Zohran Mamdani's proposal for city-run grocery stores is entirely practical. What’s more unrealistic, begging corporations to sacrifice profits to fulfill a necessary social role or simply providing basic urban infrastructure ourselves?

A century ago, Milwaukee’s “sewer socialists” were ridiculed for focusing on pipes, drains, and parks. These were small-bore projects, detractors claimed, and unworthy of political struggle. But mayors Emil Seidel and Frank Zeidler knew better: survival and dignity begin with the basics. They understood that public ownership of water systems, sanitation, parks, and essential infrastructure was the only way to ensure these things existed for everyone, not just those who could pay.

“Some Eastern smarties called ours a ‘Sewer Socialism,’” Seidel reflected de

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