Marc Abear: Residents should use votes well in the upcoming elections

To The Daily Sun,

When Caesar Chavez took over Venezuela he nationalized its grocery stores. New York City's socialist mayor is bringing the Venezuelan record to NYC and America.

Democratic socialism is: hand everything to the state. Once the state has the guns and taxpayers have nothing, they tell individuals what to do. That's not theory; it’s what’s happened in every country that has ever tried socialism.

People who have lived under this system of government will tell you, “I grew up in a communist state. There were only state-run grocery stores. There was one at the end of the block where we lived. I would go there in the morning to get whatever they had … It wasn’t much."

Democratic Socialists of America candidates have won 35 primary elections in 2026. They are dumping incumbent Democrats, reshaping the Democrat Party. This is all coming from social media, manufactured outrage, algorithmic radicalization.

We have a generation that has never seen what happens when the state controls the food supply. But the control is history, a pattern. Soviet government stores in the 1960s and 1970s featured empty shelves. Citizens waited for even a loaf of bread.

When Chavez took over Venezuela, he nationalized almost everything. The people watched the economy shrink by roughly 80% until more than 82% of Venezuelans live in poverty today.

What is the left’s response? Crickets. They can't point to a country where socialism has worked, ever. The believers chant, “This time will be different.” There is no reason, logic or policy argument to justify their position, only arrogance, blind belief.

It's coming. Venezuelans listened to Chávez's promise of affordability. He delivered starvation until the military showed up with guns and told the Venezuelans the grocery store, just like the one Zohran Mamdani wants to open, was closed. Use votes well.

Marc Abear

Meredith