This book is designed to inform the American public about the political system that influences much of their lives. It is divided into four parts.
The first part, more than half the book, is called "Issues". Nearly forty important issues, from abortion to welfare, are analyzed and dissected to give the reader an understanding of the important points, from all perspectives, of the forces that shape the topic.
Each "Issues" section contains the following:
* A Summary of the issue as seen by the Right and by the Left
* Well-chosen quotes from people related to the issue.
* Snippets of information that gives the issue substance and perspective.
* Hard facts, statistics, charts and graphs.
The "Political Groups" section lists more than 600 influential political groups. Along with their name, we give a mission statement, their cause, political orientation and their website. We give similar treatment to the next section: "People in Politics". About 550 media types are listed; we give their occupation, political orientation and brief biography. You can't understand the system if you don't speak the language; thus we include a glossary of 400 important political terms.
The book also features a complete index to facilitate readers navigation through the various sections.
Special sections include:
* A List of the 100 Differences between the Left and the Right
* An Elaborate Diagram of the Political Spectrum
* 100 Influential Political Books of the 20th Century
* A List of 100 American Spies, Traitors and Fellow Travelers
* A List of over 100 Political Publications
* A List of the Top 100 Radio Talk Show Hosts
* A List of Every Television News and Issue-oriented Talk Show
· Voting Records of each Senator and Congressman as compiled by 16 political groups
