The end of private property in NYC?

Zohran Mamdani, the newly inaugurated Islamocommunist mayor of New York City, is quoted as saying “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”  Americans got their first taste of what that might mean when Cea Weaver, Director of Mamdani’s Office to Protect Tenants, has said*, “For centuries we’ve really treated property as an individualized good and not a collectivized good. Transitioning to a collective good will require that families, especially white families, but some People of Color families who are homeowners, are going to have a different relationship to property than the one we currently have.” It appears that in this different relationship “the government should seize private property, especially homeownership, because it is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as wealth building public policy.” Below is an example of how this type of thinking might work as government policy.

First, think of the elderly white couple who have raised their children and now live alone in their 3 bedroom house – One master bedroom, one bedroom as a study, sewing or general use area, and one bedroom for guests (mainly the children when they come home for a visit.) Weaver implies that the guest room should be made available to house another person or family. Grandma and grandpa, like it or not, must apparently use “their” guest room for housing to meet NYC collectivist principles.  Of note, there is only one full bathroom and one kitchen, and these must be shared.  Individual ownership and privacy, as well as house upkeep, becomes meaningless under these circumstances.  The scenarios for abuse are endless – and that includes squatters who claim the room or even the entire house for themselves. (By the way, who pays the mortgage, liability insurance, or for repair of a broken toilet?)

Second, the collectivists will use the power of the city to enforce the new ”spare bedroom” accommodation rule .  If a homeowner resists taking in a stranger, the state will condemn the house and seize it.  You might ask how can the city just take a house from a legitimate owner.  Actually, it is relatively simple – revalue the property to make it unaffordable and demand that it be kept up to ever changing standards of health, safety and maintenance.  Failure to comply leads to notification of condemnation for cause and then seizure.  (I saw this happen to a friend when he was given a house after his mother died.  He tried to sell it but there were no takers.  He then tried to rent it but had to spend thousands to bring it up to local and state codes before it could be listed on the rental market.  After all the code required expenditures, there were no renters.  Desperate to get out from under constant and increasing recurrent costs he tried to give the house away.  Nobody, even the local church, wanted it.  He ended up in bankruptcy and divorce.)

Third, for most elderly, their house is their only major possession and potential source of income or wealth.  Under collectivist circumstances, the house is going to depreciate in value even though it will be reassessed upwards.  This will make it quite difficult if not impossible to sell.  The collectivist trap once sprung leaves no way out except surrender to the city rules or abandon the property with little more than a few personal possessions.  Hopefully, the kids can take their parents in otherwise they will be living on the streets. There is no warmth (compassion) to be found in the collectivist world.

Can this happen in Virginia?  Virginians have elected a Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General who almost certainly share some of the Islamocommunist ideas of Mamdani.  While it is unlikely that they will move on individual homeownership the way Cea Weaver has suggested for New York City, it cannot be ruled out.  Democrats have complete control of both the executive and legislative parts of the government in Virginia.

The collectivist horror story is just beginning to unfold.  There is no question that it is an attack on the Constitution, rule of American law, and the entire structure of American society.  

*Note:  I have had to create a summarized version of the direct quotes because the full quotes have lots of useless filler words that distract from the meaning of what she said.