Number 4. New York Post. Help wanted to shovel snow, as long as you bring 5 forms of ID.
Earlier this month, new Mayor Mamdani, New York City, was criticized for failed snow removal efforts. That had to be hurtful, as it ran contrary to the warmth of collectivism that he had introduced to the City through his office.
In that earlier event, trash had backed up; sanitation services were slowed by heaps of snow that stubbornly refused to melt away as they clung bitterly to the frigidity of rugged individualism.
Mayor Mamdani cannot be said to be a slow learner. After this week’s record snowfall, he put forth an ingenious solution. He has invited New Yorkers of all stripes to bring their snow shovels and report for assignment to help clean the city.
If I were a real entrepreneur, I would have figured out how to sell snow shovels to those caught without them. Perhaps a battery powered heater in the long handle could demonstrate that elusive collectivist warmth.
The snow shovel wielders are welcome in the Big Apple, as long as they have five — count ‘em, five — forms of identification:
2 small photos sized 1-1.5 square inches
2 original forms of ID, plus copies
1 social security card.
In exchange, members of the Shovel Brigade will be paid $19.14 per hour, with time-and-a-half over 40 hours. (40 hours shoveling snow??? Don’t they make tractors for that???)
Well, it makes sense. These New Yorkers are asked to engage in important work ensuring a responsible, cohesive and trash-free community: Shoveling snow.
Meanwhile, engaging in a completely useless activity like voting requires no ID at all.
On another level, it seems the warmth of collectivism didn’t take long to be reduced to an hourly rate. With time-and-a-half for overtime.
And this just in! At press time, the devastation of winter storm Hernando has dropped 15 inches of snow and left a quarter million residents without power. The sudden realization of how bad the bomb cyclone really is, has pushed Mayor Mamdani to raise snow shoveler pay to 30 bucks an hour.
The warmth of collectivism suddenly pays better under the frigid reality of the free market.
Speaking of new ideas in Manhattan, dogs have become canine non grata, according to some with strong religious convictions.
According to Islamic Law according to a Palestinian activist, dogs are not legitimate pets. They are ‘unclean,’ or so says one Nerdeen Kiswani in her post on X. While dogs do have a place in society, she says, that place is not inside a human’s home. Dogs must remain outside.
Having been around various dog critters most of my life, I cannot say I fundamentally disagree with the ‘unclean’ part. But who or what I let in my home ain’t really her bid’ness.
Not surprisingly, there was considerable backlash over her comments, due in large part to a huge segment of New York City society with nothing to do but peruse X for things to be outraged about.
And outraged they were, to the extent that the sincere Palestinian protester (who holds her convictions stronger than life itself) immediately backed off. “It’s obviously a joke,” she posted later. “I don’t care if you have a dog.”
Being a Christian who tends toward cynicism, I might wonder if that is slightly disingenuous. Everything I have read on the subject, which is not a lot, points to Mohammed asserting that dogs are Haram — unclean. He ordered they be kept out of the house, if not outright killed.
That solution seems a little extreme — they are only dogs, after all — but I guess that’d do it.
The tete-a-tete with Ms. Kiswami’s post on X resulted in dog owners proudly parading their pets in Times Square in an event named Wag the Night Away. It was scheduled for last Friday night, the first night of Ramadan.
I think everyone in the city knew it was Ramadan because of the loud-speaker-enabled Call to Prayer that started at 5:00AM that day.
It’s lovely to see lively debate among people of good will who hold strong opinions. Next, there will be mostly peaceful riots to really make the point.
Multiple unspecified leftist groups have protested the Olympics for multiple unspecified reasons. Some 5,000 protesters turned out in Milan last week. For some, It had to do with all the wood used to build the bobsled track because the deforestation required was unsustainable.
I suppose they may have a point. If we harvest that many trees for the next, say, 800 years, it could potentially end up being a problem. I am trying my best to get worked up about it.
For others, it involved prohibiting testosterone-powered men from beating up on estrogen-charged women. Because nothing is more important than letting men beat up women, as long as it is part of an approved Olympic event, and as long as the men claim they are women.
I thought women liked it when women were protected from physical abuse. Maybe I had that wrong all this time.
Even constructing the satire is confusing.
Others demonstrating were promoting Palestinian… something. Trade unions were of course involved, because why not. ICE was, naturally, mentioned in a negative light. And Antifa beat up some police officers. Because, again, why not.
All of which leaves me a little confused over what role the Olympics played in this. I mean, I agree that curling is as pointless a sport as ever existed, but the linkage between that and torching a police car remains a little fuzzy to me.
In about 1971, I was in a high school band invited to play at some Kansas statewide music event. KMEA convention, probably. It was quite an honor, of course, which was mostly lost on me… making the tuba part work without embarrassing myself was hard enough, without any added pressure.
After the concert attended by a thousand people, my dad observed with his characteristic dry humor, “I guess that proves it. You can get a crowd up for anything.”
That is as good an explanation as any for 5,000 crazed rioters at the Olympics. I guess I’m sorry they were so upset. But I’m still perplexed what all the fuss was about.
Number 1. Redstate. Oakland mayor moves to defund the police; then her SUV is stolen from City Hall.
I would never condone grand theft auto, but there is some rich karma here.
Five years ago, current Oakland mayor Barbara Lee went to great lengths to support the pledge by the Minneapolis City Council to defund their police department. You may recall, that was the Summer of George Floyd filled with mostly peaceful protests that cost insurance companies maybe $2 billion, killed 25 (plus 14 others who died in protest-adjacent violence) and injured 900 police officers.
This week, Mayor Lee began to soft pedal her previous position after her city-owned SUV was stolen from the City Hall parking garage. It is not clear whether this happened during working hours, or at night. Someone broke into her office, stole her car keys, and then stole the car.
One thing is clear from her comments after the fact: This is definitely NOT a result of defunding police in Oakland.
In an interview with KRON4 in San Francisco, she asserted, “I never, I’ve never uttered ‘defund the police’… I understand the need for public safety for everyone."
She is probably sincere, now. Of course, she was probably sincere in 2020 also.
And while I am sincerely tired of the double speak, I take some perverse joy in the karma.
And thanks for joining The Alligator News Roundup for Friday, February 27, 2026. Pay attention to the news and find something to really get worked up about.
Or, if you feel like earning a paycheck, catch a flight to New York City (with all the ID cards you have) and collect a righteous $30.00 an hour for helping scoop snow. I have a feeling it may be around for a while. You might want to ask the airline if you can check the snow shovel. I wouldn’t try to take it through security.
Have a good weekend!
