{"id":20767,"date":"2025-06-28T03:22:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T03:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/20767\/"},"modified":"2025-06-28T03:22:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T03:22:13","slug":"getting-it-wrong-in-new-york-city-and-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/20767\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting It Wrong in New York City and Elsewhere"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Reader (especially Gnarls Barkley<\/a>),\u00a0<\/p>\n

I keep hearing from fans of Zohran Mamdani and I can\u2019t even. My basic response is: Are we really doing this?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamdani, who won Tuesday\u2019s Democratic primary for New York City mayor, says he\u2019s going to \u201cresolve<\/a>\u201d capitalism\u2019s assault on dignity and inequality there when he assumes office. Having successfully shepherded a state bill<\/a> to allow visitors to drink on the premises of Astoria\u2019s Museum of the Moving Image, who would dare doubt he\u2019s up to the job?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry, I understand it is fashionable to see Mamdani as an answer to some profound questions or perceived crises about society, economics, politics, etc. I get that some people are very sincere in their hopes and admiration for this guy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I just think you\u2019re all wrong. Not a little wrong. Not merely possibly wrong. But obviously, clearly, and foreseeably wrong.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On this, I have absolutely no doubt. If elected mayor, Mamdani may not be a political failure (though I\u2019d bet that way). But if you think he has any chance of solving the problems with capitalism\u2014as the left defines them\u2014or if you think he\u2019s going to deliver some transformative epoch of governance and equality, I think you\u2019re just making a fool of yourself.<\/p>\n

You people know that New York City residents can leave, right? You get that the rich people he wants to make pay for All The Things can leave pretty easily, right? In other words, the closer he gets to his idea of success the more rapidly the people and businesses he needs to shake down to be successful will leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think Mamdani is a charming, glib guy with some heinous positions on Israel<\/a> and some dumb ones about economics. Indeed, he has precisely the kinds of public policy answers I\u2019d expect from an English major from Bowdoin College. Mamadani was actually an Africana Studies major at Bowdoin. So, close enough.<\/p>\n

His proposals are mostly stupid or naive<\/a> on political or economic grounds\u2014or both. He can\u2019t do some of the things he wants to do\u2014because NYC mayors don\u2019t have that power\u2014and some things he wants to do won\u2019t work because they never do. It\u2019s amazing how candidates of \u201cnew ideas\u201d never offer any. Rent freezes are not a new idea. Free public transportation, nationalized utilities, government-owned grocery stores\u2014these aren\u2019t new ideas, people. They only seem new if you don\u2019t know or care about the past or, really, public policy at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s my real point. He\u2019s just not a serious candidate for the problems facing New York City or the country. But he makes the people voting for him feel good. We\u2019ve seen this before, of course. Barack Obama promised the fundamental transformation of American society. His wife even promised Obama would fix our broken souls<\/a>, or something.<\/p>\n

How many souls got fixed during his two terms? Did we ever get a final count?<\/p>\n

Look, at some point people are going to have to realize that voting for a candidate based on how he or she makes you feel is just a really stupid way to run a country. We don\u2019t hire mechanics or surgeons based on how they make us feel. Some people do choose therapists or pastors based on how they make them feel. And that should be a tell. Politicians are not therapists or pastors, and there\u2019s nothing they can do from Gracie Mansion or the White House to fix your souls or psyches. If you want or need that, get therapy or find God. Just don\u2019t look for God in politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Notes on proceduralism.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s change gears before I get really dyspeptic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, I wrote about<\/a> how a lot of people in foreign policy care more about the process than the purposes of the process. There were a couple of points I wanted to get to that I didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first point I wanted to make is that this tendency in foreign policy has an analog in domestic policy. A lot of the reasons education is so hard to reform\u2014from the structure of the school day, to the way reading is (or isn\u2019t) taught, to school choice\u2014is because a lot of people are invested in the existing process more than they are in what the process was created to do. As a bureaucratic and political reality, educating kids is a second-order concern for a lot of the education establishment; the primary goal is making sure the educators maintain their monopolies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They won\u2019t say so that often, but this is the basic argument of the \u201cAbundance<\/a> Democrats.\u201d Their big hangup is with \u201cproceduralism.\u201d<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t see it so much in education, but they rightly see the problem of proceduralism in housing\u2014and infrastructure generally.<\/p>\n

Now, proceduralism is just one of the fancy terms that, more or less, refer to the same sorts of problems. Similar buzzphrases might include \u201cvetocracy\u201d (Francis Fukuyama), \u201ckludgeocracy\u201d (Steve Teles), and related concepts like \u201cregulatory capture\u201d (pioneered by George Stigler but fleshed out by the whole Public Choice Theory crew). Most normal people call it \u201cred tape\u201d (a term believed to originate with Spanish King Charles V\u2019s practice of wrapping important royal edicts and papers with a red ribbon. The practice was adopted by the Brits, which is where we get the term).<\/p>\n

The basic argument of the Abundance Dems is that progressives have stymied the government\u2019s ability to get stuff done because progressives themselves have become addicted to checking bureaucratic boxes and allowing interest groups and activists to clog the courts with claims of insufficient box-checking. Law professor Nicholas Bagley calls this<\/a> the \u201cprocedure fetish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, a couple of things about this. First, I think the Abundance Democrats should show a little character and flourish and borrow from the Italians. Instead of \u201cAbundance Democrats,\u201d they should call themselves Abbondanza Democrats! or Democratici dell\u2019abbondanza\u2014it just sounds better. Maybe if Andrew Cuomo had leaned into that?<\/p>\n

More importantly, speaking for three or four generations of conservatives, libertarians, Public Choice economists, and, like, millions of normal Americans, I just want to say, \u201cWe told you so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What I mean is, this obsession with procedure has been an obvious problem for decades. And conservatives and libertarians have been saying so for, well, decades. It wasn\u2019t until housing and climate change became such pressing issues that some wonks realized that maybe their team was the problem\u2014especially when places run by progressives have the hardest time getting anything done.<\/p>\n

But just for the record,\u00a0Albert Jay Nock was railing against the sclerotic and imperial burdens of bureaucracy<\/a> way back in the 1930s. Ludwig von Mises wrote a book about this stuff, helpfully titled Bureaucracy<\/a>, in 1944. I\u2019ll admit he could be a bit strident:<\/p>\n

\n

The champions of socialism call themselves progressives, but they recommend a system which is characterized by rigid observance of routine and by a resistance to every kind of improvement. They call themselves liberals, but they are intent upon abolishing liberty. They call themselves democrats, but they yearn for dictatorship. They call themselves revolutionaries, but they want to make the government omnipotent. They promise the blessings of the Garden of Eden, but they plan to transform the world into a gigantic post office. Every man but one a subordinate clerk in a bureau.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cInstead of Lincoln\u2019s government \u2018of the people, by the people, and for the people,\u2019\u201d Milton Friedman wrote in Why Government is the Problem<\/a>, \u201cwe now have a government \u2018of the people, by the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

I could go on, but you get the point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I welcome the Abundance Dems recognizing that red tape, NIMBYism, etc. are a problem. But I wish they read more of those guys quoted above. The problem with economic planning isn\u2019t primarily that it\u2019s too hard because of red tape. The chief problem with economic planning\u2014even super-efficient economic planning of the sort many of them crave\u2014is that economic planners get stuff wrong.<\/p>\n

That said, I do agree that if we do decide to build a road or power plant or rail project, it would be better to do it quickly and efficiently rather than slowly and expensively. So you still get one-and-a-half cheers from me for the Team Abbondanza!<\/p>\n

Various & Sundry<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Canine Update:<\/strong> The beasts are not happy<\/a>. We packed and carried suitcases out of the house in plain sight and that put them in a bad mood. The hot weather, punctuated by skybooms, isn\u2019t going to help. I fully expect to find a list of grievances nailed to the front door and the locks changed. We won\u2019t be gone long, and they\u2019re in good hands. Hopefully, they\u2019ll at least appreciate that our absence is an excuse to stay cool<\/a> and indoors more than usual. Though, I don\u2019t think my daughter or Kirsten are going to provide the belly rubs Pippa has come to expect<\/a> (then again, nobody can meet her demands). I did manage to get treat time and appeasement of Chester all in one take yesterday, so that\u2019s something<\/a>. It\u2019s really hard to be here in Aspen without dogs, because this is where dogs want to be.<\/p>\n

The Dispawtch<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Owner\u2019s Name: <\/strong>Mike Moak<\/p>\n

Why I\u2019m a Dispatch Member<\/strong>: I was a longtime fan of Jonah from his time at National Review. Like many conservatives, I spent many years as a political orphan. The Dispatch came along at a time when I was beginning to lose all hope for American journalism. It is an oasis in a desert of partisan and biased news and analysis. The reporting is exceptional, and the writing staff is unparalleled. I have received nothing but thanks from the many acquaintances that I have either gifted a subscription or simply made them aware of this priceless resource.<\/p>\n

Personal Details<\/strong>: I recently retired from a lifetime of flying, first as an Air Force F-16 pilot, and then 33 years with Delta. I enjoy running marathons and pass the time on long training runs listening to all of the great podcasts featured at The Dispatch.<\/p>\n

Pet\u2019s Breed: <\/strong>DNA results said 44 percent Australian Cattle Dog, 33 percent Pit Bull Terrier, 23 percent other. He seems to have gotten the best part of every breed.<\/p>\n

Gotcha Story: <\/strong>Radar was rescued from a kill shelter in Alabama along with his mom and six siblings. He was being fostered by a rescue group in upstate New York from whom we had adopted a wonderful pup five years earlier. All of Radar\u2019s family had been adopted, and inexplicably, this sweet boy with bat-like ears was left behind. So we were the lucky ones.<\/p>\n

Pet\u2019s Likes:<\/strong> His greatest joy is our afternoon walk to Mixed Breed Brewing. He and his \u201csister\u201d Allie, our other rescue dog, know that snacks await from the old guys at the bar. Radar then settles into his role as the unofficial greeter and receiver of scratches from all who enter.<\/p>\n

Pet\u2019s Dislikes: <\/strong>Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, when the brew pub is closed.<\/p>\n

Pet\u2019s Proudest Moment: <\/strong>He and Allie entered into what we in the F-16 community referred to as a \u201c2 v 1\u201d engagement with a rat that had made its way into our kitchen. They registered a kill on the bandit.<\/p>\n

Bad Pet:<\/strong> Radar has his favorite spot, but is disrespectful of Allie\u2019s equal right to the same spot (see the photo).<\/p>\n

Do you have a quadruped you\u2019d like to nominate for Dispawtcher of the Week and catapult to stardom? Let us know about your pet by clicking here<\/a>. Reminder: You must be a Dispatch member<\/a> to participate.<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\u2014Mirror, mirror on the wall, who\u2019s the best Goldberg of them all?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014007 and champagne socialism<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014You\u2019re going to need a bigger boat<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014Only time will tell<\/a>\u00a0\u2014Do you get deja vu when she\u2019s with you?<\/a><\/p>\n

Weird Links<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\u2014Santa is not coming to town<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014Winnie the Pooh\u2019s paradise<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014There must be something in the water<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014North Korean Riviera<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dear Reader (especially Gnarls Barkley),\u00a0 I keep hearing from fans of Zohran Mamdani and I can\u2019t even. My…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,9124,472,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,1269,19299,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,5301],"class_list":{"0":"post-20767","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-democratic-party","10":"tag-history","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-newyork","14":"tag-newyorkcity","15":"tag-ny","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-opinion","18":"tag-progressivism","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-united-states-of-america","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa","25":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114758847394526371","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}