Ben Carson: Detroit ‘Once the Most Prosperous City in America,’ Now ‘the Biggest Bankruptcy After Decades of Progressive Leadership’

Detroit-Packard-Plant-Blight-Ruins-Getty
Joshua Lott/Getty Images

Dr. Ben Carson joined SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Friday’s Breitbart News Daily to offer a preview of Donald Trump’s upcoming interview with Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Detroit for the Impact Network.

“Clearly he wants to emphasize the fact that education is a huge part of success in America,” said Carson. “It really doesn’t matter what a person’s racial or economic background is. If they get a good education, they pretty much can write their own ticket.”

“And yet, we have huge pockets of failure, particularly in our inner cities, with schools that simply are dysfunctional, and local politicians who protect those schools, rather than do what’s necessary to improve those schools,” he lamented.

Carson, who was born and raised in Detroit, said Trump would be “talking about school choice and vouchers, but also about economics.”

“You know, Detroit is a perfect place to talk about it, because it was once the most prosperous city in America, and from there has gone on to become the biggest bankruptcy after decades of progressive leadership,” he mused.

“That should tell anybody – Democrat, Republican, independent – that there’s something wrong with the course that’s been staked out on, and that you really need to stop and do something different,” Carson added. “You know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. We’ve got to stop being insane and start exercising common sense.”

TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Joe Szczesny, US-city-Detroit-auto-debt Orange barricades surround a newly paved section on Woodward Avenue for the new commuter light rail being constructed January 1, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. After the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history, Detroit hopes outsiders will see the city's potential not the history of racial conflict, financial crises and citizen flight that has cut its population in half since 1960. AFP PHOTO/JOSHUA LOTT (Photo credit should read Joshua LOTT/AFP/Getty Images)

Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, Michigan. (Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images)

Ford Field, home of the NFL Detroit Lions, is seen(L) near an abandoned building September 30, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The city of Detroit's spectacular bankruptcy -- the largest in US history when it was filed in July and a complex legal process expected to take years to complete -- has masked a long-sought revival which is gathering momentum. But outside a handful of healthy and transitioning neighborhoods lies an urban wasteland housing 78,000 abandoned buildings. AFP PHOTO / Mira OBERMAN (Photo credit should read MIRA OBERMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Ford Field, home of the NFL Detroit Lions, is seen near an abandoned building in Detroit, Michigan. (Mira Oberman/AFP/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 04: Ruins at the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant are seen on September 4, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The Packard Plant was a 3.5 million square foot car manufacturing plant built completed in 1911. Major operations ceased in 1958, though the plant was used in a limited capacity until the 1990s, with outer buildings used through the mid 2000s. Since then the buildings have fallen into disrepair - they are now used mostly for graffitti artists and scavengers. Detroit has an astonishing 78,000 abandoned buildings across its 142 square miles. Last month the city declared bankruptcy, the largest municipality to ever do so in the United States. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Ruins at the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI- DECEMBER 13: Old tires rest near the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant December 13, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Peru-based developer Fernando Palazuelo made his final payment on the Packard Plant, which he won during a Wayne County auction for $405,000. Palazuelo plans on developing the former automotive plant where luxury Packard cars were made in the coming years. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

Old tires rest near the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI- DECEMBER 13: Graffiti is painted on the walls of the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant December 13, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Peru-based developer Fernando Palazuelo made his final payment on the Packard Plant, which he won during a Wayne County auction for $405,000. Palazuelo plans on developing the former automotive plant where luxury Packard cars were made in the coming years. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

Graffiti on the walls of the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI- DECEMBER 13: A desk remains at the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant December 13, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Peru-based developer Fernando Palazuelo made his final payment on the Packard Plant, which he won during a Wayne County auction for $405,000. Palazuelo plans on developing the former automotive plant where luxury Packard cars were made in the coming years. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

A desk remains at the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI- DECEMBER 13: Exposed rebar and concrete chunks hang from the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant December 13, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Peru-based developer Fernando Palazuelo made his final payment on the Packard Plant, which he won during a Wayne County auction for $405,000. Palazuelo plans on developing the former automotive plant where luxury Packard cars were made in the coming years. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

Exposed rebar and concrete chunks hang from the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 04: Remnants of Detroit's historic Eastown Theatre are seen on September 4, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The theatre operated as a movie theater, music venue and church off-and-on from 1931 until 2004; the building could seat 2,500 people. Since 2004 it has been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Detroit has an astonishing 78,000 abandoned buildings across its 142 square miles. Last month the city declared bankruptcy, the largest municipality to ever do so in the United States. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Remnants of Detroit’s historic Eastown Theatre. The theatre operated as a movie theater, music venue and church off-and-on from 1931 until 2004; the building could seat 2,500 people. Since 2004 it has been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Detroit's once glorious and now decrepit Michigan Theater, saved from the wrecking ball by being transformed into a car park, is seen on on October 2, 2013 in Detroit Michigan. The city of Detroit's spectacular bankruptcy -- the largest in US history when it was filed in July and a complex legal process expected to take years to complete -- has masked a long-sought revival which is gathering momentum. But outside a handful of healthy and transitioning neighborhoods lies an urban wasteland housing 78,000 abandoned buildings. AFP PHOTO / Mira OBERMAN (Photo credit should read MIRA OBERMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Detroit’s once glorious and now decrepit Michigan Theater was saved from the wrecking ball by being transformed into a car park. (Mira Oberman/AFP/Getty Images)

The abandoned Park Avenue building in downtown Detroit, Michigan is seen on on October 2, 2013.The city of Detroit's spectacular bankruptcy -- the largest in US history when it was filed in July and a complex legal process expected to take years to complete -- has masked a long-sought revival which is gathering momentum. But outside a handful of healthy and transitioning neighborhoods lies an urban wasteland housing 78,000 abandoned buildings. AFP PHOTO / Mira OBERMAN (Photo credit should read MIRA OBERMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The abandoned Park Avenue building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. (Mira Oberman/AFP/Getty Images)

** TO GO WITH ECO DETROIT ** Less than two miles from downtown Detroit stands the decaying, 18-story Michigan Central railroad station, seen on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, unoccupied for 20 years while one developer after another shied way from the cost of restoring its Beaux-Arts glory. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Less than two miles from downtown Detroit stands the decaying 18-story Michigan Central Railroad Station. Built in 1913, it has remained unoccupied for over 20 years as one developer after another shied way from the cost of restoring its Beaux-Arts glory. The famous structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, but today its crumbling architectural grandeur is an object of fascination for “ruins photography.” (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DETROIT - NOVEMBER 20: A man rides his bike past the shuttered Michigan Central Railroad Station November 20, 2008 in Detroit, Michigan. An estimated one in three Detroiters lives in poverty, making the city the poorest large city in America. The Big Three U.S. automakers, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, are appearing this week in Washington to ask for federal funds to curb to decline of the American auto industry. Detroit, home to the big three, would be hardest hit if the government lets the auto makers fall into bankruptcy. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A man rides his bike past the shuttered Michigan Central Railroad Station on Nov. 20, 2008. An estimated one in three Detroiters lives in poverty, making the city the poorest large city in America. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 05: The interior of an abandoned church is seen on September 5, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit is struggling with over 78,000 abandoned homes across 140 square miles and 16% unemployment; in July, the city declared bankruptcy. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

The interior of an abandoned church in Detroit, Michigan. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

The former Sherrard school is seen in Detroit, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. The state-appointed financial manager for Detroit's deficit-ridden public schools said Monday he is rushing to demolish 14 vacant schools that are the "worst of the worst" crime-infested eyesores the shrinking district owns. "Vacant schools across Detroit have been blights on the community and safety hazards for far too long," Robert Bobb said. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The former Sherrard school in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The boarded up Sidney Miller school is seen Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010 in Detroit. A plan to shutter a quarter of Detroit's public schools in June will add 45 more empty buildings to dozens of district properties dominating already blighted neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The boarded up Sidney Miller school in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Owen elementary school is seen Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 in Detroit. A plan to shutter a quarter of Detroit's public schools in June will add 45 more empty buildings to dozens of district properties dominating already blighted neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Owen elementary school in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

A section of vacant stores is shown in Detroit, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Detroit’s mayor unveiled a plan that could determine what the city looks like as it fights for vitality, announcing that neighborhoods will receive different kinds of services depending on the condition of homes, how many people live there and the level of blight. His plan isn’t really about shrinking Detroit _ the 139-square-mile city’s boundaries aren’t receding. He instead wants to encourage redistribution of what’s left of Detroit’s population into areas where people still live, where houses aren’t about to cave in and where the city’s scant resources won’t be spread dangerously thin. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A section of vacant stores in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

SHRINKING DETROIT HAS 12,000 ABANDONED HOMES Houses along Detroit streets have become derelict abandoned buildings 15 June, 2005, in what was once a thriving middle class area. There are more than 12,000 abandoned homes in the Detroit area, a byproduct of decades of layoffs at the city's auto plants and people leaving for the suburbs. And despite scores of attempts by government and civic leaders to set the city straight, the automobile capital of the world seems trapped in a vicious cycle of urban decay. Detroit has lost more than half its population since its heyday in the 1950's. The people who remain are mostly African-American, 83 percent, and mostly working class, with 30 percent of the population living below the poverty line according to the US Census Bureau. AFP PHOTO/JEFF HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)

Houses along Detroit streets have become derelict abandoned buildings in what was once a thriving middle class area. (Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)

FILE - This Feb. 13, 2014 photo shows a boarded up house in Detroit's Brush Park neighborhood, with the General Motors headquarters at background left. From 2000 to 2010 alone, the city lost about a quarter-million residents. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

A boarded up house in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood, once one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in a prosperous city. More images of Brush Park’s ruined mansions can be viewed here. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

“There are so many regulations now, it’s become very difficult to start a business, and more difficult to run a business,” Carson said. “I’m not a person who thinks we should get rid of all regulations, but let’s do this within reason.”

He noted that America’s Founders “were so concerned about government overreach, and yet, that’s exactly what we’ve allowed to happen. We now have the government in everything, trying to control every aspect of our lives.”

“To a degree, it’s the fault of We the People, because we’ve kinda sat back, and relaxed, and just watched who’s on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ and who’s playing football, and not really been paying attention to what’s going on,” said Carson. “And of course, the government does what all governments do in a situation like that: they expand, and they take over.”

“So now it’s time to rein them back in,” he urged. “It’s time to create tax policies that incentivize, rather than disincentivize, innovation and hard work.”

Carson said Trump would also be talking about “how immigration policies fit into the whole job market area,” because “obviously, we need to take care of our people first.”

“That doesn’t mean that we’re heartless,” he added. “But you know, somebody who has a home doesn’t just, because someone comes up and knocks on the door and says, ‘I want to come in and live in your home,’ they don’t invite them in.”

Marlow asked Carson about former president Bill Clinton’s suggestion that Detroit should be repopulated with, and rebuilt by, refugees from Syria.

“If it’s Bill Clinton that’s suggesting it, I would examine it very carefully,” Carson laughed. “You know, there are plenty of people in Detroit who you could almost look at as refugees. I mean, we need to take care of our own people. We need to create jobs for them. That’s relatively easy to do.”

“You look, for instance, at the over $2 trillion overseas, that’s not being brought back because of our high tax rate. Lets’ bring that money back, incentivize it to be brought back by getting rid of the taxes on it, but requiring that 10 percent of it be used in enterprise zones, and to create jobs for people who are unemployed or underemployed,” he suggested. “It would be the biggest stimulus since FDR’s New Deal, and it wouldn’t cost the taxpayers one penny.”

“Those are the kinds of things we need to do, because then it gets corporate America once again involved in their communities. And they used to be, before the government took over everything and messed it up,” Carson said.

Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

LISTEN:

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.