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In a recent interview, Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: “Socialism to me, it means that you will have whatever you need to live a dignified life, and that it is the government’s job to deliver on that.” If socialism gives people dignity, the Cuban people should be swimming in it.
Instead, they are swimming in misery, shortages and human-rights violations. I was born in Cuba and lived 16 years of socialism. I know the difference between a political promise and what happens when government takes greater control over people’s economic lives.
That is why the new White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) report on the price tag of the Democratic Socialists of America’s policies deserves attention.
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The CEA estimates that seven major DSA proposals would cost more than $49 trillion over the next decade — roughly $355,000 per American household. Medicare for All accounts for approximately $47.4 trillion of that projected fiscal burden. The proposals also include student debt cancellation and free college, a 32-hour workweek, Green New Deal policies and rent control.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference following a fatal stabbing incident in Times Square near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York, on Aug. 31, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Those numbers are enormous, but the debate should not stop at the price tag. It should also address how these proposals would be funded, including where the government would obtain the trillions of dollars needed to finance them and how that funding would affect taxpayers and the broader economy.
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These policies raise a larger question about government’s role in Americans’ lives. Who controls access to healthcare under Medicare for All? Who determines wages and working hours? Who controls housing prices? And what happens when more of the resources people depend on become dependent on government decisions?
The DSA movement promotes expansive government programs as solutions to problems that are real: expensive healthcare, housing costs and economic insecurity. Those problems deserve serious attention. But a policy does not become effective simply because its goal is compassionate.
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The word often used to justify these policies is dignity.
But if the government can give you dignity, the government can also take it away. For instance, when it comes to licensing, the more difficult it is for a person to obtain a license, the harder it becomes for their small business to get off the ground.
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Dignity should never be placed in the hands of government. It is an individual right. Economic independence — the ability to work, earn, save, build, own and make decisions for yourself and your family — is an important part of that dignity.
There are alternatives that address these same problems while leaving more decisions with individuals. That means smaller, more accountable government; lower and simpler taxes; fewer regulations that make it harder to work, build or invest; and a free market in which businesses compete and consumers have choices.
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Preserving a democratic system matters, too. Americans should remain free to disagree, organize, speak, vote and advocate for different solutions. A free society does not require everyone to reach the same conclusions; it requires freedom to make those decisions peacefully. Socialism steals freedom away.
The DSA movement promotes expansive government programs as solutions to problems that are real: expensive healthcare, housing costs and economic insecurity. Those problems deserve serious attention. But a policy does not become effective simply because its goal is compassionate.
America does not have to implement a failed system to prove it will fail again. We do not need to gamble away our freedoms to prove we can improve our system.
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The $49 trillion estimate should prompt more than an argument over a number. It should force Americans to examine whether expanding government control actually gives people more control over their lives — or less.
Compassion matters. Affordability matters. Economic opportunity matters.
So does freedom.
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Because dignity is not something government can manufacture.
It belongs to the individual.
