Tea Party favorite Dr. Ben Carson calls Veteran Affairs waiting list scandal a 'gift from God'

Appearing on Fox News, former neurosurgeon and Tea Party favorite Dr. Ben Carson, described the scandal currently enveloping the Department of Veterans Affairs as a "gift from God."

Using the problems at the VA, involving backlogged waiting lists full of veterans seeking medical care, Carson attempted to link the scandal to the Affordable Care Act which he opposes.

"I think what’s happening with the veterans is a gift from God to show us what happens when you take layers and layers of bureaucracy and place them between the patients and the health care provider," Carson explained. “And if we can’t get it right, with the relatively small number of veterans, how in the world are you going to do it with the entire population?”

Carson previously called Obamacare, "...the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.”

Saying he was speaking to  both Democrats and Republicans, Carson said, "Stop, and think about the people. You know, you guys are servants, you're not rulers. So, first of all, get that out of your mind.  And think about what we can do with the problems we have to solve in this nation, which are substantial. Some of which threaten to destroy our nation; our fiscal responsibility. We can deal with these things, quite easily."

In Carson's book, America The Beautiful, he wrote that Americans should accept a two-tiered system of healthcare.

"Everyone has different needs and we do not have to have a one-size-fits-all system. Because one person drives a Chevrolet and another drives a Mercedes, it doesn't automatically mean that the Chevrolet driver is deprived or needs some supplement, " he wrote.  "The fact is, he can get to the same place as a Mercedes driver with perhaps slightly less comfort. People have different medical needs and some can afford the Chevrolet plan while others can afford the Mercedes plan. We should leave it at that and not try to micromanage people's lives as long as the care is adequate."

Watch the video below from Media Matters: