In an interview with Jon Stewart, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) explained that concepts like a public library and fire department are examples of democratic socialism at work — but Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck couldn’t disagree more.
“Jon Stewart, you’re pathetic. You’re pathetic. You allow him to explain socialism to America, and then he actually comes out and says, ‘Yeah, well, you know, building a building and lending out books for free. If we suggested that today, we’d be slandered,’” Glenn says.
“That’s the library. Same thing with public schools and roads and everything else,” he adds, which leads him to ask — and answer — whether or not the fire department is actually “a sign of socialism” as Mamdani alleged.
“The richest man in Rome was Marcus Crassus. Rome was wood, packed tight, burning constantly, and there was no fire department. So Crassus built one because he was the richest guy there. Five hundred men,” Glenn explains, noting that Crassus was a “bad guy” who used the free market to exploit those whose homes were burning down.
His fire department would withhold help until those whose homes were burning agreed to sell it to them.
“That’s the free market being applied to a burning building in the most corrupt way. It’s also why nobody has tried it again,” he says.
“So let me take you to the year 6. Jesus was 6 years old now, and the fire tore through the city again in Rome. Caesar Augustus was there. And he went to the watchmen of the city, 7,000 men in seven what were called cohorts,” Glenn explains.
“Each cohort was responsible for two districts. The first permanent public fire brigade in the history of the world was formed. He was the emperor. He ruled by slaves. He ruled by force,” he continues.
“He was not a good guy. He wasn’t a socialist. He beat Karl Marx to the fire department by 18 centuries,” he adds.
Then in 1736, Benjamin Franklin got “a couple dozen men to sign articles of agreement.”
“Every man brings six leather buckets and two linen bags. They meet monthly, and when a member misses a meeting, he pays a fine. And the fines bought fire engines. That was the Union Fire Company,” Glenn explains.
“It’s the first volunteer fire company in America. We still have volunteer fire departments. Why? Because of Benjamin Franklin, not Karl Marx. The government had nothing to do with it,” he continues.
“The American answer to all of these things has always been share the problem in association, not theft,” he adds.
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