Carson talks health care, immigration in Summerlin

By Chris Kudialis

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 | 12:49 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson answered questions and warned of the perils of big government this morning in front of about 300 people at Summerlin's Mountain Shadows Community Center, touching on topics such as the economy, health care, First Amendment rights and immigration.

"The only way we're going to get out of this trouble is to understand that we the people are being manipulated," Carson said during town hall-style question-and-answer session only hours before Nevada's Republican caucus. "We need something different because this country was designed for we the people."

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, spent most of his 60-minute dialogue discussing health care and criticizing the Affordable Care Act spearheaded by President Barack Obama.

Carson said the law is actually less affordable for Americans, and that as president he’d replace it with a system of family health care savings funds that would ultimately make health care less expensive.

"It's like a health savings account without the bureaucrats," he said.

Carson also called the Obama administration divisive, saying a massive federal debt, financial support programs for immigrants, a downsized military and poor infrastructure have left the United States vulnerable.

"Everybody is so dependent, and they try to get all of this free stuff while our debt goes through the roof," Carson said.

Among the attendees was Belle Larsen, 40, who was born in Santiago, Chile, and waited 10 years after stepping on U.S. soil in 1993 to gain U.S. citizenship.

Larsen asked Carson about his views on the current model for legal immigration. Carson replied that he'd propose making current illegal immigrants go through the same decade-long process Larsen went through.

Larsen said Carson's idea "was at least on the right path," adding that she would still likely caucus for him this afternoon.

"When you come to the United States as an immigrant and follow the law, it takes a long time," Larsen said. "I'm just concerned that so many of us struggle so hard to do it legally."

Attendee Justin Abraham, 35, said he'll be caucusing for the first time today, siding with Carson.

Abraham, a nightclub host on the Las Vegas Strip, called Carson "the best candidate I've seen" in this year's election.

"He's honest, he's humble and he has integrity," Abraham said. "There's just no nonsense with him."

Carson also held a private town hall event Monday evening at Sun City Anthem Center in Henderson. Carson is scheduled to speak at Coronado High School, a caucusing site, at 5:45 p.m. today before hosting a post-caucus event at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Convention Center at 3600 Paradise Road.