", .a new bible for deficit hawks." - Boston Globe.".aplainspeaking guide to where America's tax dollars go." - HarperBazaar.".cuts through federal budgetspeak.

" - People Magazine."If the government tried to do it, it would take two years, cost $10million, and you couldn't read it." - Ross Perot. As taxpayers, we areall truly "shareholders" in the U.S. government. But while corporatestockholders receive annual reports in order to track theirinvestments, we American citizens are kept in the dark. Thiscomprehensive guide - completely updated for 1998 - tracks every cent of every government expenditure of the past year.

Cutting through themurkiness of federal budget "speak" - with explanations andaccompanying charts, graphs, and photos - Meredith Bagby chronicles the cost of everything from education to the national defense, and covers the issues you need to know about as an informed citizen, including: Why government debt affects you personally; The truth about the future of Social Security,Medicare; Who really owns corporate America; The ongoing economic issues surrounding race and ethnicity; America's vital signs: the stock market, inflation, unemployment. through federal budgetspeak.