Ben Carson, Disappointment. On the death of admiration.

I used to admire Ben Carson. When I started reading his books 20 years ago, I was struck by his story and his faith. I thought he was a good role model- a person deserving of admiration. I was wrong.

Ben Carson is a bigot and a fool. There, I said it. From the avalanche of outrageous statements he makes (improved health care for people who have none/Obamacare="worst thing since slavery", gay="bestiality", etc, etc) I got to sneak a peak into his mind, and all I found was venom. He's also wildly conceited and exercises poor judgment. How else can you possibly decide to end your medical career to run for the presidency with minimal background while surrounding yourself with people who are there just to profit off of your campaign? How else can you stand up, and with your Christian upbringing endorse the profane charlatan Donald Trump? None of these things were the last straw for me though. That came 3 years ago.

My biggest beef with Ben Carson is the monetary policy he supports. In one of his books (one that I couldn't finish), he endorsed a flat tax. And he tried to hide his selfishness by hiding behind Biblical tithing. Flat taxes help people like Ben Carson, and, in 1 or 2 years, people like me. If I make 200K and pay 10% federal tax, it amounts to a massive tax cut for me. It also screws over the rest of society, including my family, who won't make that kind of money. Everyone else though, will struggle to pay rent, their car note, or even afford groceries. If Ben Carson's mother was subjected to a flat tax while young Ben Carson was growing up, the food stamps that he used, the schools he went to, the services that were provided to him- likely wouldn't have been around. Flat taxes make it even harder for other "Ben Carsons" to make it. Unfortunately, I think this is by design. I don't think he really wants anyone else to be like him, unless he's the one giving the scholarship money. He certainly detests the government and specifically brother Barack, since he beat him to being HNIC. What disappoints me most is that Ben Carson has climbed the ladder of success, turned around, and is now trying to pull that ladder up behind him. I hate that. I hate when people with power punch down.

Now, for the 2 people who are still reading I have two other things to say.

The thing that scares me about Ben Carson's remarkable fall from grace is that it can happen to just about anyone. We too can get co-opted by greed, can become selfish, and start punching downwards.

Was I wrong to admire him as a child? I don't think so. I think it's more important that now that I know who he really is, I've cut him loose. At least I know how I'll try to avoid becoming him- remembering where I'm from, remaining politically moderate, drawing inspiration from those directly around me, and most importantly, having someone knock me in my head if I ever, ever decide to run for office.

What about you? Have you ever had to reject a mentor or someone you admire?

 

Niiiice, lol ok. I can see why tho- Hermain Cain's "9-9-9" to Ben Carson's "tithe" tax. Also, both are supposed to be very smart (CEO to oh-my-gaawwd-he's-a-brain-surgeon!), and yet sound soooooo dumb. And of course they are black republicans, so regardless of what Theo tells us, they might as well be the same person.