Carson disfavors government subsidies, but would redirect oil subsidies toward more ethanol fueling stations
Dr. Ben Carson running for Republican nomination for president. Photo: the Daily Banter
While campaigning in Iowa, Dr. Ben Carson commented: “I don’t particularly like the idea of government subsidies for anything because it interferes with the natural free market,” according to The Des Moines Register. “Therefore, I would probably be in favor of taking that $4 billion a year we spend on oil subsidies and using that in new fueling stations” for 30 percent ethanol blends, he added.
“Am I a climate change advocate? I’ll tell you what I think about climate change. The temperature’s either going up or down at any point in time, so it really is not a big deal,” he said, the Register reported. “What is a big deal is that the environment is under our control. We do have a responsibility to pass it on to those behind us in at least as good a condition as we found it, hopefully an improved condition.”
On American Oil Production:
“The terrorist network derives most of its money through oil revenues, and we, along with most of the rest of the world, have an insatiable appetite for oil. Unlike the rest of the world, however, we have enormous amounts of oil under North and South Dakota, Montana, and Alaska, as well as offshore oil. I am as much of a conservationist as anyone and love the natural beauty that surrounds us, but the pragmatic part of me warns that there will be no beauty at all if the world is consumed in nuclear conflagration. As we intelligently tap our own resources, we must doggedly pursue other energy sources. With appropriate incentives, I have no question that Americans, with all their ingenuity, can come up with new sources of clean energy in a relatively short period of time,” according to On the Issues. (Quote Source: America the Beautiful, by Ben Carson, p.137 , Jan 24, 2012)
