Donald Trump has selected retired neurosurgeon and egyptologist Dr. Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
The only applicable policy position we can find is Ben Carson’s belief that the pyramids were built to store grain by biblical Joseph. Maybe that means HUD will build water pyramids in Flint.
Dr. Carson is a black man. It’s likely that in Trump’s “great brain” that also served as a qualification criterion because “urban” and “black” mean the same thing in right-wing circles. Yes, we’re certain Trump believes that being African American makes Ben Carson uniquely qualified to head an agency that’s most know for working with “inner cities”. Unfortunately, that’s Dr. Carson’s only apparent qualification.
Ben Carson has no experience whatsoever running an agency; of any kind. Nevertheless, he believes that since he grew up in Detroit – decades ago – that he is “well suited” to run an agency with almost 8500 employees and a $48.9 billion dollar budget.
Ben Carson’s recent tweet (which serve as policy potion statements these days) has been that he doesn’t want to “fundamentally change… traditional America.” Given America’s tradition within distressed communities and the Trump family’s rental discrimination history, that doesn’t bode well for the millions of people who have benefited from the Fair Housing Act.
On matters beyond faith, Ben Carson is a malleable as playdough. He holds his faith so deeply, that ideas and issues existing outside his faith are not only open for interpretation, but also available for massive waffling. Like Trump, the people advising the boss will be more important than the boss himself. Assuming the right-wing whisperers continue their Trump Administration infiltration, we expect to see lots of surgical cuts with Dr. Carson at the helm of HUD.
On this day, Donald Trump, a loud-mouthed cockerel with the attention span of a fruit fly, has put a soft-spoken biblical literalist with the mannerisms of a babbling brook into a job for which he has no experience, a distinct lack of direction, and no vision outside of Scripture.
“Roll the Dice” Donald strikes again.
