Picking Carson’s brain: a look at America’s ideal GOP candidate
Abbi Webb, Editor-in-Chief
(Deborah Feingold/Corbis Outline, communitytable.parade.com)
Not just any one can become a neurosurgeon. During life-or-death emergency situations, these surgeons must quickly prepare themselves for treating intense traumatic injuries with urgency while remaining calm, collected and focused. It takes a special person. Republican candidate and former neurosurgeon, Ben Carson, has what it takes to treat this country’s problems with his low-key demeanor and a firm platform of beliefs.
During last Thursday’s debate, Carson was one of the few sweat-free candidates who patiently waited his turn to speak. While many other candidates, like former presidential candidate Scott Walker, whined to be heard and grew defensive when controversial issues arose, Carson never spoke out of turn, never interrupted his opponents and never once appeared to be stressed. While some may say this is what caused Carson to lose the debate, I see this as his greatest strength. A president who is not easily angered and who refuses to let high pressure situations alter his views, is one who can take on issues like the national deficit, ISIS and healthcare reform without popping a sweat.
To put the national debt of $18 trillion into perspective, Carson explained in his campaign announcement it would take 5,000 years of paying $10 million a day to pay it off. He plans on adding an amendment to the Constitution that requires Washington to make paying down the budget a priority. “Each generation’s greatest responsibility is to pass on a greater opportunity to the next generation. Our generation is failing in this regard,” according to Carson’s website. Carson is right in his assertion that Washington will not prioritize decreasing the deficit unless it is forced to. Carson would enforce a flat tax of 10 percent for all Americans, a big change for those who pay anywhere from 10 to 39 percent, according to Bloomberg. Based on the biblical teaching of tithing, this flat tax will not even come close to making strides in decreasing government debt, according to CNN Money, but it will force the government to cut out spending on things like the 2,300 subsidy programs it funds. According to the CATO Institute, the government has the potential to save approximately $492 billion annually by cutting discretionary programs and entitlements such as rental assistance, community service for seniors and K-12 education subsidies. And if drastically lowering the tax rate is what gets us there, I’m in.
Carson plans to eradicate ISIS with boots on the ground action by U.S. troops or by any other means necessary, a very different position than his thoughts on troops going into Afghanistan. At Thursday’s debate, Carson said, “There’s a muscular way to do things and there’s a smart way to do things. Sometimes you have to know which is best.” While other candidates support the invasion of Afghanistan as the only way the U.S. could retaliate from 9/11, Carson’s stance on Afghanistan is one that sets him apart. Many voters and politicians scrutinize Carson’s stance on Afghanistan, but in doing so they fail to deal with the present threats to American safety. Carson will utilize everything available, including economic resources and secret weapons, to defeat ISIS. America’s biggest weakness, Carson said, is the lack of leadership we have within the developing coalition to take down ISIS, and for that reason alone there has been little progress. Carson would provide that leadership by sending troops into Iraq to push out ISIS caliphate, to weaken its influence and to ruin any recruitment opportunities.
From working inside the health care system, Carson has been able to see many of the negative effects of Obamacare, comparing it to the worst thing since slavery. At a Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Carson said, “Obamacare is about restriction and control.” Carson plans on implementing a healthcare system that empowers individuals, not suppresses them. He envisions a plan that requires every person to have a health care account, in addition to birth certificates and medical records, to which money is contributed to. The account can be passed on to family members after death and, by donating money directly into health care accounts, Carson’s plan can be a way for charities to significantly help the poor.
At the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013, Carson spoke confidently about issues regarding healthcare and political correctness while standing less then 10 feet from President Obama. America needs a president who is not afraid to speak his mind, respectfully, in the presence of those who disagree. He is unwavering and refuses to be influenced by money, power or stance. Considering America is in a life-or-death situation, I trust Carson to put on his gloves, grab his scalpel and get to work on saving this country.
