NOW THIS, AS WE TOLD YOU,
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ IS
ANNOYED AT HAVING TO PAY $7 FOR
A CROISSANT AT LAGUARDIA AIRPORT
HERE IS THE TWEET.
I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU.
NO WE DON'T, I DON'T HAVE IT
NEVER MIND.
SHE'S SAYING LOOK, WHY DO I HAVE
TO PAY $7 FOR A CROISSANT AT
LAGUARDIA, WHY CAN'T YOU PAY $15
AN HOUR, MINIMUM WAGE?
ALL RIGHT, FAIR QUESTION.
I'LL BRING IN JUSTIN HASKINS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EDITOR OF THE
HEARTLAND INSTITUTE.
WHAT DOES THE PRICE OF A
CROISSANT HAVE TO DO WITH THE $
15 AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE I DON'T
SEE THE POINT.
>> [LAUGHTER]
WELL THE POINT IS I GUESS TO
SHOW THAT IF A CROISSANT CAN
COST $7 AND I GUESS WE SHOULD BE
ABLE TO PAY PEOPLE $15 AN HOUR,
AND THAT THAT SOMEHOW IS GOING
TO BE A BETTER LIVING WAGE FOR
THOSE PEOPLE.
IT'S TOTALLY RIDICULOUS.
THE REALITY IS THIS.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, BERNIE
SANDERS AND OTHER DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISTS, THEY HAVE NO IDEA
HOW MARKETS WORK OR THEY KNOW
HOW THEY WORK AND THEY JUST
DON'T CARE.
THE TRUTH ISES IS THAT CAPITAL
ISM IS JUST ALL ABOUT
FREEDOM THAT'S ALL IT'S ABOUT,
RIGHT?
I HAVE PROPERTY RIGHTS, YOU HAVE
PROPERTY RIGHTS AND WE CAN
FREELY EXCHANGE PROPERTY BETWEEN
US AND MONEY IS JUST A MEDIUM
FOR DOING THAT.
IF YOU'RE AGAINST CAPITALISM
THEN YOU'RE JUST AGAINST FREEDOM
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ WANTS
IS TO GET RID OF FREEDOM IN THE
ECONOMY SO THAT SHE AND PEOPLE
LIKE HER CAN DECIDE WHAT
CROISSANTS COST, WHAT LABOR IS
WORTH IT.
AND HOW DOES SHE KNOW THAT?
STUART: SHE PLANTS LEGISLATIVE
WAGES SO YOU CAN SAY YOU HAVE TO
PAY THIS, THIS AND THIS.
NOW I WANT TO GET YOUR OPINION
ON WHAT BERNIE SANDERS SAID IN
AN NPR INTERVIEW.
I'M GOING TO QUOTE.
WHAT I MEAN BY DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISM IS THAT I WANT A
VIBRANT DEMOCRACY.
SEEMS TO ME THAT THOSE TWO MAY
BE OPPOSITE IDEAS.
WHAT SAY YOU?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
BERNIE SANDERS IS TRYING TO
REPOSITION WHAT SOCIALISM MEANS,
BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT ACCORDING
TO A FOX NEWS POLL IN FEBRUARY,
ONLY 25% OF AMERICANS HAVE A
FAVORABLE VIEW OF SOCIALISM, OLD
EPEOPLE THE PEOPLE MOST LIKELY
TO SAID THEY DON'T HAVE A
FAVORABLE VIEW OF SOCIALISM SO
HE'S TRYING TO REDEFINE
SOCIALISM TO MEAN A $15 MINIMUM
WAGE AND SINGLE PAYER HEALTH
CARE BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT BERNIE
SANDERS REALLY WANTS.
THOSE THINGS ARE BAD IDEAS IN
AND OF THEMSELVES BUT THAT'S NOT
BERNIE SANDERS IS AFTER.
HE'S AFTER COMPLETELY
FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMING THE
ECONOMY SO IT'S MORE LIKE THE
SOVIET UNION OF THE 1970S AND
CLOSER TO VENEZUELA.
NOT WHAT WE HAVE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STUART: NOW THAT'S GOING TOO FAR
HE'S NOT A COMMUNIST, FOR HEAVEN
SAKE, HE'S A DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISTIC AND EUROPE IS HIS
MODEL.
YOU COULD SAY THAT SWEDEN,
DENMARK, NORWAY, THEY ARE
ESSENTIALLY SOCIALISTIC
COUNTRIES AND THEY HAVE
PROSPERITY ON THE VAST MAJORITY
OF THEIR PEOPLE.
YOU COULD SAY THAT IS DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISM AND IT WORKS.
>> YEAH, THAT'S THE ARGUMENT
THAT BERNIE SANDERS MAKES ALL
THE TIME BUT IT'S ACTUALLY NOT
TRUE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE ANALYSIS THAT
HAVE BEEN DONE BY THE HERITAGE
FOUNDATION, THEY SHOW THAT IN
SWEDEN, DENMARK, NORWAY, ICELAND
, ET CETERA, THEIR
ECONOMIES ARE ACTUALLY FREER
THAN OURS IN MANY AREAS AND
OTHER AREAS THEY'RE NOT AS FREE
AND THE PEOPLE ARE NOT REALLY
BETTER OFF THERE.
THE POINT IS THAT THEY HAVE
MARKET-BASED CAPITAL IT'S IC
ECONOMIES, SOME ASPECTS OF THEIR
ECONOMIES THAT ARE SOCIALIZED
THAT DON'T WORK PARTICULARLY
WELL LIKE SINGLE PAYER
HEALTHCARE WE'RE SEEING THAT IN
FINLAND, FOR INSTANCE WHERE
THE SYSTEM IS JUST COLLAPSING
BUT THESE ARE NOT SOCIALISTIC
EUTOPIAS.
THEY HAVE A BROAD BASED TAX
SYSTEM AND THEY TAX EVEN THE
POOREST PEOPLE IN SOCIETY PAY A
HUGE PART OF THE TAX BURDEN.
THEY HAVE VERY FEW BUSINESS
REGULATIONS COMPARED TO SOME
PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES THESE
ARE NOT SOCIALISTIC EUTOPIAS.
THEY HAVE BALANCED BUDGETS.
IS BERNIE SANDERS CALLING FOR
BALANCED BUDGETS?
OF COURSE NOT.
THAT'S NOT WHAT BERNIE SANDERS
WANTS, HE WANTS TO CONTROL THE
ENTIRE ECONOMY.
STUART: IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
IN YOUR VIEW NOW A SOCIALISTIC
PARTY?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
[LAUGHTER]
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY
QUESTION ABOUT IT.
MORE THAN HALF THE PARTY, MORE
THAN HALF OF DEMOCRATS SAY THEY
FAVOR SOCIALISM.
STUART: OKAY WELL DEFINE
SOCIALISM THEN.
>> RIGHT WELL IT DEPENDS ON HOW
YOU DEFINE IT THEN.
STUART: WELL HOW DO YOU DEFINE
IT IF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS
SOCIALISTIC AND YOU'RE SAYING
THAT HOW DO YOU DEFINE
SOCIALISTIC?
>> RIGHT, SOCIALISM IS THE
COLLECTIVE PROPERTY, IS IT
COLLECTIVE MANAGEMENT AND
OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY AND IN A
SOCIETY WHERE YOU HAVE
GOVERNMENT OR THE COLLECTIVE
CONTROLLING MOST OF THE ECONOMY
THAT WOULD BE A SOCIALISTIC
ECONOMY AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT
BERNIE SANDERS AND ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ WANT IN THE LONG
RUN.
STUART: BUT THEY DON'T WANT THE
GOVERNMENT TO ACTUALLY OWN
AMAZON, MICROSOFT, APPLE THEY
DON'T WANT OWNERSHIP OF THE
MEANS OF PRODUCTION, DO THEY?
>> IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES THEY
ABSOLUTELY DO.
I THINK THEY DO WANT TO CONTROL
THE ENERGY INDUSTRY.
THAT'S WHAT THE GREEN NEW DEAL
IS ALL ABOUT.
I THINK THEY DO WANT TO CONTROL
EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION.
I THINK THAT THEY DO WANT TO
CONTROL THE HEALTH INSURANCE
INDUSTRY AND MAYBE EVEN THE
ENTIRE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY SO
YEAH, I ACTUALLY DO THINK THEY
WANT TO COLLECTIVELY OWN AND
MANAGE MUCH OF THE ECONOMY,
MAYBE NOT ALL OF IT BUT MOST OF
IT CERTAINLY THAT'S ABSOLUTELY
WHERE THE FAR LEFT WING OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS MOVED AND
THAT'S WHY BERNIE SANDERS IS
TRYING TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
AND TURN THIS INTO SOMETHING
ABOUT MINIMUM WAGE WHEN IT
REALLY ISN'T ABOUT MINIMUM WAGE.
THIS IS ABOUT CONTROLLING YOUR
LIFE BECAUSE BERNIE SANDERS AND
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ BELIEVE
THAT YOU, THE AMERICAN, SITTING
AT HOME RIGHT NOW, THAT YOU'RE
TOO STUPID TO MANAGE YOUR OWN
AFFAIRS AND THEY SHOULD BE
MANAGING THEM FOR YOU.
STUART: I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT
THERE.