Dr. Ben Carson stumps in Glenwood; says he can heal what ails America

Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson brought his conservative message to Glenwood Thursday afternoon, hoping to drum up support for the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses.

Carson’s town hall meeting at Glenwood Community High School attracted over 400 people, including about 200 high school students. Carson spoke for 45 minutes, stressing the importance the 2016 presidential election will have on future generations of Americans.

The retired neurosurgeon noted the next president could be appointing up to three new justices to the Supreme Court. He also talked about the importance of eliminating the “fiscal gap” created by a shortfall of revenue to fund Medicare, Medicaid and several other government-assistance programs. Carson referred to the programs as “unfunded liabilities” that are over $200 trillion in the red.

“No politician will talk about it, but since I’m not a politician, I will talk about it,” Carson said. “It’s an unimaginable number we are putting on the backs of those coming behind us.”

If elected president, Carson said he would loosen and eliminate government regulations he believes are adversely affecting the quality of life for many Americans.

“It was never intended that the government should be in every aspect of our lives,” he said.”

Carson downplayed statistics that suggest both economic growth and a decline in unemployment have occurred during the Barack Obama presidency and contrary to the contention of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, “evil rich people” are not to blame for the nation’s growing income gap.

“No, it’s not the evil rich people,” Carson said. “It’s the evil government that keeps piling this debt on and robbing our future generations of any quality of life.”

Saying Obama “doesn’t have a clue” on international policies, Carson stressed the importance of the United States having a strong leadership role globally and providing adequate funding for its military forces.

“We really have to pray that God will spare us until we get the kind of leadership in Washington that can make us prosper,” he said.

Some of Carson’s comments were directed to the students in his audience. He encouraged the teens to find their passion in life and become better informed on issues of local and national significance.

“Spend a half-hour a day learning something new,” Carson said while noting his own “obsession” with the field of medicine when he was young person.

Carson wrapped up his town hall meeting by conveying his hope for a stronger nation.

“I don’t think there’s a problem in America that can’t be solved with a little common sense, minus ego and politics,” he said.

Carson’s town hall meeting was the first appearance by a presidential candidate at a Glenwood school in recent memory. Glenwood Community School District Superintendent Devin Embray said Carson’s campaign approached the district about renting the auditorium for the campaign stump earlier this month, but details weren’t finalized until early last week.

“We were very cautious to make sure it didn’t look like we were endorsing a candidate,” Embray said.

Embray said Carson’s late-afternoon appearance didn’t disrupt the normal flow of the school day, despite the presence of nearly 20 Secret Service officers.

For the GCHS students who elected to see Carson, the event was a learning experience, the superintendent said.

“It’s important they see the political process and understand what the candidates go through,” Embray said.

Prior to his address in the GCHS auditorium, Carson met privately with more than a half-dozen pastors from Glenwood-area churches. Trinity Lutheran Church Pastor Seth Kaiser said Carson talked to the church leaders about the importance of faith in his personal life and the role it played in his decision to run for president.