Ben Carson Forgets a Few Things

In the debate Tuesday night, Ben Carson once again showed he knows (or cares?) nothing about history when he proclaimed that from 1776 to 1876, the U.S. became the greatest economic engine in the world, surpassing Britain, because of our entrepreneurship and risk-taking.


He made no mention that it was an economy largely built on the slavery of his own ancestors, which was pointed out by Trevor Noah last night on the Daily Show. Free labor from people who have to work in whatever conditions their owner requires sure makes it a lot easier to rev up an economic engine. Shipping those people from Africa to North America also paid to build Northern cities and our banking system. And even their babies provided collateral for more economic expansion.

He also forgot about the stolen or at least vastly under-paid-for land our country was built on, as well as the native people we took it from. And the way Americans chopped down every tree in sight, destroying a major part of the world’s forests. Or how we mined and drilled without any controls, starting the path toward climate change. "Free" natural resources make it a lot easier to build an economy, too.

Oh, and the fact the U.S. up until the mid-1870s let in every immigrant who wanted to come (including Asians, who were later restricted). They generally weren’t treated like citizens once they were here, of course, but they contributed to that economic boom.

So aside from all of the overt crazy that comes out of Ben Carson’s mouth, don’t forget to watch for the things that seem reasonable but reveal his world view and indicate how he would govern. (Shudder).