Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson announced Wednesday in a RealClearPolitics article that he is launching a conservative think tank called the American Cornerstone Institute (ACI).
Carson discussed the division in American politics and called for a return to healthy discourse in a RealClearPolitics commentary piece.
He wrote:
My time serving as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development over the last four years taught me many things, none more important than the necessity for collaboration and mutual understanding. I saw first-hand that, when we work together as one nation, the American Dream becomes attainable for all and opportunity becomes limitless.
It is for these reasons — and many others — that I am launching a nonprofit conservative think tank with the goal of providing common-sense solutions to some of our nation’s biggest problems. The first step in healing is to start talking to one another again.
He goes on to say that the American Cornerstone Institute will foster intellectual discourse, work to preserve religious and individual liberty, promote the value of self-sufficiency, help the vulnerable, and maximize government efficiency. ACI will also study American cities and identify solutions to key issues. (RELATED: Ben Carson On Impeachment: ‘It’s Like A Bunch Of Third Graders’)
Carson announced the launch of his think tank on Twitter.
Today I am proud to announce the launch of my new think tank, The American Cornerstone Institute.
Please follow along @ACI1776 and visit our website at https://t.co/vBCIhB0jU1— Ben & Candy Carson (@RealBenCarson) February 3, 2021
Carson also said that the ACI “will serve as a check on political power in Washington” and remind elected officials to allow and empower local communities to govern themselves.