New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is providing a striking example of how poorly run government programs can quickly go awry. Under a city initiative paying volunteers between $30 and $45 an hour to shovel snow, participants are reportedly taking far longer than necessary to complete routine tasks, with videos circulating online showing more than a dozen people crowded around a single street corner, shoveling inefficiently and appearing to stretch the work to maximize their pay.
16 NYC employees to shovel 1 corner pic.twitter.com/vDlJ3eCGPi
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 26, 2026
NYC: There's going to be a (big? small?) snowstorm this weekend & we may need help shoveling out after (and you'll earn $19+/hour).
— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) February 20, 2026
Register Saturday, Feb. 21, 8am-1pm at any DSNY garage WITHOUT an appointment. Please bring ID/photos. Full info: https://t.co/MSpEh79ytO pic.twitter.com/g8d7LPP53M
As one user aptly pointed out, the incentive structure put in place by Mamdani, like many socialist-style compensation systems, breeds inefficiency while draining taxpayer funds. Because shovelers are paid by the hour rather than for completing the task, workers have every reason to maximize the time spent on the job and minimize the amount of work actually accomplished.
zohran mamdani gave out $35 per hour to shovel snow to any person, so naturally each side walk intersection is now being shoveled by like 7 ppl. this is exactly how the government operates: without thinking about any second order affects & also because spending other ppl’s money… pic.twitter.com/r07tMMMeEV
— signüll (@signulll) February 26, 2026
Only in NYC: 7 People Shoveling One Sidewalk + Snow in a U-Haul? Mamdani's $35/hr Disaster!
— Off Topic Show (@OffTopicShow2) February 27, 2026
Only in New York would you see people shoveling snow straight into the back of a U-Haul truck! After Mayor Zohran Mamdani rolled out $35/hour (or close to it) to anyone willing to shovel… pic.twitter.com/CvTBkmY1R7
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14 city workers to clear a pile of snow in NY. $30/45 an hour per person. All tax funded. pic.twitter.com/KzClsnhko2
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 27, 2026
This comes as Mamdani’s program has also drawn criticism for requiring at least two forms of identification to register for the city’s shoveling initiative. That requirement stands in stark contrast to Democratic claims that mandating even a single form of ID to vote would disenfranchise millions of Americans. Apparently, what is described as an insurmountable barrier at the ballot box is no obstacle when taxpayer-funded wages are on the line.
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
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