'Liberal In Nature' FREE on Kindle!

For a limited time, my book - Liberal In Nature - will be available for FREE on Kindle. Please check it out and leave a glowing review! :) Below is a synopsis of the story:

Following a crushing political defeat, Andrew, a self-proclaimed liberal, flees society to live in the wilderness. He settles in a beautiful, isolated valley that is rich with mountains, streams, animals and lush vegetation. Andrew feels he has finally found Utopia, even as he struggles to find his purpose there.

After several months of observing the patterns and cycles of the valley, Andrew realizes that nature is not the natural utopia he once believed it to be. He sees squirrels that gather more nuts than others, a bear who dominates and bullies the other animals, a misunderstood wolf who is the victim of prejudice, trees that don’t get as much sunlight as others, salmon who can’t spawn because of oppressive waterfalls, deer who have to work too hard for their food and much more. With each organism seeking only its own self-interest, there is no one to regulate the valley and promote fairness among the plants and animals.

Andrew takes it upon himself to bring hope and change to the valley by encouraging fairness and equality. Applying his liberal ideology, he intercedes on behalf of oppressed and underprivileged organisms as he strives to fundamentally transform the valley. He sees himself as a savior to the valley and he tries to earn the animals’ trust by easing their burdens. His meddling, however, disrupts the balance of nature eventually producing unexpected and undesirable consequences.

Is nature fair? Is there redistribution of wealth in the wilderness? Can you create a welfare state amongst animals? Are there winners and losers in the animal kingdom? Can fairness be achieved? What happens when certain animals become too dominant? Liberal In Nature addresses these questions and more while touching on important social and political issues such as: abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, the economy, education, energy, global warming, gun control, health care, homeland security, immigration, private property, the relationship between religion and government, social security, taxes, the Tea Party, terrorism, and welfare.

Liberal In Nature is a witty, satirical political novel aimed at anyone who has an interest in politics. It is layered with parables, metaphors, irony and humor, making it an extremely entertaining read for Conservatives, Liberals and everyone in between!

Learn more at: Liberal In Nature's Website.

Jon Stewart Adeptly Compares the "Safety Net" to Morphine...

On the February 1, 2012 episode of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart replayed the clip of Mitt Romney saying, "I'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there. If it needs repair I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich; they're doing just fine."

Stewart, in his classic manner stopped the tape, and stuttered like a madman as he teed up his witty homerun response. He said:

"Did you just suggest that you don't have to care about the very rich because they're fine but also, equivalently, the very poor because they're okay too. Because the reason the net is there is they're not okay."

So, it's all teed up; all Stewart has to do is relax, take a nice swing and this one's leaving the park. There are a lot of directions he could take this, but Stewart pulls the classic metaphor out of his toolbox. He proceeds:

"It's like a Doctor saying "you know, I'm not really concerned about the very healthy, because they're doing fine; or the very sick because...you know...morphine."

For those who are unaware, morphine is a drug used to mask severe and/or acute pain by impairing sensory, motor or attentional abilities. It also is known to have a high potential for addition; tolerance and psychological dependence. Morphine also causes constipation and slows recovery.

So, Jon is saying that the safety net (Welfare) for the poor is like morphine for a sick patient. You know, Jon, that actually sounds right. It is very much like that. Let's look at this...

Welfare is touted as a very compassionate and loving system, but it too has a high potential for addiction; tolerance and psychological dependence. Welfare, also, can constipate the soul and relieve pain and discomfort so much that it slows or eliminates recovery. Many welfare recipients become so addicted to government assistance that they develop a tolerance and are never able to break free from it.

Well done, Jon. You have made a very important point, which Conservatives have been making for years. It's good to see that you have realized the potentially destructive consequences of a welfare state. Just as we don't want the patient to "live" his days in a morphine-induced haze, we certainly don't want welfare recipients to go through life propped up by the impairment of perpetual handouts.