VICTOR JOECKS: Mamdani rewarded for the failure of big government

In 1996, President Bill Clinton declared, “The era of big government is over.”

Three decades later, the left has a different message. In his victory speech, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani declared, “We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about.”

While that’s a terrifying sentiment that leaves little room for individual liberty, it’s important not to dismiss it out of hand. Think about young adults in New York City who’ve moved there to build their lives and careers. The rental site Zumper puts the monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment at more than $5,000. Even with a roommate, that’s expensive.

Many college graduates have another major bill. In 2023, almost half of those with a bachelor’s degree had at least $25,000 in student loan debt. Combined with undergraduate school, borrowers with advanced degrees have an average of almost $90,000 in student loan debt.

Then you look at their personal lives. Popular culture tells young adults to find fulfillment in their careers, not marriage. Casual sex has replaced committed relationships. Of New York City’s 3.37 million households, only 34.1 percent include a married couple. Many young women view children as an anchor on their financial mobility.

Put it all together. You have a city full of strivers who’ve followed society’s road map — go to college and then prioritize career, not family. Instead of wealth, they’re working hard to barely scrape by. Amid soaring housing prices, the possibility of one day buying a home feels out of reach. Their reward for avoiding marriage and children is loneliness, not glamour.

This wasn’t the only group in Mamdani’s coalition, but it was a vital one. A CNN exit poll found Mamdani beat Andrew Cuomo among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher by nearly 20 points.

They voted for Mamdani for mayor, but what they really want is a miracle worker. They’re desperate for someone to wipe away the money and years they’ve wasted. What they miss is how leftism steered them wrong to begin with.

Start with college. Public schools push too many students toward college, where they learn too little about what matters. Instead of economics, they learn oppression. Instead of Aristotle, they learn to hate America. Instead of critical thinking, they learn about critical race theory.

Many universities are government-run. Even most private colleges rely on government-run student loans. My alma mater, Hillsdale College, is a notable exception. Unsurprisingly, “free” money from Washington has made college only more expensive.

Then you look at housing. The Big Apple hasn’t embraced free-market policies to bring down prices. It has imposed rent control for decades. Don’t expect a surge in construction if Mamdani freezes rents and raises corporate taxes. But building more housing is the best way to reduce rents. People fleeing the city could also accomplish this, although this would create fiscal problems.

It’s not just housing. Democrats have largely run NYC for decades. Its minimum wage is $16.50 an hour. It has embraced soft-on-crime policies. NYC Public Schools spends more than $40,000 per pupil on education. But fewer than 30 percent of its eighth graders were proficient in reading in 2024, according to the Nation’s Report Card.

It’s modern feminism that tells young women to eschew marriage and children. Instead of liberation, that has made single women — and men — lonelier and less happy. It’s created a demographic downward spiral that the country will have to grapple with for years to come.

New Yorkers — at least those who don’t escape — will soon learn this lesson the hard way. Bigger government won’t solve the problems that big government created.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.