Fleeced Book Review

by John R. SedivycloseAuthor: John R. Sedivy Name: John R. Sedivy
Email: john@capecodbranding.com
Site: http://www.capecodbranding.com
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I became interested in “Fleeced” for two reasons – first I had read “Catastrophe” by the same authors and really enjoyed it. Second, when I had purchased “Catastrophe” at Barnes and Noble, the woman assisting me with the purchase recommended “Fleeced” as she had read it and just purchased it for her father. This made me strangely intrigued – upon purchasing one book I was getting a recommendation for the previous work – I had to check it out.

The easiest way to provide a description of what this book is about is to provide the whole title: “Fleeced: How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want To Kill Talk Radio, The Self-Serving Congress, Companies That Help Iran, And Washington Lobbyists For Foreign Governments Are Scanning Us…And What To Do About It.” The title pretty much sums it up. The authors, Dick Morris & Eileen McGann argue that at every turn we are being fleeced and that we need to take action to stop this. The book serves as a whistle-blower of sorts with an “action agenda” outlined for each instance of fleecing. Those who have read “Catastrophe” will be familiar with the format.

Highlights
Here are what I consider to be the top three strengths of “Fleeced:”

1. Bipartisan
2. Strong research
3. Rational but humorous tone

It may seem strange that I am calling this book bipartisan given the title of this book. However, this is one of the most bipartisan books I have read. Although it is true that the authors attack the liberal viewpoint they do not hold back on pointing out conservative wrongdoings. Given that the original published date of this book was June 2008 – the author points out flaws in both the approaches of then President George W. Bush, and what could occur if Barack Obama took office – at times with crystal ball accuracy. I found this to be a unique aspect when compared to other political books.

As with “Catastrophe” I enjoyed the extensive research that went into making this book. The authors provide plenty of examples – actually more than you may care for. To me this adds credibility to the work and provides plenty of places to search or for follow-on reading should you be interested.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the tone of “Fleeced” – it’s a combination of intellectual with a bit of sarcasm. The rational tone again added credibility as the authors explore the issues thoroughly, but throw in a bit of sarcasm to keep things lively – actually, it’s pretty comical at times. One of my favorite examples of the tone of this book appears at the end:

“Cleaning up the government and policing private business can be a bit like trying to eradicate cockroaches. Every year or two a new generation appears, immune to last year’s preventative measures. It’s up to us to come up with new, improved ways to kill the bugs we can catch and keep the rest on the run.”

The authors argue not for big government or small government, but for a government that punishes those who harm it’s citizens and rewards those who better it’s citizens. Interesting food for thought, but packaged in a different way – this is the essence of “Fleeced.”

Drawbacks
Despite the strengths of “Fleeced” there are a couple of drawbacks. First, I found this book to be a bit sensational at times. I know that given the title, this should not come as a surprise – however it seemed much more so than “Catastrophe” which caught me off guard. Given that “Catastrophe” seemed to tone this down and focus on more of the rational aspects of the argument, I believe the authors are heading in the right direction.

Second, although the extensive research was a major strength of this book, I felt at times it detracted from the overall experience. I had listened to the audio book and sometimes it felt like the listed examples encompassed multiple tracks (they may have, however I am usually multi-tasking when I listen to these books). Perhaps some of this data would have been better placed in an appendix. There is a fine line between establishing credibility and boring your audience and at times I felt the authors crossed that line.

Closing Thoughts
I really enjoyed “Fleeced” and even though some of the material is dated, there is still value here for those who are interested – the strengths far outweigh the few minor weaknesses. With their research, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann do a great job bringing the misdeeds of politicians and private companies to the forefront, and if nothing else, this will further educate you as a voter, consumer, or investor. I consider myself fairly well informed, however, there were many instances where I was surprised by the information presented. Although I did find “Catastrophe” to be a better work, “Fleeced” is still a great read, I am moving to their previous work “Outraged” next.

If you enjoyed “Fleeced” you should also read “Catastrophe” by the same authors, and “Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark R. Levin.

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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