President Barack Obama plans to make
income inequality a focus of his January 28 State of the Union address, but Dr. Ben Carson thinks he should contrast economic theories instead.
Obama should use his address to Congress to educate people on the difference between capitalism and communism," and then ask them which system would they like," Carson said Thursday on Fox News Channel's
"Your World with Neil Cavuto."
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The public's response would likely be "eye-opening" to Obama, Carson said.
A new Fox News poll shows that only 13 percent of Americans are "angry" about income inequality and think the government should be involved in correcting it. Another 21 percent agree it is a problem, but don't think it is the government's responsibility to solve. And 62 percent say that's just "how things work."
"The big problem is the government," Carson said. "If they would get out of the way I think the gap would naturally be bridged."
He suggested concentrating on equality of opportunity and equality of education. He suggested reallocating how property tax money is allocated to schools. Currently, schools in wealthy areas get more money.
Free markets have led the United States to being a "pinnacle nation," Carson said.
Leftist policies of raising taxes on the richest while pushing for higher minimum wages for the poorest do little to close the gap, he said, since the rich can put their money into interest-bearing accounts, while the poor are left waiting for jobs, such as with the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which are in limbo because of government regulations.
"Get out of the way and let the economy work," Carson said.
A retired professor and celebrated pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University, Carson has been discussed as a possible presidential candidate for 2016.
He reiterated his line to Cavuto that he has no desire to run.
" I, as a patriotic American citizen, will do whatever needs to be done," he said. "But that is not my intention."
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