Why We Are Always Broke: Introduction

An important reason Crumley wrote the book is he could not find answers to questions he was asking. In Why We Are Always Broke Crumley examines how money has been used as a manipulative tool throughout U. S. history. Crumley begins by discussing deals between European settlers and American Indians, which forced the natives into debt. Then, Crumley takes readers into more recent times. Central banks were created in Europe to gain control of less wealthy nations by instituting a credit system. The power of these institutions expanded rapidly during the expensive rebuilding efforts which followed World Wars I and II. The book describes the powerful influence of America's central bank, the Federal Reserve, on this country and others. Crumley explains how this system of private bankers has manipulated the U.S. Government by propagating debt. He shows how a main purpose of Federal Reserve issued money is to fund weapons manufacturing and U.S. Military activity. In addition, Crumley discusses John F. Kennedy's attempts to loosen the Federal Reserve's grip on the government before his death. Crumley shares his research on the United Nations, the Bank for International Settlements and NATO, and shows how these organizations have influenced global interactions. He also writes how, after years of being manipulated, some Middle East nations are fighting back by implementing new economic systems. The establishment of an Islamic Central Bank and Sadaam Hussein placing Iraq money in Euros more than weapons of mass destruction or control of oil was responsible for the current Iraq war. However, Crumley does not negate the effect of oil. He maintains that oil is now being used as gold once was: to back the currency of richer nations. There are no readily available documents to prove this thesis, however. That may be the subject of a future book.