Cavuto Embarrasses Student Who Wants Free College and Has No Idea How To Pay for It
RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
CAVUTO: “Let’s get to the details of what really they’re asking for here. Kelly Mullen of ‘Million Student March’ national event organizer. Kelly, good to have you. Keely, I’m sorry. Is it Keely or Kelly?”
MULLEN: “That’s OK. It’s Keely.”
CAVUTO: “I apologize. So —“
MULLEN: “Totally fine.”
CAVUTO: “What do you want?”
MULLEN: “Well, so the movement, the ‘Million Student March’ is a movement for a more equitable and fair system of education, as opposed to the really corporate model we have right now. So, the three core demands of the national day of action are: free public college, a cancellation of student debt, and $15 minimum wage for the people who work on the campus.”
CAVUTO: “And how is that going to be paid?”
MULLEN: “Great question. I mean, you know, so— I’m not sure if you’re talking about a national level or per school, I can touch on both. At—“ [crosstalk]
CAVUTO: “Someone has to pick up the tab. Who would that be?”
MULLEN: “The 1 percent of people in society that are hoarding the wealth and really sort of causing a catastrophe that students are facing. We have a relationship right now where 1 percent of the population owns more welt than 99 percent combined and that relationship—“
CAVUTO: “All right. So the 1 percent, Kelly, so it’s the 1 percent just had their taxes raised a few years ago, in fact, to almost to 40 percent; they pay for the health care law; they had them raised another few percentage points. Then they had their deductions limited so it raised another couple points depending on the state and locality; they’re pushing over about 50 percent in taxes. How much higher do you think, how much more do you think they should pay?”
MULLEN: “I think enough until we have a system where not one in two American families are threatened with poverty.”
CAVUTO: “So where do they go. Let’s say if you taxed them— they’re smart folks, these people, these 1 percent hoarders, right. So if they leave here, who is going to pay for the stuff you want?”
MULLEN: “If they leave—“
CAVUTO: “The country.”
MULLEN: “Oh, I mean, there’s always going to be a 1 percent in the U.S. The U.S. is like the bastion of capitalism and success.”
CAVUTO: “Do you think the 1 percent could pay for all of this?”
MULLEN: “Absolutely. 85 people in the world hold more welt than half of the global population.”
CAVUTO: “Wait a minute, wait a minute. Are we talking about 85 billionaires, or are you extending this to the 1 percent or whomever who earn little bit more than $250,000. At what level, Keely, do you start saying you’ve got to pay a hell of a lot more than you’re paying now in taxes?”
MULLEN: “I mean, I think people earning — certainly people earning over a million dollars a year should be contributing to the wellness of the society.”
CAVUTO: “It’s 50 percent now. Let’s say you’re starting at 50 percent of taxes, will you set a top rate at 90 percent? Do you think we should get back to that?”
MULLEN: “I think that eventually we will get back to that. I think eventually —“
CAVUTO: “And you’re OK with that? Are some of your friends OK with that? Some of them want to be successful themselves and they’ll be happy when they get to a level maybe over $200,000, $250,000 and they start paying 90 percent taxes on that. They’ll be happy with that?”
MULLEN: “Absolutely. I mean, I think that —“
CAVUTO: “Keely, come on, you’re talking to me here. Do your friends are going to be happy getting to a point in their career when they can look outside and say, finally I’m able to pay 90 percent in taxes?”
MULLEN: “Obviously, you know, people in your position, you know, don’t want to pay 90 percent in taxes, because—“
CAVUTO: “I dare to say unless you’re high as a kite (Laughter) you wouldn’t volunteer to pay 90 percent, right? I mean unless you really did see a considerable [indecipherable] for the bucket —“
MULLEN: “Yeah.”
CAVUTO: “It was worth it, right? But a lot of the times that you realize it’s not worth it, and given some of the track record we seen with government, it doesn’t always work, right?”
MULLEN: “Yeah, I mean, absolutely, but the reality is that we have to look at the injustice of the system as it exists right now. I mean, you know —“
CAVUTO: “Then do you think maybe if everyone paid a little bit more for this, would you pay a little bit more for this, besides the rich, to pay for it if it’s worth it. Do you think these are good goals?”
MULLEN: “Everybody — people already are paying for this, yes.”
CAVUTO: “I asked it differently. I ask you, would you, Keely, and your friends and your mom and your dad and your family, would they happily pay more —“
MULLEN: “Yeah.”
CAVUTO: “— to provide all of these benefits you just outline?”
MULLEN: “Of course, and we already are.” [crosstalk]
CAVUTO: “No, no, no, no, you said it’s a pay for some of the things you wanted the rich should pay significantly more than they’re paying now. Now, you’re telling me —“
MULLEN: “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying, everyone’s already paying.”
CAVUTO: “Well, they’re not. I mean, now, you’re saying the added — these added benefits that you want and they’re fine benefits, don’t get me wrong. You think your friends, their parents, your parents, your family, would be happy to pay a little bit more to provide these guarantees and benefits?”
MULLEN: “I come from an incredibly working class family and my family is already on numerous forms of government assistance, and is basically scraping by, you know, in order to get me through a college. I live in a world and I see a system around me where there’s a population that’s doing nothing to contribute to the progression of society, education is really the only way that we have innovation. That we have, you know —“
MULLEN: “I come from an incredibly working class family and my family is already on numerous forms of government assistance, and is basically scraping by, you know, in order to get me through a college. I live in a world and I see a system around me where there’s a population that’s doing nothing to contribute to the progression of society. Education is really the only way that we have innovation. That we have, you know —“
CAVUTO: "Keely, I am sure you are --you sound smart and you know what's going on in the world, and you mentioned what's going on in the world and you are probably aware of what's happening in Greece --"
MULLEN: “Yeah."
CAVUTO: "-- and these other countries that provided all of these benefits and [indecipherable] many of which you outlined nicely for us today --"
MULLEN: “Yeah."
CAVUTO: "-- and they're going broke and they are out of money and they don't know what to do. And their people are rioting on the streets because they can't believe the money is gone and the benefits and promises are gone."
MULLEN: “Right."
CAVUTO: "What do you think?"
MULLEN: “Yeah. I mean, there is like global catastrophe right now of a -- complete, like defunding of social services and defunding of --" [crosstalk]
CAVUTO: "Because they run out of money. You know what happened, Keelly, they just run out of money --"[crosstalk]
MULLEN: “I understand, but there is one percent in Greece, there is one percent in the United States. So there's a ruling class in absolutely every --" [crosstalk]
CAVUTO: "I don't doubt there is, Keely, I don't doubt there is but obviously they are trying to tap in to get the money from --[crosstalk] -- and they realize either they don't have the money or they hit for the money. They are gone. They are gone--"
MULLEN: “Yes. Those people need to be accountable--"
CAVUTO: "All right, fine. But they are smart and they are --"
MULLEN: “-- those people that are holding a lot of capital."
CAVUTO: "So now, even if --"
MULLEN: “Yeah, they are and that's a problem."
CAVUTO: "All right. But they have done studies, Keely. I don't want to get boring here. But even if you were to take the one percent and take all of their money and tax them 100 percent, do you know that could not keep Medicare, just Medicare in this country going for three years? Did you know that?"
MULLEN: “If we were to the point where rich are paying 100 percent on their taxes, then we are on the road to socialism and we are going to have a completely different type of public infrastructure."
CAVUTO: "No, No. What I told you is that even if you took all the money from the rich, who you say are getting away with murder, if you took all that, it would not support one entitlement in this country for three years."
MULLEN: “I don't -- I -- Yeah, I don't believe that."
CAVUTO: "OK."
MULLEN: “Yeah. I am sorry, I just -- that sounds completely ludicrous to me."
CAVUTO: "Do you know how much it would cost to mandate the $15 minimum wage across the country to have everyone's student loan debt paid off, to pay for public college, for everyone?"
MULLEN: “How much?"
CAVUTO: "Do you have a rough idea of the cost of just the educational part, on the student loan part, and the public --"
MULLEN: “Yeah, absolutely. $1.3 trillion in student debt. That's just a beginning. And then billions and millions in dollars in --"
CAVUTO: "Do you know how much you get by fully taxiing one percent, by 100 percent?"
MULLEN: “I don't know. Is it close to the number of $16 trillion that we spent to bail out the banks?"
CAVUTO: "Here's what I am saying. I just want this to be a math reminder."
MULLEN: “Yeah."
CAVUTO: "One trillion which would barely keep Medicare going for three years. That's one area, even if we reposition it to go to this area that you want, we don't have enough to do it. So you are going to have find other means to get the money, right?"
MULLEN: “Yeah. I mean, I think that -- that's a starting point. I mean, I think that all of these things require really comprehensive programs."
CAVUTO: "No doubt. But do you-- I guess what I'm asking you -- [crosstalk] --You're passionate about this and I admire this passion and your involvement in this, but I think you have to step back and look at the numbers that could be involved here because they're going to be huge and a lot of colleges behind you and institutions behind you, knowing that student debt is taken care of, it's forgiven and done-- do you think any of those guys, any of those administrators, any of those schools aren't going to leap at the opportunity to gouge even more, to raise tuitions even more, to raise room and board even more?"
MULLEN: “Well, I mean, ideally if we have a big enough mass movement of people in the streets we can actually prevent things like that from happening. That's one of the purposes--"
CAVUTO: "All right. We will see. We just [indecipherable] apologize for that, but history suggests that doesn't always happen."
