Ben Carson began his speech at Liberty University on Wednesday with a blunt warning: “It is not my intention to offend anyone and if anyone is offended — then too bad.”
Carson shared the trials he went through in his younger years growing up extremely poor. He said he found his solace in books and learning, which led him to become successful in the medical field as a neurosurgeon.
“Our nation right now is in a bit of trouble, intellectually, because people don’t think,” Carson said. “People are not knowledgeable.”
Carson spoke about the declining high school graduation rate and pointed out the lack of engineers in the United States in comparison to China and other countries.
“We need to double down on the academic standards and not allow ourselves to be lulled into a sense of self security,” he said.
Not only did Carson discuss decline of education in today’s current academia, but confronted recent proposals of free education from the Democratic party.
Bernie Sanders recently spoke about his plan for free college tuition at Liberty University. However, Ben Carson had a different message.
He said the American people often fail to see through “propaganda” and “slick politicians.”
“If they don’t really understand the financial situation of the country and somebody comes along and says, ‘free college for everybody,’ they’ll say, ‘oh, what a wonderful person,’” Carson said. “They have no idea that all you’re talking about is hastening the destruction of the nation.”
Students at Liberty seem to hold a conservative understanding when it comes to this “free tuition” ideology. One student described the reaction to Carson’s speech as far more positive than the reaction to Bernie Sanders in September.
“Students here at Liberty University understand the value of a college degree,” student Christopher Faraldi said. “While the students at Liberty were extremely respectful to Sen. Sanders, there is a fundamental disconnect with the majority of students and the policy of free tuition. That being said, Dr. Carson’s remarks on tuition resonated far more with the student body, along with many other topics.”
A former student, John Reid, shared his insight into how Liberty students perceive the idea of free tuition.
“I’ve had the privilege of engaging in valuable discussions with students about politics and they agree that while free education sounds good, the implications are devastating,” Reid said. “And what’s worse is that those responsible for these legislative afflictions, those currently seated with the promise of an affluent retirement, are not the ones who will suffer, but rather their children and grand children. “
