America the Broke: How the Reckless Spending of the White House and Congress Are Bankrupting Our Country and Destroying Our Children's Fu

by Gerald J. Swanson

"One day soon, our government will suddenly run out of cash, unable to meet its payments, leaving the United States as bankrupt as any banana republic. We are far more vulnerable than most Americans... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385513046
• ISBN13: 9780385513043
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Broadway Business
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

This book tells you what you can do help protect your future

America the Broke is one of the most important books I have ever read. Its conclusions are very disturbing because they are founded on a detailed and systematic analysis of existing facts. Swanson's logic is irrefutable. In clear, honest and straight-forward language Swanson shows how politicians in their hunger to be reelected have deceived you and me. They have run up over 7.3 Trillion Dollars in Debt. To put this in perspective it would take over thirty one thousand years spending one dollar a second to reach a Trillion Dollars. He explains specifically the accounting scams that have been used to intentionally hide the truth from us and how seriously we have already been harmed. Swanson's step by step analysis reveals why you and I may soon be forced to say good bye to our jobs, our businesses, our homes, our savings, our retirement, and our future. He offers us a solution to this awful mess. He sets forth the specific action each of us can take to force our political leaders to tell the truth and stop spending America into bankruptcy. Please buy and read America the Broke immediately. Let's take action before it is too late.

America the Broke

This is an important, to the point, and bluntly informative book. It explains in an understandable way why the deficit matters. The book shows and what can happen if we don't balance the federal budget and begin to make the surpluses needed to pay it down. The deficit was 5.2 trillion when Bush took office. It is now 7.3 trillion and rising at about a billion a day. This year alone it will reach nearly half a trillion dollars. (It takes 31,688 years to count to a trillion one second at a time!). The book is straight forward and easy to read with lots of charts and graphs. It is a must for office holders, candidates, and voters. That means everyone who is interested in responsible government.

Important questions

In a critical political climate it is essential to ask the toughest questions, the ones where outcomes will determine our future. If we limit ourselves to the minor ones like gay marriage, prescription drugs from Canada, nuclear waste in NV and stem cells, we risk leaving our future, our children's future to the unfettered dictim of government officials...and their agenda and influences may be different from what we would wish...if we asked. Swanson asks one of the toughest questions..our growing fiscal mortgage to foreigners against our children's heritage. No matter what side you take on the issue, and I take his, you should understand the parameters, the risks and remind yourself with this book that you are observing your economic and civic future as a sandpile. One grain or one billion borrowed is added one at a time until, at a time that is scientifically unpredictable but with a certain outcome, it collapses.

How could this happen to us?

This book must be read by every voter before the next election! Using government figures and readily available information, Gerald Swanson points out how the U.S. Government is following in the footsteps of the failed economies of Rome, and many other countries (most recently Argentina) by spending money they don't have. He catalogues the ways this is being done and the deceit of our politicians in continuing to overspend for their own purposes. He then presents remedies and techniques for attempting to correct the problems. A terrific read that woke me up and made me mad and determined!

Wake Up Call

Every American should read this book. As we all focus on the upcoming elections and what the media would have us believe are the most compelling issues of today and our future...terriorism, the war in Iraq, John Kerry's record in Vietnam or George Bush's lack of one - even gay marriage gets more press than this - the real problem is that our country is going bankrupt and we're all going to be bankrupt as a result. Swanson writes a book that is as compelling as a train wreck - you want to turn away but can't, you wish it wasn't happening but it is, you can see lives falling apart but can't do anything about it. The thing is, in this case we can. If enough American's created a grassroots movement to educate each other about this issue we could save our future and that of our children and grandchildren. And this is the book to do it. There's no denying this is a complicated issue but Swanson makes it a captivating read to rival the top ficton and non-fiction options today and takes great efforts to ensure that this is put in real life terms we can all understand regardless of our background or economic status (which will change if we don't take heed). I read it in two days, told all my friends to read it, refinanced my mortgage and checked my savings. Do yourself a favor and become educated on what may arguably be the most critical issue of our future and one of the few that we can do something about.