About this item
Highlights
- Have we reached a tipping point where more Americans depend on the efforts of others than on their own?
- About the Author: CHARLES J. SYKES is senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and a talk show host at WTMJ radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 320 Pages
- Political Science, Commentary & Opinion
Description
About the Book
From the author of "A Nation of Victims" comes a real-world antidote to the nation's broken economic system that leaves some Americans paying for the irresponsibility of others.Book Synopsis
Have we reached a tipping point where more Americans depend on the efforts of others than on their own? Are we becoming a nation of moochers?
In A Nation of Moochers, Charles J. Sykes argues that we are already very close to that point, if we have not already crossed the line: from the corporate bailouts on Wall Street, to enormous pension, healthcare, and other entitlement costs, to questionable tax exemptions for businesses and individuals, to the alarming increases in personal default and dependency, the new moocher culture cuts across lines of class, race, and private and public sectors. A Nation of Moochers explores the shift in the American character as well as the economy. Much of the anger of the current political climate stems from the realization by millions of Americans that they are being forced to pay for the greed-driven problems of other people and corporations; increasingly, those who plan and behave sensibly are being asked to bail out the profligate. Sykes' argument is not against compassion or legitimate charity, but distinguishes between definable needs and the moocher culture, in which self-reliance and personal responsibility have given way to mass grasping after entitlements, tax breaks, benefits, bailouts, and other forms of feeding at the public trough. Persuasively argued and wryly entertaining, A Nation of Moochers is a rallying cry for Americans who are tired of playing by the rules and paying for those who don't.Review Quotes
"Charlie Sykes has hit another home run. The author of Profscam and A Nation of Victims takes aim at America's growing culture of entitlement and delivers a fusillade as hilarious as it is sobering. Sykes shows in devastating detail how we have slipped from being a nation of independent men and women to being a nation of moochers, happy to feed on the labors of others. A Nation of Moochers is partly the report of a cultural pathologist, partly the tough-love prescription of a skilled social physician. Sykes outlines the nature and depth of our malady and expertly lays out the recovery plan. Buy it. Read it. Everyone not part of the welfare-industrial complex will be glad you did." --Roger Kimball, author of Tenured Radicals: How Politics Has Politicized Our Higher Education and The Long March: How the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s Changed America
"Charlie Sykes' A Nation of Moochers provides a much-needed wakeup call for a nation approaching two perilous tipping points: a moral one and a fiscal one. With our country facing unprecedented challenges and stark political choices, principled leaders will benefit from Sykes' clear vision, keen insight and intellect. If we're serious about getting our nation back on track, then we would be wise to follow the lessons laid out in A Nation of Moochers." --Paul Ryan, Member of Congress "Brilliant... A nation of moochers really does encapsulate our problem about a schizophrenic electorate that understands that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but still wants to get the free candy." --Michelle Malkin (conservative blogger and author)About the Author
CHARLES J. SYKES is senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and a talk show host at WTMJ radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today and is the author of six previous books: A Nation of Victims, Dumbing Down Our Kids, Profscam, The Hollow Men, The End of Privacy, and 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School.