The purpose of this novel is for people to be able to evaluate their life objectively - to see if there are bad influences to be removed from their lives. People are capable of amazing things - including very deep thought, but this doesn't always happen in day-to-day life. There are positive and negative influences in everyone's environment and some need to be dealt with. Problem solving allows people to make their lives better.

Children born out of wedlock are much more prone to be poor all their lives or to turn to criminal activity than children from intact families. This affects everyone in society and sets these kids up for a tough life. Bad decisions usually lead to this situation and can be avoided. Society used to scorn this situation, but no longer. Regardless of what they think, parents do teach their kids by example - both good and bad behaviors. Parents need to have rules that are fair and protect their kids. Bill O'Reilly had a difficult childhood, but realized later that his father did the best he could - which is something that needs to be taken into account.

Many "adults" in the United States never grew in maturity beyond the selfish teenage years. They always feel sorry for themselves and worry only for themselves. This "me" generation has racked up credit card debt and has serious character flaws. In this vast pool of possibilities, it is sometimes difficult to find quality people to interact with. It is vitally important that a friend be someone of good character: someone to be trusted. Good people tend to attract good people and visa versa. For that reason, it is hard to "get out" of a situation where you only have bad friends. Finding quality friends and keeping them is work, but the payback is beyond measure.

The United States is hardly recognizable from its origins in the days of the Founding Fathers. What used to be a country based on self-reliance has degenerated into a situation where everyone looks to the government to help them with their problems. Government spending is out of control and there is no accountability to the taxpayers. Even functions that the government does well are done badly. Illegal immigration is also a huge issue that has become too politically unpopular to do anything about. Terrorism is finally being addressed seriously, but even after the 9/11 attacks, there were still awful policies still in effect. Presidents make speeches about it, but do little to help the "little guy."

O'Reilly feels that George W. Bush is a good person, but not one who is likely to change the government establishment in any meaningful way. Bill Clinton was a corrupt and shallow man who had the good fortune to govern during an Internet boom economy. Hillary Clinton is more of an ideologue than her husband. She has her eye on the presidency and if elected, would wreak much havoc on the United States through her socialist ideas.

The media is a very dangerous place for children and parents need to be vigilant. Television and pop culture shower impressionable kids with immoral garbage. The Internet is a doorway into the lowest corners of society that kids can easily access. Mainstream media does its best to defend this and is quick to attack anyone passing judgment on the situation. Many pop icons are also bad influences. Bill O'Reilly had a run in with George Clooney over his refusal to be accountable over one of his pet causes. While some media outlets merely hold the status quo, others actively promote immorality. Many reporters have also lost their edge - it is very difficult for an elitist to care passionately about corruption. Perceived media bias has furthermore led to its loss in ratings, many have discarded the "big three" networks in favor of the more conservative Fox Network.

Although public sentiment was overwhelming in favor of the Iraq War when it started in 2003, media coverage was overwhelmingly negative. The anti-war bias of some major newspapers and television networks became apparent when the war went better than planned and they had to reverse course on their "option" pages. Some major media figures had gone on record as predicting disaster for any U.S. invasion, they were embarrassed when Iraq fell just weeks into the invasion. O'Reilly cites Fox news as being the only pro-war and therefore "pro-American" network.

The justice system is skewed heavily in favor of the "system." This means that the regular rules that apply to just about everyone in society don't apply to judges and lawyers. They are mostly above the law and twist it to their advantage. The concept of "fairness" went out the window sometime ago. Any regular citizen should avoid being entangled in the legal system in any way. The experience will be painful, both mentally and financially. A case in California is mentioned where unscrupulous defense lawyers aggressively questioned the parents of a murdered girl (insinuating they could have been at fault), even while knowing their client had committed the murder.

Racism does exist in the United States, but not to the vast scale that the media portrays it. There are "bad" neighborhoods across the country where the police have let drug dealers have the run of things and politicians look the other way. This is done not out of racism on the politicians' part, but pure expediency; poor people aren't a good investment if the wanted outcome is political favor. So called "minority advocates" are even worse, their power derives from their constituents' pain. Therefore, they have no reason to actually solve problems, just to complain about them. There are also racists, bigots, and downright stupid people in the world. O'Reilly's view is that minorities would be better served to simply ignore these fools and live their lives, instead of always setting themselves up as victims. This includes realizing that most cops are "good guys"; parents who raise their children to hate the police are doing them a great disservice.

The United States is truly a great place to live. There aren't many places in the world where one can rise from nothing to great fame by just working hard. Bill O'Reilly realizes this and explains the mistakes he made in his rise to media success. Self-confidence is a "must have" attribute that assists greatly in stressful situations. Workplace gossip is poison and should be avoided at all costs. O'Reilly experienced some tough times working at CBS and later, on "Inside Edition." Luckily, he learned just in time, how important it was to seek out and keep allies in the workplace. Hard work did pay off in the end.

The book ends with a recap of lessons learned. The people who are happiest in life are generally the ones who make the fewest mistakes. However, mistakes will be made and it is also important to learn to forgive oneself. People must be judged on their merit, there are some who lie and they will be encountered from time to time and avoided. Live life to the best of your ability, that's the best you can do.