Jeffrey Tucker believes in a society with no government intervention.
“We should live in a place without scarcity, where anyone can get what they want,” said Tucker, an Acton University professor who presented on “Why the poor need capitalism” Tuesday night in a Skype session.
The event was hosted by the Young Americans for Liberty organization.
Tucker started off the 7 p.m. meeting by highlighting major processes that work toward the idea of capitalism, which revolved around the division of labor, technology and not having enough of anything to go around.
The greatest gain the poor can get from capitalism comes from our basic freedoms and that starts with adding capitalism into the peoples’ daily lives, he said.
“We don’t have [capitalism] and people think we do,” Tucker said. “The poor stand no chance apart from capitalism.”
Tucker explained that individuals should have all the opportunities to start businesses without being taxed.
Senior Samuel Link, one of the co-presidents of the University YAL chapter, wanted to host this presentation to promote his group in order to build membership up again.
“He did support the general principles that we advocate,” Link said.
Tucker spent time discussing a few major points that he said have nothing to do with capitalism, but with the absence of it. Child labor laws, minimum wage, the war on drugs and deleting taxes altogether were some of the subjects Tucker hit on. Senior member of YAL Matthew Makela said he agrees with Tucker about needing capitalism, but disagrees with his ideas toward a free market.
“Free market still needs government intervention,” Makela said.
Like Makela, senior Donovan Gregory also said he found flaws in the system.
“I don’t agree with having no regulations,” Gregory said. “But he did have good points on how capitalism could help the poor.”
Tucker said America has to transition to capitalism under the eye of the government.
“We have to stop being intimidated and scared by the government,” he said. “We have to come up with innovative ways; that’s the way to do it.”
