On April 1, 2025, over a morning coffee, we—Michael and Carole—were talking about how intense and polarizing political rhetoric has become. During our conversation, we imagined how helpful it would be to map out any given issue starting from a centrist viewpoint, then exploring both liberal and conservative perspectives in order of increasing extremity.
 

So, we put the challenge to AI (ChatGPT), and began crafting a prompt to help create just such a map. We think we’ve come up with a solid foundation—and that’s how IssueStart.com was born.

Our goal is simple: to educate, not advocate. We don’t take sides. Instead, we aim to provide readers with a clear, structured, and balanced view of key issues—starting from the middle, then branching outward. Whether you're a student, a curious citizen, or someone simply seeking perspective, IssueStart.com is here to help you understand the full picture before forming your own opinion.

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Our Hope—and Your Chance to Participate

We hope this project continues to grow. Already, through researching and writing, we've gained insights into how others view the same exact issues. We’ll keep expanding the library as time allows, doing our best to stay unbiased and thoughtful. We believe this resource could be useful to educators, students, and anyone who wants a safe place to explore big ideas from multiple sides.

All of the content is AI-generated. We didn’t write it ourselves—the model can be replicated by others, and that’s just fine. What matters is that we started it. It has a lot of potential to grow, with more in-depth content and new features we may not fully grasp (we’re retired, after all!). This is our small contribution, and now we pass the baton.
 

If you’d like to pick it up and run a lap—to build on it, share it, or evolve it—we’d love to hear from you. Please email us at issuestarts@gmail.com. We’re excited to see what others might do with it.

 

Warmly,
Michael & Carole