PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – In this heated election year, finger-pointing from both Republicans and Democrats is rampant and neither party has offered constructive ideas for change. In his new book, What This Country Needs: A New Political Party (now available through AuthorHouse), John F. Kimberling presents a platform for a third party that outlines solutions to the most pressing dilemmas of modern America without pandering to the special interests of today’s political machines.

What This Country Needs is a forward-thinking, third-party agenda, Kimberling writes. In a departure from what has become the norm for political debates, he poses pragmatic, realistic solutions to the problems plaguing America. The Republican and Democratic parties are both immersed in the politics of special interests as staggering campaign contributions sway leaders to enact policies promoting the financial interests of corporations, he says. These under-the-table agreements almost always hurt the poor, the middle class and small-business owners.

In succinct, powerful chapters, What This Country Needs proposes real remedies. Beginning with campaign finance reform, he stresses that if the deep pockets of special interests continue to control the two parties, many of the most serious problems will never be eliminated. A new, fair way to handle the election process is proposed; the downfalls of foreign policy today are examined and touch on everything from the neoconservative movement to the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also delves into the skyrocketing cost of medical treatment and details steps to untangle the health care crisis. Taxation is in desperate need of reform, jails overflow with nonviolent offenders and civil liberties are slowly eroding, he writes, adding that a third party could tackle all these issues by carving out concrete solutions.

Kimberling claims low voter turnout illustrates that citizens are disgruntled with politics as usual. What This Country Needs is a resounding call for the establishment of a third party dedicated not to conservative or liberal ideas, but to an honest look at problems and real proposals for fixing them.

Kimberling, a veteran of two wars, was a highly respected lawyer for more than three decades. Named one of the top trial lawyers by The American Lawyer, he practiced in Los Angeles and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He taught at the Indiana University School of Law after his retirement and served in leadership positions in both the Republican and Democratic parties.