grammar - "With freedom comes choices" -- is this incorrect?

Despite having written in English for 35 years, I was surprised today to be told that the correct phrase is "With freedom come choices" because if you reverse the sentence, "with freedom choices comes" doesn't scan.

I can sort of squint and see the rationale here, but what's the rule? "With freedom come choices" scans wrong, but when I try some mental parallels...

"With happiness comes smiles"
"With marriage comes a horse and carriage"

"With hunger comes a rumbly tummy"

they all scan correctly, but also scan in reverse. ("With happiness, smiles come", etc.)

So a question in two parts: is "With freedom comes choices" actually incorrect; and what is it about this particular phrase that makes it so weird?

Answer

It is not how any of this dialog has gone.

Your statement "With freedom come choices" when "reversed" can be parallel-scanned (a take on your usage of "scan") not as "With choices come freedom", but as "With freedom, choices come." I think it can be better understood, if we "reverse" "With a whole chicken comes legs" to "With legs come a whole chicken" and compare against "With a whole chicken, legs come" -- that illustrates the point more clearly.

English is not a programming construct -- the only rule which always applies it that no rules always apply.

So, then, why do we hear of such "rules"? The answer is that whoever is telling us such rules does not fully understand that they are guides to help you ensure your writing is comprehensible or done well.

Statements which start with a preposition ("with", in this case) are not always the best fit, though sometimes they are. For example, "With great power comes great responsibility" is a well-known statement in English coming from the Sci-Fi realm.

If, however, someone were to say to me, "With freedom come choices," I would ask, "which choices?" If they said, on the other hand, "Freedom gives you the privilege of choice," I would know exactly what they were saying.

The question we as writers should ask ourselves is, "Does my statement convey what I have intended?" The answer should define our writing.

If you're looking for a mathematical formula, your writing will sound like a mathematical formula. As a professor in my mathematics classes once stated, "there is no substitute for professional judgement." Subsequently, write to communicate your ideas/intentions/etc and then have others review your writing to ensure you have fulfilled your goal(s).