Buy new:
-36% $16.73
to get FREE delivery Monday, November 4
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: JACARANDA TRADE
$16.73 with 36 percent savings
List Price: $25.99
The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
to get FREE delivery Monday, November 4. Order within 11 hrs 17 mins
Or Non members get FREE delivery Friday, November 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.73 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.73
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$13.96
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
NO highlighting or underlining. Some wear but overall good condition. Ships directly from Amazon NO highlighting or underlining. Some wear but overall good condition. Ships directly from Amazon See less
FREE delivery November 18 - 30 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery November 16 - 26
$$16.73 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.73
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Charles J. Sykes
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Nation of Moochers: America's Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing Hardcover – January 17, 2012

by Charles J. Sykes (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 61 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.73","priceAmount":16.73,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"73","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"DvmKoMtAlbCF5qZhK4oNok4iZDvqFTN4cmFz40L7%2B9%2Fna0U5HQPV3JLLH8ZpZhKvFeVeDlU5%2BaIy2S413C2fHbvCjGgrKIKxaNrqHsPcEl0oHGwzI8pzP0eQNFCZ2ZN5CsRa2VWUIADZ5b0w%2BJ710WKiad3DU8MsBZn108rZtAkbCl3DbzSufAUQL1Zhrwd%2B","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$13.96","priceAmount":13.96,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"96","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"DvmKoMtAlbCF5qZhK4oNok4iZDvqFTN4uHE3%2B%2FpD%2FrGdnbCBAr%2BxDux%2F%2FS7tsNeEiByAxQD1wy53xCdXRZeAVCHvCzDa%2Fzm3FV8v%2B6W4NkjuA0h2XFjtGrKU0OpsrCcBP56F6aW1JWxvRPKpcsh8h1Z9Rt6oh9KXZvJ1mwKfMLJF2D%2BQwaW0QHTumn95BM%2F%2F","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

We have experienced a shift in American character: we've become a nation of moochers. Increasingly dependent on the efforts of others over our own, Americans are free to freeload. From the corporate bailouts on Wall Street to the alarming increases in personal default and dependency, from questionable tax exemptions to enormous pension, healthcare, and other entitlement costs, the new moocher culture cuts across lines of class, race, and private and public sectors. And the millions that plan and behave sensibly, only to bail out the profligate? They're angry.

Charles Sykes' argument is not against compassion or legitimate charity, but targets the new moocher culture, in which self-reliance and personal responsibility have given way to mass grasping after handouts. A Nation of Moochers is a persuasively argued and entertaining rallying cry for Americans who are tired of playing by the rules and paying for those who don't.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Press
  4. Publication date
    January 17, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6.51 x 1.26 x 9.47 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312547706
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312547707
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

A Nation of Moochers: America's Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing
This item: A Nation of Moochers: America's Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing
$16.73
Get it as soon as Friday, Nov 8
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by JACARANDA TRADE and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
How the Right Lost Its Mind
$34.49
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Newday Book Store and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character
$21.66
Get it Nov 8 - 18
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by EKG BOOK.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“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

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press (January 17, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312547706
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312547707
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.51 x 1.26 x 9.47 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 61 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Charles J. Sykes

Charles J. Sykes

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Charles J. Sykes, is the author of eight previous books including "A Nation of Victims," "Dumbing Down Our Kids," "Profscam," "The Hollow Men," "The End of Privacy," "50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School, "A Nation of Moochers," and "Fail U."

Charlie identifies as a conservative, but in "How the Right Lost Its Mind," he presents an impassioned, regretful and deeply thoughtful account of how the American conservative movement came to lose its values. How did a movement that was defined by its belief in limited government, individual liberty, free markets, traditional values and civility find itself embracing bigotry, political intransigence, demagoguery and outright falsehood? This book looks hard at the Trump era to ask: How did the American conservative movement lose so many traditional values?

Until he stepped down in December 2016 after 23 years, Sykes was one of Wisconsin's top-rated and most influential conservative talk show hosts. He is now an NBC/MSNBC contributor and a contributing editor for The Weekly Standard, where he also hosts the magazine’s daily podcast. In 2017, he was co-host of the national public radio show, "Indivisible," which originated from WNYC. Sykes has written extensively for The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, New York Review of Books, Newsweek, Time.com, and other national publications. He has appeared on Meet the Press, the Today Show, ABC's This Week, Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as on PBS, CNN, Fox News, the BBC, and NPR.

Sykes is a member of the Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Democracy Fund.

He lives in Mequon, Wisconsin with his wife and three dogs. He has three children and two grandchildren and spends way too much time on Twitter.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
61 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book readable and well-written. They say it puts things in perspective and is worth possessing. Readers also say the book validates their feelings.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityEye opening
9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and readable. They say it's a good read for libertarians.

"...This is one of the few books compatible with my views that was so well written that I enjoyed the reading, and actually learned a bit from it." Read more

"...Overall, I think the book is a worthwhile read if you read it with a grain of salt and stop and think in each section about areas where the author..." Read more

"While Sykes' observations do not break any new ground, he is a very good writer and states his case very cogently...." Read more

"This was an easy and quick read that really made sense of all the entitlements in this great country of ours...." Read more

5 customers mention "Eye opening"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very eye-opening and say it puts things in perspective. They also say it's great for validating feelings and is worth possessing.

"...you, like me, are a disgruntled taxpayer, this is a great book for validating your feelings." Read more

"...Not ground–breaking.But this book is worth possessing even if it is just for the book title's potential to initiate a productive..." Read more

"I really loved this book . It put alot of things in perspective..and I never thought Of the You owe me sindrome that has affected our society..I..." Read more

"A very eye opening book. Its a terrible reality to see what our country has become...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Interested customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, very readable, indictment of moochers from welfare queens to corporate rent-seekers.
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Although this is a well written book, I almost quit reading about half-way through, when I wearied of reading about individual fee-loaders. That appears to have happened to many of those who have given this book negative reviews, accusing the author of having a hard heart, or even worse, being a conservative. . But I persevered into the second half of the book, where Sykes takes on the executive suite moochers, putting them where they belong--in the free-loaders club. With more moral blame, for they don't even have the excuse of need to justify their mooching. And when Sykes gets to the villainy of the post 2008 crash bail-out he quite rightly spares no one, including the Gucci-shod revolving door Treasury officials who showered the financial firms, notably Goldman, with taxpayer money to reward them for having brought about the crash, and the politicians, Democrat and Republican, who suborned these outrages..

How can a "reviewer" complain about Sykes being a one-dimensional right-winger when he offers this trenchant quote about Goldman's rescue via the bailout of AIG:

“One of the greatest mooches of all time was orchestrated behind closed doors, without transparency, by insiders who were more interested in scratching one another’s backs than protecting either the taxpayers or the integrity of the financial system they were supposedly saving.”

That sounds pretty harsh--albeit well-deserved--to me.

Overall I found myself agreeing with virtually everything in the book. Which is scarcely surprising given his philosophy. Ordinarily, I prefer books which challenge my philosophy, and demand that I think about the arguments from the other side. This is one of the few books compatible with my views that was so well written that I enjoyed the reading, and actually learned a bit from it.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Sparkle
5.0 out of 5 stars Horrifying!
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Many of the illustrations of the way people can mooch off the Federal government (read TAXPAYERS) were new to me. I was especially horrified by the laws that were passed to help people that ended up injuring families and milking taxpayers. Any book that quotes government statistics is bound to be out of date shortly, but there was still plenty of meat on the bone. If you, like me, are a disgruntled taxpayer, this is a great book for validating your feelings.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kenneth W. Hopkins
4.0 out of 5 stars KWH
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
I think this book helps uninformed people see the difference between the coercion of social justice (Socialism), which has always failed throughout history, and charity, which is voluntary. The example of school grades helps students understand why Capitalism is fairer to a larger portion of the population than Socialism. It is apparent that taking grades from a Student that has worked hard and earned an A average and giving a student that has failing grades a pass would be wrong. Likewise, taking money from workers that have earned it and giving it to those who have not earned it is also wrong. The so called War on Poverty has been a failure. The government should get out of the way and stop attempting to have equal outcomes for everyone. As Government grows, poverty increases and liberty diminishes.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Frederick S. Goethel
3.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Look at Governmental Moochers, But Hardly Comprehensive
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2012
Verified Purchase
To read the title, you would believe that the book is strictly about who is mooching off of the government and how we can stop it. And, if it were totally accurate, it would have been a great read, however the author has a distinctly right wing bent and uses a number of statistics in a fallacious way. That is not to say that the book isn't interesting.....you just have to take some of the information with a few grains of salt.

There is a lot in the book that I think most people can agree on. Agricultural subsidies have run rampant and are now totally out of control. Industry mooches off of the government with great glee and makes no bones about it. In addition, there are numerous Federal programs that have grown and derailed over the years, including flood insurance for people living in flood prone areas.

Where the author tends to go off track himself is with his almost singular focus on mainly liberal programs. He occasionally throws a rock at programs by the right, but they are few and far between. One could argue that most of the programs that have run amuck are strictly liberal programs, but that would be wrong. When discussing corporate mooching, he details things like wind, ethanol production and the like, while never mentioning the oil companies or the military industrial companies that tend to be first in line at the trough. I agree that subsidizing wind may be wrong, but if it is, then so is subsidizing big oil.

He has a particular distaste for public employees, and the argument he uses sounds good until you look at it more closely. He uses a statistic that government workers earn, on average, much more than private sector employees. The statistic is accurate, but what is the cause? If you examine salaries from both, you will discover that the government is more heavily laden with highly skilled and highly compensated employees. For instance, the government does not have any fast food or retail employees (who are notoriously low paid) however those numbers are included in the average salary of private employees. On the other hand, the government does employ numerous doctors, veterinarians, people with PhD degrees etc., which tends to skew the statistic. It isn't so much that government employees make more when you compare apples to apples, it is a misapplication of the numbers.

I sit on the governing board of a local government agency, and I see what employees are paid and how those compare to those in the private sector. They don't, which is one reason for more generous pensions. An example is the director of our laboratory, who has both a Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine and Ph.D. in medical entomology. She could be working for a drug company or other private business for well more than double what she makes working for us. Why she stays is a mystery to me, but she does and enjoys the work. And I see this across the government spectrum from mechanics in the garage to our manager.

With that said, that does not mean that there is not waste and fraud going on with some governmental agencies. It certainly does happen, however it is much less than many people believe. When it does happen, taxpayers should take swift action to bring it to a halt. In addition, there are some government employees who are grossly overpaid for the jobs they do. Many are union emplyees, but that does not mean that unions need to go. What is does mean is that leaders need to grow a spine and learn to tell them no when they come to the table.

Overall, I think the book is a worthwhile read if you read it with a grain of salt and stop and think in each section about areas where the author seems to have developed memory lapse.
40 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Louis-Philippe
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing
Reviewed in Canada on December 26, 2012
Verified Purchase
Very interesting, it describe how the american people began to be dependent to the government and others people money! Also, since I've finished him I can reconize people if they are ''moochers'' just by their acting1
Report