Jesse Ventura slams minimum wage foes: Pure capitalism robbed us blind

Friday on his show "Off the Grid," former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura called for the minimum wage to be raised and warned that unfettered capitalism was unsustainable.

"Well, it can smell like socialism all you want," he said, responding to a viewer's comment, "but why should a guy pushing a pencil make more than a guy doing back-breaking work digging a ditch? I notice CEOs, they never sweat. They wear suits all day, ties, they go to lunch -- and they get paid the big dough."

"Anybody working 40 hours a week should not have to be subsidized in any way, shape, or form by the government," Ventura added. "They should be able to earn a wage to live off of."

The political rebel and former professional wrestler said raising the minimum wage "absolutely stimulates the economy" because poorer people tend to spend most of their income on goods and services rather than stashing it in a bank.

"Believe it or not, spending money is the fuel that keeps the economy growing and moving, that is why raising the minimum wage -- every time they do it -- the economy takes a spike to the good."

Ventura said people needed to accept than the United States already had a mixed economy, and neither capitalism nor socialism had a monopoly on good economic policies.

"The two systems by themselves, it's been proven they can't survive. You saw what happened when they took the handcuffs off Wall Street and had pure capitalism back in '08 -- they robbed us blind! The government has to be there to put some type of regulations on it or the thieves will rob you to death."

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