Seb D. Squarepants

A Free Press reporter asks New Yorkers if socialism is good for America. They all say yes. Then she brings out Daniel Di Martino, who fled Venezuela, and they get a firsthand horror story they weren’t ready for. NEW YORKER: “I think socialism is actually really good for society.” DI MARTINO: “Are you familiar with how socialism worked out in other countries historically?” NEW YORKER: “Just because it didn’t work out so well in other parts of the world doesn’t mean it won’t work out well for New York.” Di Martino’s family lived through the promises these voters are buying. DI MARTINO: “My family went from making $2,000 a month 20 years ago to $100 a month in 2016. That was because the government gave everything you can imagine for free.” “We went from being a normal middle-class family with a car and then no electricity, no water.” Asked if they support “government grocery stores,” the answer is just as confident. NEW YORKER: “Of course I do.” So Di Martino explains what grocery shopping looked like under socialism. DI MARTINO: “There was very little supply of chicken, toilet paper. It was a line for blocks and blocks for a grocery store.” NEW YORKER: “What happened in Venezuela isn’t going to happen here. The policy is more focused on helping people out.” A man describes lines stretching for blocks just to buy chicken and toilet paper, and a Mamdani voter waves it away. Because THIS time, they’re sure it will work. REPORTER: “You know, they have tried that in the Soviet Union from where my parents and my grandparents are from. All they remember of grocery stores is empty shelves.” DI MARTINO: “The DSA went to Venezuela just last year to support the dictator and say that he won the election that he didn’t.” NEW YORKER: “I had no idea. I did not know.” DI MARTINO: “Government rent control. It’s going to stop people from renting apartments because they’re not going to be able to profit. There are going to be fewer apartments for rent.” NEW YORKER: “That’s a good point. I agree with that. Okay. I understand more about socialism now for sure.” Socialism always sounds good to people who’ve never had to live under it. Those who have never want to live under it again.

Food stamp advocate SELF-DESTRUCTS as Rep. Brandon Gill presses her on why taxpayers pay for Coca-Cola. She tries to dodge the question. Then Gill pulls out the receipts, and she sits there in stunned silence. GILL: “Should SNAP dollars be spent on sodas?” WITNESS: “I am happy to talk about hunger and nutrition, but not dictate what Americans should or should not eat or may have access to.” GILL: “I’m asking if tax dollars should be used to pay for sodas.” “Do they need sugary sodas to survive?” WITNESS: “Some of them do…” GILL: “You think they need Coca-Cola to survive?” “I’m giving you the opportunity to say yes or no.” WITNESS: “I will not answer for individuals and their… choices.” GILL: “What does SNAP stand for?” WITNESS: “It’s a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” GILL: “What’s nutritional about Coca-Cola?” WITNESS: “I am not a nutritionist.” Then Gill asks who’s paying her, and she freezes like a deer in headlights. GILL: “Is your organization funded by organizations that make money from food stamps?” [awkward silence] GILL: “Do organizations who profit off of food stamps fund your organization or businesses?” WITNESS: “I mean, in the, in the, I, I can’t comment to that.” GILL: “Does General Mills fund your organization?” WITNESS: “I don’t have access to that information.” GILL: “I do. It’s right here. They do fund your organization. […] Yes, and they’re profiting off of your advocacy. Do you think that that’s a conflict of interest?” [more silence] GILL: “I think most people think that’s a conflict of interest. I know you don’t want to answer.” Always follow the money. CONTEXT: USDA’s own study found soft drinks were the #1 purchase in SNAP households, beating milk, ground beef, and everything else in the store.