The People Count, by Robert Dias

I really tried to approach this book with an open mind.  I do not hide my political leanings--libertarian, with some conservative mixed in--so I have to be honest and say that I hated the politics in Robert Dias's screed, The People Count.  But if you're going to write a leftist political tract, at least make it readable!  And at least give us some ideas that make sense and might actually work!

I'm not saying Dias is wrong on every count.  He's right about this: Washington is corrupt to the core.  It's not that every person there is bad (although Dias might disagree with that statement), it's that the system makes even good, well-meaning people do back things.  It's all about incentives.  I can say amen to this passage, from a speech by the President Furnell:

Congress takes its orders from corporate America and Wall Street, without regard to the public interest or the needs of the American people.  Members of Congress routinely lie and distort facts to ensure that legislation written and paid for by their benefactors becomes law.  They lie. . . . they lie about the secret agendas of the special interest groups that fund their campaigns.

When Dias starts laying out his political plan, via President executive orders, the wheels really come off.  Constitutionally unsound, logistically impossible, and economically destructive, virtually everything she proposes is horrible.

I also have to give President Furnell credit for her take on Obama, who, in The People Count, didn't run for a second term (please, God).

President Obama sold his base a vision of a better Washington, and then overnight he switched to backroom deals.  They wanted the change.  Instead they got years of inexplicable compromises, and a White House staffed with lobbyists and people loyal to Wall Street and mega-corporations.

I haven't even mentioned the story.  Jake's wife is killed by a drunk driver, the spoiled son of a one percenter, so Jake kills him and his dad.  He goes on the run, and randomly rescues Jilly, killing her abductors.  They go on a killing spree, targeting one percenters who prey on America.  So that's the message?  A company or your employer screws you over, so go kill the CEO?  Sure, they deserve justice, but that doesn't justify murder. The president even privately condones Jake and Jilly's killings as well as several copycat killings that occur.  And the ending, oh, give me a break!

So, in sum: amateurish writing, almost to the point of unreadable, especially during the president's speeches (it didn't help that my Kindle version screwed these sections up); terrible politics, written by a businessman who ought to know better how the economy works, and should at least acknowledge that money doesn't grow on trees and that people are human; and a ridiculous story.  Even if some numbskull out there agrees with the political and economic perspective of The People Count (I know, there are plenty of ignorant people out there), surely they long for a well-written novel to communicate their views.  This one is not it.



Thanks to NetGalley.com and the publisher for the free electronic copy of this book.

[more on this--added 7/4/12]
OK, I admit I was a little harsh in this review.  But you might be interested to see the author's response. I posted the above review on Amazon.com, with this paragraph added at the beginning:

Before I begin my review, I have to point out that most of the glowing reviews of this book seem to have been written by the same person or small group of people. I can't fault a person for promoting his own book, but keep this in mind as you read all of these 5-star reviews: with only a couple of exceptions, this review is the only one they have posted on Amazon, and the content of the reviews do not show that the reviewer actually read the book. Good for Dias for getting a bunch of 5-star reviews, but I have a feeling the majority of them are fake. Especially since it's not a very good book.

This prompted the author to respond on the comments section at Amazon.com.  Below is his comment, followed by my response.

Amazon has sold ninety-eight copies of The People Count and I, the author, have given away another 170 copies, mostly to college students, that were printed at my expense in Tampa. Of the 27 reviews posted on Amazon, four of them were were from friends and a relative (who gave it a 3). For personal political purposes, Mr. Mastin has committed libel by alleging that the other reviews posted came from the same person. Granted, many of the reader reviews do have a common thread. From my novel they understand that our political leaders no longer serve their interests, that Big Money is calling the shots in Washington and that their futures and the futures of their families are being threatened by corrupt political leaders. It's should be no surprise, than when a message like mine is understood and hammered home there will be a common thread. 
Mr. Mastin says he is a Libertarian with conservative views and calls my book a leftist tract, My novel is a simply based on the truth of what has happened to our country over the last thirty years and how the Citizens United decision has destroyed democracy. It's unfortunate that my political novel conflicts with Mr. Mastin's view of the world and his political views and his political ambition. It is troubling that Mr. Mastin did not disclosed that he once ran as a Libertarian Party candidate for State Representative in Texas. 
I'm a registered Independent voter. I don't lie and spin the facts like the Democratic and Republican Parties do almost every day. Mr. Mastin's smear approach of a book that goes against his ideology, mirrors that of the current Republican leadership, who have paralyzed our govenment.
Fortunately, unlike many authors who write about politics and economics, I have experienced in my 74-years, most of the situations in my novel. Mr. Mastin asserts he's an expert on economics and politics. Based on what, I have to ask? No experience in either areas and a backward looking,conservative Libertarian agenda, that most voters throughout the country have rejected. 
Since Mr. Mastin reviews for NetGalley, I find it inconceivable that another NetGalley reviewer said it was the best political book he ever read and gave it five-stars. Mr. Mastsin is entitled to his opinion of my book, but making false allegations is not one of them. My book is not favorable to his political leanings and the Religious Right, which he favors (see his review of another book on June 17). 
Mr. Mastin also states that businessmen should not right books about the economy. For the record, I spent more time in the public sector that the private sector (see my resume on: rmdiasthepeoplecount.com). Since the economic and political truths in my novel do not mesh with his views, he conveniently forgot that my novel is a work of fiction based primarily on fact, but it is still a novel with all of the freedom that form provides. Since the timeline of my novel extends into 2013, Mr. Mastin's comments about what my fictional woman President can and can't do reflects his malice for things that do not fit his view of things. My Guess, Mr. Mastin does not like woman who hold powerful positions that challenge his. 
As for my writing ability, my various books have sold over a 1,000,00 0copies. I see used copies for sale on Amazon all the time. I'm not Hemingway, but I'm pretty good.
Based on the foregoing, I ask Amazon to remove Mr. Mastin's baseless, contrived and libelous allegations from his review immediately. Bob Dias, author of The People Count.

And my response:

First of all, I want to apologize to Mr. Dias. I don't intend any book review to be taken as a personal attack, but apparently Mr. Dias took my review very personally. Just because I don't like your book doesn't mean I don't like you.
As to whether I have committed "libel by alleging that the other reviews posted came from the same person," I did say "seem" and "I have a feeling." That's all it is, a feeling. Many of the reviews are similar in tone and similarly lacking in content, making me wonder if there were a coordinated effort here, not unlike a letter-writing campaign where people send similar letters to make a point. I am most happy to be wrong about that.
Mr. Dias says it's "troubling" that I did not "disclose" that I have run for office as a Libertarian. There is much about my life I did not disclose in this brief review. His googling might also have uncovered the fact that I ran an embarrassingly slow time in my last 50K race.
I don't think I claimed to be an "expert" on economics or politics. I was just reacting to his book based on my own economic and political perspective, for what it's worth. I find it funny that Dias thinks part of my problem is a misogynistic view of women in politics!
In my mind, Amazon book reviews are a great place for hearing the responses of average readers to books they like or don't like. Based on Mr. Dias's reviews, he has way more fans than deterrents. Good for him. I wish him good luck with future sales and future novels.

As if his comments on Amazon.com weren't enough, I received the following letter via registered mail:

Wow!  I don't write too many negative reviews.  This was probably the most negative review I've ever written, and I've been rewarded by the threat of a lawsuit!  Those of you who know me know my pockets are pretty shallow. . . .