I’ve seen bizarre remarks about this really really good idea which would provide underserved NYC neighborhoods with food markets at a lower cost than supermarkets. A lower cost because the City would own or rent the space and invite vendors to set up shop within the space. Given their rent-free occupation, Mamdani points out they could charge reasonable prices, lower than supermarkets.<\/p>\n
The major sneer is, “Oh yeah, and government is just great<\/em> at things like this!”<\/p>\n Actually, government is<\/em> just great at things like, oh, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a slew of other effective agencies which provide us all with vital needs at lower costs than corporate entities. (Talk to any of us who are on Medicare about the private health insurance companies who have bulled their way into grabbing Medicare funds for their own private pockets!! Cover your ears while we scream in fury.)<\/p>\n Anyhow, back to government-owned food markets. When I first heard about Mamdani’s idea, I thought it was terrific. Then I began imagining what these markets could look like, and how they could support small food businesses. And immediately I thought of Essex Market. Could these markets look like Essex Market (the new Essex Market)?<\/p>\n Yes, they could. And then I found out that Essex Market is.<\/a>..publicly owned and operated by…a New York City agency! Take a look at it. \u21d1\u00a0It’s spectacular and so are the vendors, and the take-out places serving yummy fresh-made food which you can eat at the tables distributed throughout the multi-level place. (I ate and shopped there once.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n If I lived down there, this is where I’d be shopping.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That’s what Zohran Mamdani is envisioning and it’s excellent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ve seen bizarre remarks about this really really good idea which would provide underserved NYC neighborhoods with food markets at a lower cost than supermarkets. A lower cost because the City would own or rent the space and invite vendors … Continue reading