WEST MEMPHIS -- Ben Carson told supporters Friday night that education and his mother -- but certainly not the government -- made him the man he is today.
The neurosurgeon and Republican presidential contender spoke to a crowd of more than 1,200 at West Memphis High School's Lehr Arena. It was his second visit to Arkansas this year.
"There are a lot of people who think that the only ones who can solve our problems are the people who have been elected officials for long periods of time," he said. "If you add it all up, Congress has 8,700 years of experience. Where has it gotten us?"
His argument found support in the audience.
"I think he certainly has a lot to learn, but I think he's in the right position. He's well-educated. He's a leader," said Kristina Semiche, a West Memphis resident who attended the rally with her 15-year-old daughter. "The way he grew up and how he crawled out of poverty to become a better person through his education -- that story is very inspiring to me."
Carson told the story of his mother, who he said was one of the smartest people he knew despite having only an elementary-school education.
"She was a wise person," he said. "If my father had listened to her, we would have absolutely grown up in different circumstances."
Carson said his mother's emphasis on learning encouraged him to go to school and become a neurosurgeon -- not a government handout.
"The person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you," he said.
Carson also said Friday night that passing the federal government's debt to later generations is a moral issue. He called for cutting the number of federal workers and asking agency heads to trim spending by 2 percent to 3 percent.
He said he did not support the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration that began in 2013 after the Republican Party demanded deficit reduction in exchange for raising the government's debt ceiling.
Carson blamed federal agencies for the sequestration, saying they "tried to do things that people would notice so they could say that you can't cut the budget."
Carson also said the U.S. tax code is too complicated and called for a 15 percent flat income-tax rate. He said his plan resembles a tithe, which is an Old Testament requirement that Israelites give 10 percent of their livestock and crops to the Lord.
The current tax code -- which requires people making more money to pay a higher percentage of their wages -- is socialism, he said.
"We are starting to look like socialist nations," Carson said. "They have this utopian vision of cradle-to-grave care by the government, but they all look the same -- a small group of elites at the top who own and control everything and your rapidly diminishing middle class and a vastly expanding dependent class."
He said he wants to give people the choice to opt out of Medicaid, a government-run health insurance program for low-income families and individuals, and invest the money the government would have spent on the program -- more than $12,000 a year per person -- in health savings accounts.
After the speech, Carson spoke to supporters for about 30 minutes and then took questions from reporters.
Carson confirmed reports that he wants to reduce the number of Republican debates, require opening and closing statements from candidates, and require the use of more conservative moderators.
The Republican National Committee said earlier Friday that it was suspending its relationship with NBC News for a February debate because it was disappointed with how cable news channel CNBC handled a forum Wednesday.
"I want the candidates to have more input into how it's done, because the purpose of a debate is to allow the voters to actually see what you think, what actually drives you, what's behind it," Carson said. "The system that we saw manifested this week does not do that."
Carson also said he was in favor of lifting a rule that prevents the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from studying gun violence -- a stance that puts him in conflict with the National Rifle Association.
"I say more information is better," Carson said.
Carson elicited the biggest applause toward the end of the night when he said that if elected he would strengthen the military.
"We as a nation have got to understand that we are putting ourselves and our children at great risk by not having a strong military," he said. "I see I don't have to do a lot of convincing for that."
The crowd showed its support even after Carson started the night with a mistake. He said, "I always love coming to Tennessee" after he walked onstage. The audience laughed.
"Are we in Arkansas?" Carson asked. "It's a short drive, isn't it?"
After the speech, Scott Stephens, a Memphis resident who carried a poster signed by the candidate, said he was impressed with Carson.
"He's a normal man. He's just like you and me are," Stephens said. "He seems to have time for people like me, and that makes me feel confident in him as a leader."
Metro on 10/31/2015