Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Bankruptcy of Our Nation

I met Jerry Robinson and his wife Jennifer at the Liberty Mastermind symposium.  He being an economist as well as myself, I was happy to see that he was going to speak about "petro-dollars," as petro-dollars was one of the many fields of economics I knew nothing about.  Sure enough he spoke, and sure enough  myself and every other person in the room knew precisely what petro-dollars were.

However, in addition to this kindness he also gave me his book - The Bankruptcy of Our Nation:


This was back in July and since then it has been sitting inside my laptop case.  Not out of lack of desire to read it, but because of lack of time.  But last night, I had the great fortune of being blessed by the Great Security Guard Gods of the sky and got myself a 12 hour shift.  Thankfully, I had the entire shift to dedicate to reading the book as I had completed Bachelor Pad Economics and had no more chores or projects to work on.  And I'm glad I did as this book proved to be better than what I was expecting.

First, understand no economist knows everything about economics.  The field is just too wide.  So I was very happy to see that Jerry's book pretty much complemented every field I was either weak or completely clueless about.  Specifically, the history of our banking system and central bank.  If you are wondering why there is such a visceral hatred of the federal reserve on some people's part, this will explain it all.

Second, I don't care how educated or advanced you are in a field, a simpleton's explanation is much appreciated.  Anybody, be you an economist or evangelist, will be able to understand the US banking system, the federal reserve, and how it affects our currency, debt, economy, etc. Because of this Jerry's writing has wide appeal because the every day average Joe can pick up the book and read it AND understand it.

Third, his organization is outstanding.  Many people will write books, but put little to no effort into structuring it so that a human brain may digest, incorporate, and comprehend it.  There is a glossary, an index, and a bullet point review at the end of each chapter covering the key points that were discussed.  The book could be a stand alone class on economics without a professor as it is that clearly written and logically organized.

Finally, it is practical.  The first part of the book, like every good book on economics should, introduces some key economic concepts like money, currency, debt, etc.  It then goes on to build on that foundation making a case against central banking, making a case for just how truly fucked our nation is financially, and a case, nay, a command that you prepare for this contingency.  However, he doesn't just leave you hanging.  The second part of the book is basically an instruction manual that carries you though different strategies on how to plan and prepare your financial life given the economic backdrop of the country.

About the only complaint I would have about the book is the reference or even a bit of mythical "reliance" on religion.  Though this is more of a function of my visceral hatred for religion and desire for completely basing economics on empiricism so it needn't rely on outside verification.  However, even this complaint would prove beneficial for Christian (and in general religious) people who would like to see biblical supportation for the economic arguments Jerry presents.

In short, about a good HALF of the book was new knowledge for me.  AND beneficial knowledge.  In a matter of 2 hours reading three chapters I came away with more knowledge about central banking than the mandatory class I was forced to take back in the day.  For the average person you will walk away with w TON more.  I strongly recommend buying it for yourself or loved ones, especially as a gift for Christmas as it isn't too late just yet. 

You can find it by clicking on the image above, or if you're dead set against the Wal-Mart affiliate program, you can find it here on Amazon.

You can also visit Jerry and Jennifer at their website, FTMDaily (Follow the Money) where they have not only articles, but a podcast you can fill your MP3 player up with and listen to over the holidays.

2 comments:

Damian Bouch said...

I read this book a few months back. It is sick as hell. I found it very enlightening.

dcliquidators said...

I am interested to read this book.. I hope it will lead to an understanding on why financial crisis happens.