Joseph A. Califano

"A Washington insider draws on decades of experience to deliver a blistering critique of the state of American government" (Kirkus Reviews) in an authoritative scrutiny of the forces that run our society and a call to fix our democracy before it's too late. If you've been watching the news and worrying that our democracy no longer works, this book, "a cri de coeur from one of our wisest Americans" (Michael Beschloss, Presidential Historian), will help you understand why you're right. There is colossal concentration of power in the Presidency. Congress is crippled by partisanship and hostage to special interest money. The Supreme Court and many lower federal courts are riven by politics. Add politically fractured and fragile media, feckless campaign finance laws, rampant income and education inequality, and multicultural divisions, and it's no wonder our leaders can't agree on anything or muster a solid majority of Americans behind them. With decades at the top in government, law, and business, Joseph A. Califano, Jr. has the capacity to be party-neutral in his evaluation and the perspective to see the big picture of our democracy. Using revealing anecdotes featuring every modern president and actions of both parties, he makes the urgent case that while we do not need to agree on all aspects of politics, we do need to trust each other and be worthy of that trust. He shows how, as engaged citizens, we can bring back systems of government that promote fairness and protect our freedom. "It's hard to argue with Califano's] analysis" (The New York Times Book Review) that the longer we wait to fix these problems, the more dangerous our situation will become.

The highly acclaimed comprehensive guide to getting your child through the formative pre-teen, teen, and college years drug-freenow completely revised and updated. Nearly every child will be offered drugs or alcohol before graduating high school, and excessive drinking is common at most colleges. But the good news is that a child who gets to age twenty-one without smoking, using illegal drugs, or abusing alcohol or prescription drugs is virtually certain never to do so. Drawing on more than two decades of research at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia), founder Joseph A. Califano, Jr., presents a clear, common-sense guide to helping kids stay drug-free. All parents dream of a healthy, productive, and fulfilling future for their children; Califano shows which specific actions work and what parents can do to teach, protect, and empower their children to have the greatest chance of making that future come true. Teenagers who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are twice as likely never to try them, and this book provides the tools parents need to prepare their children for those crucial decision-making moments. In this revised and updated edition, Califano tackles some of the newest obstacles standing between our kids and a drug-free lifefrom social media sites and cell phone apps to the explosion in prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse and the increased dangers and addictive power of marijuana. He reveals what teens cant or wont tell their parents about their thoughts on drugs and alcohol, and combines the latest research with his discussions with thousands of parents and teens about the challenges that widespread access to drugs and alcohol present, and how parents can instill in their teens the will and skills to choose not to use. Califanos insightful and lively guide is as readable as it is informative.

This comprehensive and accessible book documents the physical and emotional effects of substance abuse in girls and women, explores the role of the advertising and entertainment industries in popularizing various substances of abuse, and discusses the way America responds to this enormous health problem. Covering a broad range of substances-nicotine, alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs-the book addresses the unique reasons that girls and women smoke and abuse alcohol and drugs. It provides the most current information about the use of prescription and club drugs, key warning signs of addiction, and options for prevention and treatment. The book includes historical anecdotes and testimonies from recovering women. Incorporating more than a decade of extensive research, Women under the Influence will help women, health care professionals, educators, and policy makers understand the scope of substance abuse in girls and women, the urgency of responding to the problem, the key points of intervention, and potential roads to recovery.

This is a biography of Wilbur J. Cohen. He was a key player in the creation of the American welfare state. From the Social Security Act (1935) to the establishment of disability insurance (1956) and the creation of Medicare (1965), he was a advocate of an expanding social security system.

Examines the impact of presidential power and personality on numerous facets of contemporary American government and society.

Mr. Califano proposes a greater role for the young in matters that affect them. He makes specific proposals about our draft boards, our educational system, our political process. And he asks our students to "remember that it is one thing to fight for freedom where it does not exist, and quite another to abuse it where it does." The book is a thoughtful exploration of the worldwide and profound nature of the crisis that besets youth. Professor Charles Frankel of Columbia University writes: "It distills the basic common sense of the issues raised by the world-wide student disturbances. People who see only one side of the story can read this book with great profit."