Are the economy, the political environment, and the social structure of America headed for a crisis or a rebound? The evidence is massive but can be clearly used to support either conclusion. Predictions of gloom and doom flood the media, with soaring unemployment and underemployment, depopulated cities and demographic decline. At the same time, we are bombarded with declarations of robust economic growth, political cooperation, and social rebirth. Which is it? Voters need to know, or they cannot make a reasoned choice. Dr. Converse presents an easy to follow analysis of the facts that support both positions, enabling and encouraging readers to evaluate the evidence themselves. Whichever view one finds more valid, there is a general sense that America is at a turning point. It is up to the voters to elect those who share their interest, to make sure elected officials have that interest in mind, and to punish them if they fail to act upon that interest. A method is set forth indicating how this could be accomplished. This book is for Americans who are suffering from underemployment, unemployment, or general burnout from political gridlock, and it contains important clues for readers who are concerned by the claim that the traditional values of the United States are in serious decline. If you've read Mark Steyn'sAfter America or Charles Krauthammer's Things That Matter, you'll find building blocks for your arguments in the eye-opening data presented in these pages.

"This remarkable book examines the impact of Rome on American artists and writers from the earliest days of the new republic to the present. In volume I: Classical Rome Vance shows, for example, how the Forum and the Colosseum inspired American thoughts of ideal republics and how the Pantheon presented a pagan challenge to American ideas of divinity, beauty, and sexuality. In volume II: Catholic and Contemporary Rome, Vance begins by examining the three foremost Roman Catholic symbols: the bambino, the madonna, and the pope. In the section on contemporary Rome, he addresses American attitudes toward Rome's earliest attempts at democratization, toward its aristocratic social structures, and toward the political changes that occurred after World War II"--Publisher's website, viewed August 23, 2018.