One area discussion group works exactly as, in a perfect world, government should.

On Tuesday mornings, conservatives, moderates and liberals; Republicans, Democrats and Independents all gather at Moon Public Library, materials in hand for a stirring intellectual debate on politically charged topics.

Ellen Northy, a soft-spoken former nurse, moderates the roundtable talks at Great Decisions, as between 18 to 20 people take on issues like global warming, illegal immigration and terrorism.

"We have conservatives and liberals, we disagree, but we feel everyone has a right to a specific opinion and we want to hear why they have it," Northy says.

Congress and President Bush could learn a lesson or two from this group, founded nearly 40 years ago in Sewickley for women interested in education.

Over four decades, as issues changed from Iran-Contra and Reaganomics to the Kyoto Protocol and African poverty, the group morphed into a foreign policy sounding board and moved across the river to Moon.

Using a yearly book bearing the group's name, members stay abreast of what is happening in the world and more importantly, why things are happening, says Northy, a 20-year member.

"A lot of people get their news for a half-hour on TV and that's it. If you are really informed, you watch the news and you have a more informed opinion of what's going on."

For some participants, like three-year member Pam Krug, Great Decisions provides a place to air what they learn from their materials, including Foreign Affairs - a bi-monthly magazine, and research on a new topic weekly.

"I've always followed the news and always had an opinion on everything. I never had a forum to discuss my opinions other than at home," Krug says.

The varied group of members -- from Saudi Arabian natives to former educators and physicians -- provide a wide spectrum of ideas and insight.

"It's a very intelligent group, varied with different backgrounds, and I love to see how their minds work," says Krug.

Some, like Ruth Walsh, a former Moon Area language teacher and administrator, have been around a little longer, but she still finds the group as stimulating as she did decades ago.

"I started early on as a result of being involved with some other (foreign policy groups) in Pittsburgh, and this became a natural extension when it was available."

With plenty of international experience and a global mindset, Walsh has been a group fixture for more than 25 years.

She has taken the group discussions with her on European, South American and Asian travels, and they have been an aid as her household served as a host family for multiple exchange students.

"You really learn a great deal more about the individual countries. It's always interesting to be able to learn something else. We have a few people from everywhere. It's a remarkable group."

Great Decisions also has been ahead of prominent issues, sort of like a foreign policy trendsetter, says Northy, who some other members say holds the group together.

In 2006, few people beyond analysts and those in the group discussed China and India's surging populations. Now, prices on everything from rising oil to groceries can be attributed to that growth and found in Americans' conversations every day.

"This book has been so far ahead of its time. People are just starting to be aware of things that have been in Great Decisions for some time."

Great Decisions meets on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Moon Library.

For more information, contact Northy 412-269-1048.