Unfortunately, "affordability" is one of those vague, shapeless, ultimately meaningless terms that was probably selected by politicians based on polling and focus groups, you know, by the same marketing types who took the old geezer off of the Cracker Barrel logo, and thought Dylan Mulvaney would be a good salesperson for Bud Light.


I can loudly proclaim I am in favor of "affordability!" and I have said absolutely nothing at all.

That's the beauty of this kind of political catchphrase.

The most direct impact that local and state governments can have on "affordability" is to lower their expenditures and to lower the tax burden on their citizens.

But cutting expenditures and lowering taxes, are not part of ProGlib/Dem politics.

Government cannot make anything more "affordable" by imposing more rules and restrictions and requirements on taxpayers or businesses.

For example, imposing rent control in NYC does not make housing "more affordable." It makes it less affordable (except for those like Mamdani himself who already live in rent-controlled housing) because it provides disincentives for investors to create more housing units.

Mamdani cannot make groceries "more affordable" by setting up a chain of "free grocery stores." He can create shortages of grocery stores and food by doing so. It's basic economics.