Do I Stand Alone? Going to the Mat Against Political Pawns and Media Jackals

Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTSINTRODUCTION: My Wake-Up Call to America The Problem As I See ItThe Purpose of This BookWhy You're Hearing This from Me 1. That Silent Majority2. What's Keeping the American Political System from Working As Well As It Should? Pork-Barrel PoliticsGovernmental BloatWhen Public Service Becomes Public CareerismBipartisanism Is Out of ControlCleaning "House"Should Political Campaigns Be Popularity Contests?Campaign Spending Is off the ChartsWhen Are We Going to Get Serious about Campaign Reform?Should Campaign Funds Be Limited?Special Interest BulliesCorporate BulliesMorality Brokers: Religious Fundamentalists and Extreme Liberal AgendasMost Damaging of All: A Lazy American Public 3. Our Irresponsible Media The Media's Obsession with ScandalThe Media's Appetite for FightsThe Media Cop Out by Going for Character Assassination Instead of Concentrating on the IssuesThe Media Create the News Rather Than Reporting ItThe Media's Lack of AccountabilityAn Unreliable Media Is Particularly Hazardous to Our Political SystemWho's to Blame?How Can We Make the Media Behave? 4. Getting Back to Constitutional Principles Amendment Number One: Freedom of Speech and ThoughtAmendment Number One: Religious FreedomAmendment Number Two: Our Right to Defend OurselvesAmendments One, Four, and Nine: Freedom of Life-styleAmendment Four, Amendment Nine: Economic FreedomDon't Holler for Your Rights Unless You're Willing to Holler Just As Loudly for Your ResponsibilitiesThe Limits of Legislation: Where Government Ends, Society Takes Over 5. Breaking Down the Issues: What They Look Like When We Take Out the Spin WelfareHealth CareRacismGay RightsWomen's RightsAbortion: The Ultimate No-Win IssueImmigrationThe EnvironmentCrimeEducationWhat Are Family Values Anyway? 6. Building Your Ideological Tool Kit If We Want to Create a Culture of Honesty, We Have to Start with OurselvesTricks and Traps the Spin Doctors Use to Make Up Your MindSpinproofing 101: What a Sound Argument Looks LikeAdvanced Spinproofing: Stay InformedSpinproofing in Action: Doing Your Part 7. Getting Our Nation Back on Track Government Reform: We've Gotta Clean Up Our ActMaking Elections Work the Way They're Supposed ToBusting Up Bipartisan GridlockPioneering Smarter LegislationUnicameral Legislation: Streamlining Government at the State LevelTax ReformTort Reform: Civilizing Our Civil CourtsThe Case for Minimal Government 8. The Challenge of the Future The Information RevolutionHumanity's Going GlobalLight-Rail: Getting a Jump Start on the Transportation Needs of the FutureThe Challenge AheadShould the United States Open Trade with China? Why the Business Deal of the Century May Also Be the Century's Greatest Coup for Human Rights 9. Election 2000 HonestyThe Jesus FactorHe Who Slings MudGeorge W. Bush: Centrist Talk, Far Right WalkAl Gore: The Beige TigerJohn McCain: Solid ThinkerProfiles to DiscourageHow It Will All Shake Down 10. Reform's New Direction What Happened to Our National Reform Party?Minnesota's Independence Party: A Model for Others to FollowThe Third-Party Movement Falls Back to RegroupBeyond Two-Party Politics AFTERWORDSOURCES AND SUGGESTED READINGVentura, Jesse is the author of 'Do I Stand Alone? Going to the Mat Against Political Pawns and Media Jackals' with ISBN 9780743405874 and ISBN 0743405870.