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National Issues Forums Guides
These concise, illustrated guides are produced by Public Agenda with the Kettering Foundation for participants in the hundreds of National Issues Forums discussions that are held around the country every year. The forums are designed to bring citizens together to find new ways of discussing issues in their communities. General readers will also find the guides to be helpful introductions to policy debates on the country's most pressing concerns.
CRIME & PUNISHMENT: IS JUSTICE BEING SERVED? (from 2001)
Crime rates have fallen sharply since the mid-1990s, yet polls consistently show a majority of Americans believe that crime is rising or holding steady and that the nation's teenagers are on a violent rampage. What's wrong? What can be done? This guide, written by Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page editor Chris Satullo, offers three different perspectives on how to improve the criminal justice system. 2001. 28 pp. Price $5.50. Click here to order using our fax order form
MONEY & POLITICS: WHO OWNS DEMOCRACY? (from 2000)
The majority of Americans tell poll takers that money is corrupting politics, undermining elections, and shutting citizens out of our democratic system. What's wrong? What can be done? As with other NIF issue books, this one provides an overview of the issue and, to promote public deliberation, outlines several perspectives, or choices. 2000. 28 pp. Price: $5.50. Order now from Amazon.com
VIOLENT KIDS: CAN WE CHANGE THE TREND? (from 2000)
Every day seems to bring news of a youth suicide or homicide. Whether they turn their anger and frustration inward or outward, youthful violence is, as one affected mother put it, "total sadness." If violence is a cry for help, what is it that children and teenagers need? This guide looks at possible origins of youth violence and outlines several choices on how to solve the problem. 2000. 28 pp. Price: $5.50. Order now from Amazon.com
A NICE PLACE TO LIVE: CREATING COMMUNITIES, FIGHTING SPRAWL (from 1999)
As Winston Churchill once said, we shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us. The same can be said about communities, and today's concern all across America is that we're misshaping communities and, in turn, they are misshaping us. Cities are struggling to survive with fewer middle-class residents, older suburbs suffer from traffic congestion and overdevelopment, and many rural communities are overwhelmed with the explosive growth of new homes and malls. This guide lays out alternatives as people search for ways to build seeking that elusive "livable" community. 1999. 28 pp. Price: $5.50. Order now from Amazon.com
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: ARE THEY MAKING THE GRADE? (from 1999)
Norman Rockwell would have trouble painting a pretty picture of the average American school today. Parents and taxpayers are angry, employers and professors are frustrated, and caught in the crossfire are teachers and administrators who say they feel like scapegoats as society's expectations and problems spill into the classroom. This guide explores voucher and charter school proposals, greater parental involvement, higher standards, and more equitable funding as possible solutions. 1999. 28pp. Price: $5.50 ISBN 0-7872-6015-0. Order now from Amazon.com
ALCOHOL: CONTROLLING THE TOXIC SPILL (from 1999)
Most Americans enjoy alcohol without any problems, but nearly one in ten adults meets the criteria for chronic alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction, and one in four Americans feels the pain caused by alcohol problems. Excessive drinking creates countless personal disasters, including job loss, bankruptcy, suicide and ruined family life. How can a democratic society safely control the drug alcohol? Why have approaches such as education, treatment, and law not worked well in the past? 1999. 28 pp. Price: $5.50 ISBN 0-7872-5764-8. Order now from Amazon.com
PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS: WHAT GOES ON THE INTERNET? (from 1998)
Sex, violence, privacy and free speech are among the nation's most difficult social issues. With the growth of the Internet, Americans must reconsider these sensitive subjects in light of their new electronic form. 1998. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-4880-0. Order now from Amazon.com
GAMBLING: IS IT A PROBLEM? WHAT SHOULD WE DO? (from 1998)
Gambling has been around as long as history has been recorded. It has rapidly become one of the largest industries in America and one of the most controversial issues. States have come to rely on the money it provides—but are the negative effects of gambling acceptable? 1998. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-4879-7. Order now from Amazon.com
JOBS: PREPARING A WORKFORCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (from 1998)
As we enter what is being called "The Third Industrial Revolution," many people do not have the skills to make it in the new technology-driven workforce. How does a democracy push forward with these economic changes without leaving many Americans behind? 1998. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-4881-9. Order now from Amazon.com
OUR NATION'S KIDS: IS SOMETHING WRONG? (from 1997)
Headlines scream about youth violence, teen pregnancy and drug use while a majority of Americans lament about kids these days. Why is this happening? Does it take a village or a family to fix it? 1997. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-3917-8. Order now from Amazon.com
ILLEGAL DRUGS: WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW? (from 1997)
The war on drugs has been fought for decades, yet half of all Americans either have a drug problem or know someone who does. What are our options for dealing with this pervasive problem? 1997. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-3738-8. Order now from Amazon.com
AT DEATH'S DOOR: WHAT ARE THE CHOICES? (from 1997)
Dr. Kevorkian and his assisted suicide machine forced Americans to discuss the most final of all topics: Terminal illness and care of the dying. Underlying this issue are very difficult questions about the evolving rights of patients, medical standards, and societal norms. 1997. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-3915-4. Order now from Amazon.com
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: A CHALLENGE BIGGER THAN ALL OUTDOORS (from 1996)
There are few places where views crash as hard as they do in public debates on how to care for the planet. Is the nation tilting too much in the favor of spotted owls vs. jobs, or are we behind in tackling problems like global warming and acid rain? 1996. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-2690-4. Order now from Amazon.com
OFF BALANCE: RESETTING THE SCALES OF CIVIL JUSTICE (from 1996)
America's civil justice system is considered one of the best in the world, yet it is ridiculed for allowing people to win millions for spilling coffee while denying benefits to sickened children. How can we improve the system created to provide access to justice for all? 1996. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-2688-2. Order now from Amazon.com
THE TROUBLED AMERICAN FAMILY: WHICH WAY OUT OF THE STORM? (from 1996)
With so many chronic social ills plaguing the nation, the focus of public debate is shifting to the American family and its role in raising good citizens. As a society, can we fix a family? 1996. 48pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-07-052212-X. Order now from Amazon.com
THE NATIONAL PIGGYBANK: DOES OUR RETIREMENT SYSTEM NEED FIXING? (from 1996)
The aging of the Baby Boomer generation has put Social Security in peril. Choosing how to repair it, or whether to change the system altogether, is not a simple matter of dollars and cents, but a complex matter of rights and responsibilities, visions and values. 1996. 28pp. Price: $5.50. ISBN 0-7872-2692-0. Click here to order using our fax order form
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Thousands of civic organizations, religious groups, libraries, high schools and colleges have sponsored discussions under the National Issues Forums programs. For information on forums in your area, how to organize your own forum, available resources and additional NIF news, call 1-800-433-7834 or visit the NIF Web site at http://www.nifi.org.
