World-renowned Dr. Benjamin Carson, the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore recently spoke at the Fellowship Foundation National Prayer Breakfast. He highlighted some of the following points.
Dr. Carson grew up in extreme poverty in a single-family home with his mother and brother. As a child, he was a “horrible” student with low self-esteem and a bad temper. His mother who married at 13-years old had a third-grade education.
Dr. Carson said that his environment could “preclude success,” but, he credits his mother and her strong support for his advancement.
“I had a mother who believed in me, and I had a mother who would never allow herself to be a victim no matter what happened, never made excuses and she never accepted an excuse from us,” said Dr. Carson.
In addition to accountability, Dr. Carson’s mother strongly encouraged her sons to read. Reading offered an escape and opened a new world for Dr. Carson.
Dr. Carson received inspiration from characters in his books who controlled their lives and accomplished great feats. Reading helped him realize that he could also direct his future and that poverty would not imprison him forever. This perspective changed his life.
Dr. Carson spoke about our country today. He said he dislikes “political correctness” because it undermines freedom of speech and it is “dangerous” because it “muffles” people and prohibits them from voicing their opinions at a time when our society is drastically changing.
He said that we need to be informed, educated, speak up for our beliefs, but show respect for others. He also said when we stop making excuses we begin to solve problems.
He compared the U.S. to ancient Rome that was destroyed by moral degradation and economic instability. He warned that this could happen to the U.S.
“If you don’t think that can happen in America, you get out your books and start reading,” Dr. Carson said.
He also discussed the importance of health care. He suggested giving a person a birth certificate, an electronic medical record and a Health-Savings Account at birth. Pretax funds could be contributed into the individual’s HSA during their lifetime, and after death the account could be passed on to family members.
An impoverished person would receive donations into their HSA and maintain control over their own health care. He said that his plan would eliminate the need for “death panels.”
He related taxes to tithes, suggesting a uniform tax percentage (not necessarily 10 percent) for everyone. For example he said that if you make $10 billion you would pay $1 billion, if you make $10 you would pay $1. He said that thinking that you must hurt the wealthy has “resulted in 602 banks in the Cayman Islands, that money needs to be back here building our infrastructure and creating jobs.”
Dr. Carson ended is speech with a vivid account of our flag surviving the British bombardment at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Expert’s say that this was a turning point in the war that steered us toward becoming a free nation. Dr. Carson said that if you were at Fort McHenry that day “you would have seen at the base of that flag the bodies of soldiers who took turns propping up that flag” that symbolized “one nation under God indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all.”
Related articles
- Dr. Benjamin Carson – America the Beautiful (pigpedigree.com)
- Dr. Ben Carson For President? ‘I’ll Leave That Up To God’ He Tells This Week (mediaite.com)
- Dr. Ben Carson at The National Prayer Breakfast (orrinwoodwardblog.com)
- Dr. Ben Carson and the Responsible Self (americanthinker.com)
- Ben Carson Owes No Apology For Honest Talk (papundits.wordpress.com)
- Dr. Ben Carson Challenges President Obama’s Health & Economic Policies (baltimore.cbslocal.com)
- Ben Carson M.D. Keynotes National Prayer Breakfast (healthtrain.blogspot.com)
- Dr. Ben Carson’s Biblical Life Lessons as High School ROTC Cadet Colonel (freedomoutpost.com)
- Dr Benjamin Carson – The Ben Carson Story (mypoliticalmusings.wordpress.com)
- Dr. Ben Carson Speaks Truth to Power at National Prayer Breakfast (heritage.org)
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BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!