will the real ben carson please stand up?

This week Republican candidate Ben Carson is the new national leader in GOP polls. He has replaced Donald Trump atop the GOP field and Carson's fundraising has been through the roof. His politics are out there, his subdued demeanor is unique and his latest radio ad is driving people nuts, but together it's all working. It's a far cry from the man I grew up admiring when I read his autobiography "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story". It actually hurts my soul, but the reality is Ben Carson is who he is.
Carson's childhood wasn't easy. He grew up with one brother and was raised by a single mother after his father left the family when he was young. Carson's mother worked two and three jobs during his childhood just to make ends meet. As a teen Carson dealt with anger issues as he chronicled in his book. One time he almost hit his mother with a hammer over a clothing dispute and another time he nearly stabbed a friend for changing the radio station. Carson  benefitted from public assistance as a youth. He went on to West Point, Yale, then Michigan Medical. He has a wonderful story of persistence and hard work, but today Carson has turned from his childhood. The help he once received he now seeks to take away from others. In 2014 Carson said Pres. Obama is depressing the economy to keep people on welfare.  Carson also believes sexual orientation is a choice. He has argued that “a lot of people” in prison change their sexual orientation. As many people have pointed out, sexual behavior is not the same as orientation.  He also says Pres. Obama signed immigration reform to bring in government-dependent voters. I cannot understand how someone can live through a struggle and turn from everything that struggle has taught them. How can you receive help and when someone else asks for a hand up, slap it away?
I raise these questions because I really want to understand who the real Ben Carson is. Is Carson the product of the American Dream from Detroit? Or is Carson a hoodwink of a man who can't stand for something positive? I am not sure, but when it comes to voting we all have a voice. Then it is our chance to speak up. I ask one more time, 'Will the real Ben Carson please stand up?'.