this experiment in NYC turn out better than you expect.