The EXCUSE FACTORY

Rating:
Summary: A great disappointment - More like propaganda than reporting
Review:

First, a disclaimer: I only read the first two-thirds of the book.

Excuse Factory's cover presents it as reporting the impact of the new laws, but in fact it merely argues the case against them, and ignores impact that is positive. In particular, Olson totally ignores the enormous financial and emotional cost to a grievant attempting to obtain his or her rights under these laws. For example, those familiar with the U. S. Postal Service's handling of those laws will notice the absence of any mention of major procedural hurtles such as years-long backlogs and the resultant opportunities such obstacles have given violators to ignore such laws with impunity.

I did up the rating of this to a 3 because Excuse Factor documents the unintended consequences of some laws. For example, Olson makes a good case that age discrimination laws have caused buyouts which have caused potential retirees uncertainty about when to retire, because to retire at the wrong time means missing a lucrative buyout.

In summary, I agree with "[e-mail], 6/25/97's" assessment, below.

Rating:
Summary: Poor research on federal sector
Review: As a Postal Worker who was forced to accept a medical retirement becuase the agency refused to afford me reasonable accomidation, I can only say that the author has a very poor picture of the federal government at work.

They have all of these laws designed to protect workers from discrimination. It takes years, over 3 in my case, to get an EEOC administrative jusge to hear your case, and after it is all said and done, the agency doesn't have to accept the administrative judge's decision.

Now who is being abused???????

Rating:
Summary: Makes for a fascinating read on the impact of Employment law
Review: In the last decade or so, Employment Laws in America have become more and more complex. Whether you are a start-up business owner or a manager in a big company, you are going to spend some time trying to understand the impact of these new laws on your own situation. There are now countless books, seminars,etc. designed to help you get up to speed on the latest and the greatest interpretations of the numerous Employment Laws. Of course, getting up to speed is no guarantee that you won't get sued. Even you haven't done anything wrong, you can still get sued. You are just better equipped to go through the legal process and hopefully win the lawsuit. This is what the author of the book is trying to prove - how these new laws are paralyzing Corporate America.

The author goes takes an indepth look at several laws like the American with Disabilities Act and gives countless examples of how these laws may not necessarily be accomplishing their original purpose.

Having recently started a small business, and wanting to be proactive in understanding the law, I decided to learn all the laws that apply to me as a small business owner. I have been completely overwhelmed by how many laws there are and how difficult it is to fully understand or correctly interpret their implications. After two years of slowly getting up to speed by reading books by publishers like Nolo (that offer excellent interpretations of various laws), I was thoroughly fascinated by The Excuse Factory. It is like reading a book with several short stories except these are real life stories of the history behind these laws and the cases that resulted in the current state of the laws.

The writing style of the author keeps the reader engrossed in the book. There is a sense of drama throughout the book and going through the book can be an emotional roller coaster ride. Fortunately, the various chapters in the book can be read independently without losing the gist of what the author is trying to communicate. So, you can read the book in several sessions spread out over time based on how much of the roller coaster ride you can take on any given day.

Though at first glance it may seem like the author is against these new laws, after digging deep into the book it becomes clear that the author is fairly objective in capturing both sides of the story. The author is just trying to present to the reader the way things are right now. These laws were instituted to provide justice and fairness. But those are difficult ideals to achieve and the downside of these laws could be a result of that difficulty. Hopefully over time, these laws will self-correct (as a result of public intervention, of course). I definitely plan on reading the author's other books and am eagerly looking forward to the experience. He has a sharp insight and is not afraid to state his opinions. I can't wait to see what other aspects of the legal system he tackles next. Enjoy reading this legal drama!