Doug Cameron
Author
Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies - Scarecrows and Stupidity
$25
Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies - Cowpies and Lies
$25
About the Author
Doug Cameron grew up on a mixed farm in Alberta with lots of siblings, lots of work and lots of community. As Doug likes to say, “if we were poor, we didn’t know it—life was good.” Most of the kids went on to get higher degrees. Doug completed a doctorate at Colorado State University, and then worked as a research scientist for the federal government until he started his own environmental consulting company.
Along the way, he married Jackie, they bought a farm and raised three children. Doug became involved in international consulting for a time. After that, he became more involved in the local professional regulatory body where he gained insight into how scarecrows work, or should work—and how they can go awry quickly, very quickly. Such episodes inspired this novel.
Your comments are most welcome. Doug can be reached at doug@cameronnarratives.com
What readers are saying
Reviews (click reviewer name to see review)
"D.R. Cameron's satire Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies mocks regulatory organizations. It aims to examine the specifics of regulatory bodies, their shortcomings and biases, and how these entities might be utilized to obstruct progress and ensure that the public's interests are not safeguarded. The Kingdom of Aspen, where this narrative is set, is a society where people are given names that incorporate their occupations. We shall follow experienced grower Bruce G in this tale. Justin hires him to develop an environmental strategy to safeguard the aquifer at his feedlot. Unfortunately, they frequently encounter discrimination from Builders who believe Bruce G is encroaching on their domain by accepting this position.
It was interesting to discover how regulatory organizations function, particularly those that are self-regulatory. The author explained in great depth how they create the code of conduct and how they punish members. There is no doubt that the author is quite knowledgeable in this area. He was able to expose their faults as a result, such as the fact that regulatory agencies' definitions of misconduct and incompetence are vague, making it simpler to condemn offenders. I found it rather intriguing how the author showed how these bodies can be used to oppress members and uphold the status quo, no matter how unfair it is.
I enjoyed the thought-provoking questions posed at the start of each chapter. They served as a guide and addressed the issue head-on. These queries enable readers to evaluate the behavior of the many characters in the novel critically. It was fascinating to observe systemic discrimination in action and how different entities abused the legal system. The author did an excellent job of showing how despotic some people can be by utilizing characters like Queen Mara, who had no knowledge of the issues at hand but used her position to her advantage because she believed her authority was being questioned. The author was also able to impart a lot of knowledge regarding how sloppy laws might be applied to turn oppressors' opponents into victims.
There were some things I did not like about the book. The first was that the book occasionally came off as preachy. The author employed the protagonist Bruce G and his companion Justin to illustrate his viewpoints, and at times they came off as awkward and formal. The opinions were not presented in a natural manner. The second was that I wasn't entirely sure what drove Justin to resist the authorities. BruceG's motivation was obvious; as a grower, he had to fight systemic discrimination that prevented him from carrying out his duties. Justin was only a farm owner, and I wish the author had given Justin more justifications for getting engaged in this conflict. I wished there had been more information given as to why he decided to join this war because the repercussions for him sounded equally as severe as those for BruceG.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it provided an interesting insider's view of how regulatory organizations operate. Even though I did not enjoy some of the points described above, I did not find a reason to lower my rating. While reading the book, I didn't find a single typo, spelling mistake, or grammar mistake, which led me to conclude that the book was exceptionally well edited. I recommend this book to those who want to understand how regulatory organizations operate. This book would be interesting to political enthusiasts as it discusses the politics and bureaucracy involved with regulating agencies."
Where to Buy:
All books are $25
Amazon—they will add postage, unless you have Prime
Doug Cameron—email at normac@sasktel.net I would love to hear from you.
SaskBooks, Regina
Yellow Canary Bookstore, Gull Lake
Contact Me
Email me at normac@sasktel.net