My friends, here's a fact that makes the modern socialist absolutely furious: the Nazis' official name was the National Socialist German Workers' Party. I brought this up on the show this week, and predictably, leftists lost their minds over it.

Was it partly branding, an attempt to court communist sympathizers in a defeated, humiliated Germany? Probably, at least in part. But strip away the history-class debate for a second and look at what actually connects the two: both wanted government controlling the economy. Different flavors, same instinct: force over freedom.

I bring that up because we're at a strange moment. Recent Gallup polling shows two out of three Democrats now view socialism favorably — up from about half just fifteen years ago. I don't think most of them are cartoon villains plotting a gulag.

I think a lot of them are frustrated. They did what they were told — get the degree, get the job, work hard (ok … maybe that’s a stretch for the true takers!) — and the math still doesn't add up the way they were promised.

The system that told them to trust it is the same one that built the high taxes, the inflation, and the runaway welfare state they're frustrated with — but none of the socialists connect those two things. It's just easier to blame the "one percenters" for stealing it than to ask whether bigger government caused the mess in the first place.

Push back even a little, and the playbook is always the same: "Oh, so you're against roads? Firefighters? The police?" No. That's not what socialism means, and pretending it is lets people dodge the actual question.

Free-market capitalism means the private sector controls the means of production. Socialism means the government does. Wanting a fire department funded by your tax dollars doesn't make you a socialist any more than owning a toothbrush makes you a dentist.

The real question was never "should government exist" — it's "how much force is government allowed to use over your life, your property, your choices." Slide too far toward force, and you get a totalitarian state. Slide too far the other way, and there's no way to secure anyone's rights at all.

Our Founders discovered something nobody else had tried: a government that answers to the people, not the other way around, because our rights come from God, not from Washington. That's still the best idea in the history of self-government, and it's worth defending — calmly, patiently, and without an ounce of the bitterness the other side brings to the table.

Conservative, not bitter.
Todd

This week gave us a live-fire example of a battlefront that never really closes: government's reach into the economy. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani just unveiled the pricing model for his city-owned grocery stores — a 30% discount on meat and produce, backed by roughly $70 million in taxpayer money across five planned locations, with the first expected to open in 2027 and the flagship East Harlem store not until 2029.

Do the math. Private grocers already operate on razor-thin 2-4% profit margins. There's no secret ingredient a government-run store has that a private one doesn't — except your tax dollars, which is exactly where a 30% discount actually comes from. It isn't a cheaper way to sell groceries. It's a more expensive way to sell groceries, with the difference quietly moved from your paycheck to the register.

The question was never whether cities should exist, or whether affordable groceries matter — of course they do. It's whether it's legitimate to use the force of taxation to override what a free market already prices efficiently, just so a politician can hand out the difference and take the credit.

Our Founders built a government meant to secure your rights, not run your neighborhood grocery store. And we should pay very close attention to where the money, the stores, and the bill actually land.

Every day, the ebook editions of huge New York Times bestsellers are discounted to just $2. While most are unaware, readers with the inside scoop are filling their libraries with these deals.

Readers are finding these savings through a free service called BookBub.

It sends you deals on bestselling ebooks – starting at $2. No subscriptions. No monthly fees. Just books you actually want to read, at prices that don’t make you do a double-take.

You can expect:
• Personalized picks based on your reading taste
• New deals every day to find new favorites
• Flexibility to buy from all major ebook retailers

Given a single ebook can cost $15 or more – and avid readers can spend over $100 on ebooks a year – these savings add up fast.

BookBub’s deals are only available for a limited time. Sign up to see what’s on sale today.

Learn more about BookBub

Listen to today's full episode → toddhuffshow.com/toddcast
Follow us: Facebook · Instagram