Republican candidate Ben Carson met by Georgetown crowd

Ben Carson’s vows to change the economy and destroy terrorists before they can get to us received strong approval from an appreciative crowd Friday when the newly-announced presidential candidate made a stop in Georgetown.

Carson, 63, a renowned and now retired neurosurgeon, said Monday that he will be a candidate, but he had been in exploratory mode for months. His speech at historic Winyah Auditorium was scheduled before he announced that he is in the race.

The first black Republican to announce so far, Carson’s venue was the restored 1908 auditorium that was once part of the town’s segregated white school.

Taking a remote microphone to talk while pacing back and forth on the stage, Carson spoke for 23 minutes and took questions for another 13 minutes before joining paid guests in a meet-and-greet lunch.

He said proof that the economy needs reform is a slowing rate of growth and rising national debt.

The $18 trillion debt would take 5,000 years to repay at $10 million a day, he said.

“That’s what we are piling on the backs of those coming after us,’’ he said.

But that can be fixed by cutting corporate taxes and switching to a flat or proportional rate that would require 10 to 15 percent from everyone, and eliminating deductions. Even without the deductions, taxpayers will have more money that way and it’s more fair because everyone shares in the burden, Carson said.

“God had a flat tax with the tithing system and I don’t think there’s anybody more fair than God is,’’ he said.

The nation has the highest corporate tax rate of any, which is driving jobs overseas and discouraging investment, he said.

“People don’t go into business to support the government, they go into business to make money,’’ Carson said.

People’s main questions about doing away with deductions are about donations to charity and mortgage interest. Charity occurred long before the income tax was imposed and it will continue, Carson said. Americans are known for being generous, “that is one of the keys to this nation’s success,’’ he said.

The mortgage deduction won’t be missed because people will be paying less, Carson said.

He also promised to revamp foreign policy and strengthen the military. We have let other countries such as Israel and Ukraine down and are no longer as respected as we once were, he said.

Some of his loudest applause came when he said that he would not wait to see if terrorist groups grow strong enough to pose a threat to the nation, he would destroy them first.

Carson said the government needs to get out of the business of supporting indigent people. Even with all of the social programs that started in the 1960s, there is more poverty, so something is wrong.

It’s because the government is too inefficient to do the job and should leave it to other groups, Carson said.

It’s not the government’s job to take care of people, the government is there to ensure people’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, he said.

He added he would cut the size of government by not replacing retirees and changing the law so that employees can be fired if they deserve it. After three or four years the government’s size would be “back down to where it needs to be,’’ he said.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun News, Carson said he is more than a neurosurgeon, he has extensive experience in the multinational business world that has helped form his views.

He said he was on the board of Kellogg for 18 years and Costco for 16, in addition to others.

“Most people are surprised to know that a doctor knows something about business,’’ he said.

His experience both in medicine and business “being able to put together teams’’ to accomplish goals is a skill that will serve him well as the nation’s leader, he said.

After growing up poor in Detroit, Carson realized his dream of becoming a doctor. Carson was a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore for years. His work separating conjoined twins drew international attention.

After his appearance in Georgetown, Carson was headed to Plantersville Elementary School to meet with the children, who had read one of his three books and were to discuss it with him. From there, he was headed to appearances in Columbia and Greenville.

Carson said his first impression was that Georgetown is “a typical American city,’’ but with some beautiful beaches nearby, and ``people who know what it is to work for a living.’’

Carson’s visit was organized by the Georgetown County Federation of Republican Women and the county Republican Party. An Horry County GOP Executive Committeeman also helped.

Mike Butryn, who is also leading the Carson campaign in the area, said Horry County gets a lot of publicity and it would be good for Georgetown to get some.

“I thought Dr. Carson would enjoy coming to Georgetown,’’ he said.

Many people who wanted to see Carson were turned away after the 300 seats were filled, Butryn said.

“We expected a good turnout but not this good, this is fabulous,’’ he said.

This story was originally published May 8, 2015 at 8:47 PM with the headline "Republican candidate Ben Carson met by Georgetown crowd."