How Dems keep sucking up taxpayer cash even as they squander what they take

Nypost · Apr 20, 2026 · 456 words · By Post Editorial Board

Government Spending and Waste Tax Policy and Wealth Redistribution Private vs. Public Sector Solutions

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What to know about Government Spending and Waste

While Democrats nationwide cheer socialist demands to raise taxes, they simultaneously demonstrate every day how incompetently they spend the money they already take from us.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 5

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left33%

Center34%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

While Democrats nationwide cheer socialist demands to raise taxes, they simultaneously demonstrate every day how incompetently they spend the money they already take from us.

Why it matters

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s fish-eyed smirk in his “tax day” video — smugly gloating, “We’re taxing the rich!” — was just the most extreme recent example of Dem greed.

Common ground

He insists high-earners “pay their fair share” to fund his dreams of free buses, day care and cheap groceries.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Black-and-White Fallacy: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Government Spending and Waste story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The price tag: a whopping $100 million?
How does this story connect Government Spending and Waste with Tax Policy and Wealth Redistribution over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/opinion/how-dems-keep-sucking-up-taxpayer-cash-eve…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 5 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Black-and-White Fallacy 75% confidence

Presenting only two options when more exist.

Why it matters: Recognizing black-and-white fallacy helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Appeal to Anger 90% confidence

Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Selective Omission 80% confidence

Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

Why it matters: Recognizing selective omission helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 4

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “The price tag: a whopping $100 million.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results cite the figure of nearly $100 million related to the empty daycare centers.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 2: “Politicians like Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, who courted Somalis for votes, stood by with their eyes closed and their hands over their ears — blind, deaf and dumb about the looting they facilitated.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the search results returned no relevant information to confirm or deny the allegation regarding Governors and Attorneys General.

info

Claim 3: “And taxpayers are still shelling out millions a year in rent and utilities for these vacant spaces.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that taxpayers are *currently* paying millions annually in rent and utilities for these specific vacant centers is strongly implied by the context of the sources, but the provided evidence does not offer a direct, current confirmation of ongoing annual payments, only historical reports of the cost.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Regarded as a prominent figure in contemporary popular music, [3][4] he rose to fame in the late 2000s with his debut extended play, My World (2009), receiving international recognition and establishi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bieber

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · All the latest news, photos and more on Justin Bieber. The Canadian singer-songwriter shot to fame at the age of 13 after being discovered for his YouTube song covers.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/tags/justin-bieber/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Justin Bieber brought the swag to Coachella with a career-spanning set on April 11, and saw his biggest streaming numbers of 2026 the day after the performance.
https://www.cbc.ca/music/justin-bieber-coachella-streaming-b…

info

Claim 4: “Meanwhile, dozens of elected Democrats, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Queens) and Dan Goldman (Manhattan) are pushing for a 5% annual wealth tax on the richest 260,000 American households to achieve “basic fairness,” says Warren.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms that Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats advocate for wealth taxes, but it does not provide corroboration from two or more independent sources detailing the specific proposal of a '5% annual wealth tax on the richest 260,000 American households' as stated in the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delega…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_National_Conve…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States. WFP was organized in 1998 as a successor to the New Party by a coalition of labor unions, advocacy groups …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_Families_Party

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “California paid out more than $30 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic, at least $1 billion of which went to people in prison.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that California paid out large sums in fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic, with some sources specifically mentioning funds going to incarcerated individuals.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — California taxpayers have been bilked out of hundreds of millions of dollars — possibly even $1 billion — this year, that went to jail and prison inmates through fraudulent unemployment claims filed a…
https://www.theblaze.com/news/california-sent-up-to-1-billio…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — California unemployment fraud 4 times worse than first reported; $8 billion paid to criminals.The state revealed before the pandemic more than 8% of all jobless claims paid between 2016 to 2019 went t…
https://abc30.com/post/california-edd-unemployment-fraud-ui-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — $30 billion? In fraud - the total benefits for this one emergency expense amounting to about $90 billion? For a state of 40 million inhabitants?
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35411373

info

Claim 6: “Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s fish-eyed smirk in his “tax day” video — smugly gloating, “We’re taxing the rich!” — was just the most extreme recent example of Dem greed.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence confirms that Zohran Mamdani made statements regarding taxing the rich and discussing a pied-à-terre tax. However, the evidence provided does not contain multiple independent news reports confirming the specific 'smugly gloating' nature or the exact context of the 'tax day' video beyond the initial web search results referencing the video and the tax topic. The Wikipedia entries are general biographical information.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Mamdani has served as the 112th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2026. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani was elected mayor in the 2025 el…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayoralty_of_Zohran_Mamdani

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rama Sawaf Duwaji (born June 30, 1997) is an American animator, illustrator, and ceramist, whose work has been featured across several media outlets and art venues in the US and Europe. She has been t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama_Duwaji

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is an American politician who has served as the 112th mayor of New York City since January 2026. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Social…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohran_Mamdani

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “He insists high-earners “pay their fair share” to fund his dreams of free buses, day care and cheap groceries.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results indicate that Zohran Mamdani campaigned on a platform that included proposals for free buses, child care, and rent freezes, and that he plans to raise corporate taxes to fund these initiatives. This aligns with the claim's core message.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “Minnesota allowed Somali social-service organizations to steal billions through bogus food and child-care programs.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provides general web search results for Minnesota state information but contains no specific reports or corroborating evidence regarding 'Somali social-service organizations' stealing billions through bogus food and child-care programs. The claim appears to originate from a single, unverified source context.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Minnesota information resource links to state homepage, symbols, flags, maps, constitutions, representitives, songs, birds, flowers, trees
https://www.50states.com/minnesota.htm

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 2, 1983 · Minnesota’s state nickname is The North Star State. Historical Facts about the State of Minnesota Minnesotan baseball commentator Halsey Hal was the first to say ‘Holy Cow’ during a base…
https://www.50states.com/facts/minnesota.htm

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web search NEUTRAL — Find Minnesota zip codes by city or lookup which cities belong to a zip code.
https://www.50states.com/zipcodes/minnesota.htm

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Claim 9: “The Post offered a painful example of how government simply wastes the billions it already squeezes from taxpayers: Turns out the city rented and built out dozens of day-care centers under Mayor Bill de Blasio that, more than five years later, are sitting empty.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that the city spent significant taxpayer money on day-care centers that were built or rented but remained empty for extended periods, linking this to the tenure of Bill de Blasio.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An election for the mayor of New York City occurred on November 5, 2013, along with elections for comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and members of the New York City Council. The incumbe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_New_York_City_mayoral_ele…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An election for Mayor of New York City was held on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio won re-election to a second term with 66.2% of the vote against Republican Nicole Malliot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_New_York_City_mayoral_ele…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bill de Blasio (born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961) is an American former politician who served as the 110th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_de_Blasio

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.