Two pieces of information converged upon me this week.  A family member sent me a book,America The Beautiful, written by acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson.  Simultaneously I learned that in the straw poll at the CPAC conference in Washington that Carson finished third in the presidential poll behind Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.  Surprisingly he ranked ahead of Chris Christie!  I quickly turned to the book.

Ben Carson is an African-American who has distinguished himself in the medical profession after rising up from a childhood of poverty in Boston and Detroit to live the American Dream. He is also a much sought after speaker.  Without question Carson is a conservative with his credentials and beliefs clearly outlined in America The Beautiful.   He is also a devout Christian and strongly connects his social and political views to his belief in God. The book details much of Carson’s philosophy and substantiates many of his views with the historical founding fathers references to a higher power.

If Carson becomes a greater factor in Republican politics you may wish to read his narrative, and learn why he is at the opposite end of the spectrum from President Obama.  In some parts of the book Carson becomes a political moderate while elsewhere he rings the clarion that America is moving toward socialism and expresses great fears that President Obama’s desire to redistribute wealth will guarantee that outcome.

Carson willingly credits America’s social support system as playing a vital role in his own rise from poverty while at the same time he decries a welfare system that he believes spawns laziness. However, in an odd twist, he calls for nationalizing the health care system with the government limiting insurance company profits and establishing rates for hospital and medical services! Sounds a bit like Obama Care.

Dr. Carson poses an interesting option when looking at the Republican field of 2016 presidential candidates. Clearly he is very conservative but in comparison to Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin and even Ted Cruz and Ron Paul he is a moderate!

American The Beautiful was among the New York Times Best Sellers for many weeks.  If you are interested in following the GOP political mix this book is a good choice. My guess is that the country will be hearing more from Ben Carson.