Too many of us are unaware of the continuous manipulation that emanates from the major institutions in America. Then we go blithely through life with little concern or affront for how much of that information is either false or misleading. While we are an educated people, we are not very critical of those tactics that effect us on a daily basis. Let me point out that virtually all of our information and attitudes are derived from sources outside of one's self. While this may or may not be obvious, it sets the stage for what you will read later about making choices and free will. The intention of this book is to raise people's consciousness regarding the deceptive and deceitful practices that occur regularly in society by discussing a number of their root causes, and present some of the negative manifestations of those behaviors. We can not expect to advance social behavior by allowing these actions to go unacknowledged and not dealt with. Also described are some of the ways in which we voluntarily become victims, whether they are derived from personal interaction, religious indoctrination, the press, our government, or the ever present manipulation of consumers by big business. These are all areas in which we can benefit from having reasonable insights. Pogo: "I have met the enemy and it is me." While there are many adverse behaviors discussed herein, the most flagrant of them surely come from politicians, virtually all of whom are indebted to the corrupting purse-strings of corporate America for their livelihood (reelection funding). It is the officers and directors of the major institutions who manipulate this country with their legalized bribes and illegal perks. And this achievement is accomplished without a great deal of detection, fanfare, or concern for who may be in office at any given time. Have you noticed how often corporations give money to both parties? This tolerated graft is why nothing much changes from one Administration or one Congress to the next. Big business owns both. Many of the points that are made in this book may fall into the category of I already knew that. However, there should be more than a few ideas that will elicit an aha! As you will discover, I take frequent issue with counterfeit statements that emanate from our powerful institutions, a feature that has been a function of their business plans and the political landscape for uncounted decades. It is these persistent fountains of misinformation and disinformation that we should be aware of and deal with if we are to counteract the negative side of people's pursuit of power. Just don't imagine that you can label me un-American if you should happen to disagree with my contentions. Being a good citizen is not being inclined to accept all that the government may want of us. On balance, it is an entity that is made up of regular people who have their own prejudices and personal agendas, and we should not expect otherwise. Resistance to the evils that are inherent in bad government is everyone's duty in order to promote a stronger, more just America. I am aware that in some cases I may be preaching to the choir. Those who are most interested in this book's subjects might already be well versed in them. In contrast, those who have the greatest need to understand these issues are precisely those who may make the least effort in that direction. This is not an indictment of our country with its great beauty and fine citizens. Rather it is meant to focus on understanding the malevolent motivations of some and the lack of attention by others.