The False Promise of State-Funded Housing: Why Zohran Mamdani’s Anti-Property Crusade Misses the Mark
New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has openly advocated for mandatory state-funded housing and even the abolition of private property…ideas that would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous. His vision of a government-controlled housing utopia is not only detached from economic reality, but also an outright assault on liberty and the American dream.
Let’s be clear: private property is not the problem. It’s the cornerstone of a free society. If the government owns everything, then you own nothing…not your home, not your land, not your future. That’s not equality. That’s tyranny with a fresh coat of paint.
I spent 20 years in the military living under a version of what Mamdani proposes: state-owned, government-managed housing. What did that look like? Rotting buildings. Black mold. Families forced to live in toxic environments. Repairs that took months…or never came. Contractors got rich, while service members and their kids got sick. The only thing more consistent than the mildew was the lack of accountability.
Now, imagine expanding that same dysfunctional system to every neighborhood in America. That's not justice…it’s government incompetence on steroids.
What Real Solutions Look Like
If we actually want to address the housing crisis without sacrificing liberty, we need less government, more freedom, and smarter incentives. Here's what that looks like:
1. Get the Government Out of the Way
Housing is expensive largely because government made it that way. Zoning restrictions, building codes, environmental regulations, rent control laws, and permitting delays all choke the supply of affordable housing. A truly pro-freedom solution starts with cutting red tape and letting the free market operate.
Allow developers and property owners to build…whether it's tiny homes, duplexes, modular housing, or private RV parks. Remove artificial height and density limits in urban areas. Free markets build homes. Bureaucracies build bottlenecks.
2. End the War on Landlords
Socialists like Mamdani treat private landlords as villains, but mom-and-pop landlords make up the majority of rental housing providers in America. Instead of vilifying them, we should be empowering property owners to maintain and improve housing stock through tax relief, deregulation, and freedom of contract.
Ending rent control and eviction moratoriums would restore balance, encourage new investment, and improve quality across the board. Government price-fixing always leads to shortages…housing is no exception.
3. Decentralize and De-Federalize Housing Policy
One of the core tenets of conservative governance is subsidiarity…the idea that problems are best solved at the most local level possible. Housing needs in rural Oklahoma look nothing like housing in Queens. State and local governments, not Washington, D.C., should lead the charge.
Better yet, empower private charities, faith-based groups, and community co-ops to address homelessness and housing insecurity. They do it with compassion and flexibility that no federal agency could ever match.
4. Create Incentives for Ownership, Not Dependency
Instead of expanding lifelong government tenancy, we should be helping people become owners. Ownership builds generational wealth, community pride, and personal responsibility.
Let working-class families use their rent history to qualify for mortgages. Offer tax breaks for owner-occupied multifamily homes. Support community land trusts and real estate investment co-ops without forcing people into the grip of the state. Freedom works.
5. Embrace Creative Free-Market Housing Solutions
Tiny home villages. Shipping container apartments. Airbnb-style long-term rentals. None of these require trillion-dollar government spending…just permission to innovate. A free people can solve problems when they’re allowed to think outside the box.
If localities want to encourage affordable housing, they can auction off vacant land, offer fast-track approvals, or partner with private developers…without controlling the results. Let the people build, and the market will respond.
Conclusion: Don't Trade Your Freedom for a Government Lease
The housing crisis is real. But the answer is not to centralize ownership and control under the state. That’s not progress. That’s a path toward dependency, stagnation, and control.
Property ownership is a pillar of freedom…the right to build, to grow, to hand something down to your kids. People like Zohran Mamdani don’t want to fix the housing market. They want to remake society into something unrecognizable, where liberty is secondary to ideology.
We don’t need socialism in new packaging. We need free markets, personal responsibility, and limited government.
Let’s fix the system…without breaking the Constitution.
