There's no such thing as a "free lunch" -- the cost of that lunch is paid for by someone, somewhere. It may not be borne by the person eating that lunch, but someone bears it.
That's the Left's policy on pretty much everything. They tell their voters health care will be "free" or housing will be "free" and then pass the cost along to others in the form of increased fees and taxes.
Those who are on the receiving end of such largess would also do well to remember this adage: you get what you pay for. And when stuff is "free," it's often of poor quality.
In New York City, the likely next Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has a plan to make the buses free for New Yorkers.
That plan will only cost an eye-watering $700 million.
Zohran Mamdani admits that his “free bus” program will cost taxpayers $700 million per year.
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) September 29, 2025
Besides costing a fortune, the buses would become completely unridable after being taken over by vagrants and the homeless. pic.twitter.com/EuRvhjDxpw
"That's less than Andrew Cuomo gave to Elon Musk in tax breaks," Mamdani said, proving he has no idea how tax breaks work.
Unsurprisingly, the bus drivers' union is against this plan and backs Andrew Cuomo.
Here's more from the New York Post:
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo picked up a key endorsement in the NYC mayoral race Saturday from a union representing thousands of bus operators and other transit workers citywide– that wants no part of a “free bus” plan being pitched by socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Leaders of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726 and the ATU New York State Legislative Conference Board formally endorsed Cuomo during a Staten Island rally, saying they support his mass transit vision that includes expanding the city’s “Fair Fares” program that funds half-price transit fares for poor New Yorkers.
They said they also oppose socialist Mamdani’s pie-in-the-sky plan to provide New Yorkers free bus service, in large part because a similar $50 million experiment in Kansas City failed miserably.
Huh. Sounds familiar. Kansas City is where another one of Mamdani's socialist dreams, government-run grocery stores, was also tried. That store was plagued by empty shelves, rotting food, and out-of-control costs. It shuttered in August after operating for less than a decade.
As to the "free" Kansas City bus plan, riders criticized the buses as "unreliable, filthy, rolling homeless shelters." The city used COVID funding to pay for the program starting in 2020, and ran out of money after less than five years.
"If you go from charging a fare to not charging fare, ridership goes up, and you end up with degradation of service,” said Manhattan Institute Fellow Ken Girardin.
Girardin added, "The flashing red light on Mamdani’s platform, is the fact that he says he can do it all. $10 billion."
Where would Mamdani get these funds? From taxing the rich, of course (until they flee NYC, that is). Or he could be misreading a government website, like he did when he "found" $140 million in subsidies for his "free" grocery stores.
Mamdani is a threat to the city of New York. His policies will increase crime, reduce quality of life, and drive people from the Big Apple.
Editor’s Note: Zohran Mamdani is an avowed Democratic Socialist and has a real chance to become the next mayor of New York City.
Help us continue to report on his radical communist views and expose the Democrats who support him. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member