Anybody fed up with modern society has heard or repeated the classic axioms about the rich getting richer, the middle class attacking the lower class for using their tax money to sustain themselves, and how the system is designed to protect special interests while turning a blind eye to the everyman. In this book, the author approaches these issues head-on, proposing the demolition of needs-based systems in favor of blanket coverage for all people, so that anybody who needs healthcare (not health insurance) or a place to call home is covered. Additionally, a direct formula to make a flat tax rate possible is included, replacing the labyrinthine tax laws and loopholes with a simple formula of addition that explains how every dollar and cent is allocated. The ideas might seem radical or drastic to some, but big problems take big solutions.

Obviously, a book like this on a topical political issue will inspire some and incense others, but all can agree that the author is capable of taking very convoluted processes and ideas and distilling them down into simple English with a little humor and plenty of patience. The second half of the book is a bit more personal and addresses the reader directly, providing a unique business plan and vision for a company to produce the author’s ideas into major motion pictures and provide the potential investor with the opportunity for financial gain. These two concepts might seem juxtaposed and disparate but intertwine naturally in order to get this book’s important message in the hands of the people. Full of references to pop culture and literature, the author states his vision for a better world clearly and gives readers hope for a potentially better tomorrow.

book review by Michael Radon

According to Poje (Painless, 2008) the American “socioeconomic legal political system,” or SELP, is so thoroughly plagued by “inherent flaws” that it can’t be remedied by a series of targeted tweaks—it must be entirely replaced. At the heart of the problem is a gratuitously impenetrable complexity: The legal system is so “arcane” that no citizen understands it, and each citizen is necessarily involved in some illegal activity. Likewise, the tax system is similarly labyrinthine and seems chiefly designed to pit citizens against one another in a contest for resources. Finally, a burgeoning matrix of social welfare programs is doomed to fail to treat citizens equally, again inevitably stoking the flames of class conflict. Instead of a well-functioning society, Americans are subjected to a “Byzantine pineapple,” which the author attempts to explain this way: “Those who get the tax money are those inside the pineapple of government dole, while those outside the Byzantine pineapple get deterred by the outer defense mechanisms of the pineapple.” It”s never entirely clear what precisely he means by this demarcation—the principal point seems to be that such a system necessarily involves favoritism. The author proposes that the current tax system be replaced by a flat tax—he includes a macroeconomic formula to determine its specific nature—and an equal monthly stipend for all citizens. He recommends the termination of needs-based government programs, though the government would pay all medical bills. Poje anticipates that a streamlined SELP, including a government hamstrung by tight spending limits, will produce ample tax revenue to cover the new costs. The author also outlines the establishment of a corporation to steward these changes, which includes the marketing plan for a movie that further educates Americans about the SELP he advocates. Poje’s critique is sensible if familiar—it’s hard to argue that the current tax regime isn’t monstrously bloated. However, his study offers hyper-general declaration in the absence of detailed analysis—a more rigorous empirical appraisal would have been more helpful than a chapter on the way his “lifetime of achievement” justifies his expertise. Also, while admits he has no background in film, he seems quixotically convinced his will be a big hit and “it will succeed where Ben-Hur failed.”

Overly broad declamation and triumphalism crowd out scrupulous analysis.

KIRKUS

Bill Poje’s The Byzantine Pineapple (Part 1) with Corporation X is comprised of two disparate books: one political and the other about his book and film projects.

In the first (Byzantine Pineapple) Poje, who holds an MBA, outlines what he believes is wrong with America’s “socioeconomic legal political” system. He criticizes the norm of political administrations whose “first rule…is to keep power as long as possible”, the inequity of laws enriching “those at the top,” and a “Byzantine” layering of impossibly complex regulations. He also decries the “inherent flaws of needs-based social welfare programs” and the problems with a national budget based on assumptions concerning factors like the annual inflation rate. Among ho solutions are a flat tax comprised of designated subrates to control funding for each government department and provide money for the health care and income of each citizen.

Poje purposely couches his problems and solutions in “simplistic” terms that “common people” will understand. Unfortunately, this approach leads to over-generalization. For instance, he states that U.S. laws have “basically made all citizens illegal”, a statement woefully lacking in the support necessary to make it believable.

In the second book (Corporation X), Poje describes his completed books and book and movie proposals and explains why potential investors should have confidence in them. In particular, he gives the business plan for Painless, an action/crime film, and seeks to demonstrate by his critiques of other films (Ben Hur, Sea of Trees, etc.) why he would be a successful writer and producer. These critiques, except for one, are aimed at future shareholders and are comprised, largely, of analyses of data obtained from websites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb.

As such, Corporation X is unlikely to interest any but potential investors. Meanwhile, The Byzantine Pineapple would reinforce the ideas of like thinkers but needs far more documentation to interest most readers. Overall, it’s hard to imagine an appropriate audience for this work combining two wildly diverse topics.

Blue Ink Review

Bill Poje’s idiosyncratic The Byzantine Pineapple (Part 1) with Corporation X presents outside-the-box ideas about politics and entertainment.

Divided into two treatises—one regarding federal government operations, particularly related to budgeting, and the other an argument for adapting Poje’s previous book into a movie that draws on the examples of recent, high-grossing films—the book advances a quirky point of view about institutions it sees as in need of radical innovation.

It’s a self-assured if off-kilter book that stakes out positions on federal borrowing, a flat tax, and Hollywood financing. The books two parts share a distinct perspective and common sensibility, if they otherwise don’t share a thematic connection. Little holds the pieces together beyond the narrator’s conviction that he knows better than the establishment.

Cynical and antiauthoritarian, the book challenges “lies” from institutions like the media, government, lobbyists, academics, and “unionists.” It depicts regular people as “asleep in the matrix” and subject to larger forces outside their control. The political section makes a case to independents that neither ideological side works and purports to apply a systems analysis approach to solve socioeconomic, legal, and political problems like hunger.

Both essays are peppered with pop culture allusions to movies like The Matrix, Blade and Resident Evil, if these connections are sometimes scattershot. A rambling rumination on the remake of Ben-Hur cites a Wikipedia page, undermining the general sense that this is a well-researched work. More authoritative references, including to Paul Krugman and The Wall Street Journal, are also included.

The essays run too long and come to include rambling ruminations on topics such as why particular movies did not resonate with modern audiences; the central arguments are returned in a roundabout way that runs through repetitions and hypotheticals. The book is prone to self-promotion that stretches credulity. A “10-year, $6 billion sales plan” for adapting Poje’s novel to film is thorough and includes garish graphics; it ultimately seems better suited to a pitch meeting than to a book intended for public consumption.

Florid prose makes use of odd figurative language, including with the central metaphor of how people are separated from institutions “by the outer defense mechanisms of the pineapple.” The books literary conceits contrast with its more business like passages, its extensive itemizations call to mind PowerPoint presentations, and even through comprehensive breakdowns, its knowledge sometimes feels abstract.

The Byzantine Pineapple (Part 1) with Corporation X blazes its own path as it works to persuade others of its unique world view.

Foreword Reviews

The Byzantine Pineapple: Part 1 with Corporation X by Bill Poje is a narrative on how the current socioeconomic conditions of the USA are deteriorating and how these can be improved. The book raises some very courageous questions and, after asking them, the author proposes some very valid answers and solutions. Mr. Poje is of the opinion that every citizen should be treated equally, especially in regards to medical facilities and housing. He is not just making claims; he refers to the Federal Budget of 2013 and draws conclusions as to what he proposes is beneficial for people across the board. While the rich get richer and the poor become poorer, the author specifically attacks this and asks the government to take a step back, look at the bigger picture and try to tackle the issue in the best possible way. Flat tax rate and transparency as to where the tax money goes are also addressed very eloquently. In the second half, the author talks about how his works (some of which I have read) can be made into motion pictures and can be financially lucrative for investors. He lists the pros, gives solid data and allows the reader to think about it.

What I really enjoyed about this book is how the author wasn’t making any predictions in the first half of the book. He was presenting an idea based on his research and allowing the reader to have some food for thought. His ideas are very interesting and if they are worked upon, they can become a very good first step for equal treatment in the country. What really drew me in was how hopeful and clear the message was. The author is literally inviting the reader in and helping them to draw their own conclusions, allowing them to have their own thoughts and make their own decisions. The simple yet powerful word choice is an essential part of the book; it made the reading experience even better. All in all, this is a book for readers who would like to think ahead, but with sound reasoning. A good approach that can be beneficial for the masses, if applied.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite