In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani already has launched a program where residents can drop their kids off with... whoever... for "free babysitting during a night out."
🚨 Zohran Mamdani launches program offering parents free babysitting during a night out. pic.twitter.com/bwg1qQbinW
— Democrats Deliver (@DemzDeliver) August 18, 2026
This editor at the time replied with the Wolf of Wall Street "absolutely f***ing not" gif.
"Drop our kids off with randos so we can go see Spider-Man and hope everybody goes well? Sounds like a plan!"
Up next is Mamdani's "signature childcare program," and you might not be surprised that it's already hit some problems that anybody who's actually run anything before might have anticipated:
Mamdani’s signature childcare program in trouble weeks before rollout.
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) August 29, 2026
Delayed funding
Bridge loans not arriving
Good reporting from the NYThttps://t.co/xx3LRQODWR pic.twitter.com/NAtVfZRVuj
What a, uh, surprise:
Funding issues and late payments are threatening the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s free child care system for 2-year-olds, two weeks before the program is scheduled to begin, day care providers said.
Many early childhood centers have yet to receive funding to buy classroom furniture and basic supplies like pencils and paper, or to pay newly hired teachers and assistants. Without the money, several providers have warned parents that the centers will not open when school starts on Sept. 10.
Because of the delays, city officials had encouraged providers to apply for interest-free bridge loans from the city — not just for 2-K programs but also for 3-K and pre-K programs. But many of those who have applied for the loans say that money has not arrived either, forcing them to take out high-interest personal loans, borrow from relatives and drain their personal savings.
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We can't wait to see what comes next.
Wait until he tries a grocery store. https://t.co/jqObeJmXGN
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 29, 2026
That plan is doomed to be a massive fail as well, for many reasons.
the thing about using other people's money to pay for stuff is it's notoriously hard to get https://t.co/YyAVpmXEaH
— Kent Graham™ 🦬 (@kent_graham) August 29, 2026
Weeeeeeeee! The people that run the DMV are in charge of everything. https://t.co/gXrzZtGyAX
— Dominic Riebli (@dominicriebli) August 29, 2026
The people who couldn't run a lemonade stand without going bankrupt before setting up the table by the road now want to run stores and daycares. What could possibly go wrong with a braintrust like this?
Lead official for Mayor Mamdani's NYC Groceries tells me city may give grants to local grocers fearing competition from city-run stores
— Dan Rivoli (@danrivoli) August 19, 2026
"policies and programs, grants, incentives that can come alongside these grocery stores to support other local independent businesses" pic.twitter.com/S57e8Ne13B
Yep, NYC is in the best of hands!
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