To continue further injury to his reputation, Ben Carson decided it was a fine idea to step into the national spotlight and take on Harriet Tubman. It was recently reported that she would replace Andrew Jackson on the twenty dollar bill.
Carson believed there were other ways to honor Tubman as Andrew Jackson was a “tremendous president.” Carson’s perspective on Jackson stems from his ability to balance the national budget:
“Andrew Jackson was the last president who actually balanced the federal budget, where we had no national debt.”
What isn’t (and should) be mentioned is Jackson’s involvement in the Indian Removal Act of 1830 or his pro-slavery stance.
Whether Jackson’s actions caused injury to the African-American or Native American populations of the time, it is inexcusable that he remained on the twenty dollar bill for this long. It is even more inexcusable for an African-American (or any American) man to come out against the change to someone who helped abolished the unfortunate things he stood for.
What might be worse is Ben Carson’s solution to his ridiculous problem. He would love to honor Harriet Tubman in a different way; by placing her on the two dollar bill. The last time it was issued was 2003. What an honor!
“I love Harriet Tubman,” said Carson. “I love what she did. But we can find another way to honor her. Maybe a $2 bill.”
It is interesting to see the responses, regardless of race, that are made when someone of color is offered an opportunity for the spotlight. It is met with ambivalence and sometimes disgust by many who seek to keep the entrenched white supremacist symbols of our country in tact.
One can’t be sure why Carson thought it was a great idea to chime in on this issue. However, we can all agree his opinion is as useless as a two dollar bill.
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