Date: 03-30-2009
When I am interviewed for this book, I am often asked the question, “How did I get the idea to do this book?”
Since I was asked so often, I thought I would share it with you.
This book began in September 2008. I got the idea for the book as I was in the hospital recovering from open-heart surgery repairing a problem I have had since birth, two leaking valves. The birth defect almost kept me out of military school and flight school, but luckily, the problem was not severe enough to eliminate me from the academy or flying. The problem grew worse over the years and I finally agreed to have the valves repaired, but not replaced. Fortunately, my arteries are clear so the operation was limited to just the heart.
Laying in a hospital bed, trying to stay still with tubes sticking out of me was hard to do. The idea for this book popped into my head as I watched the experts on television giving their opinion of the causes of the financial crisis. It sickened me to see the political and financial leaders, people millions of us trust, giving their explanation of the causes of the problem. I watched President Bush, give his explanation. I watched Treasury Secretary Paulson, along with Fed Chairman Bernanake and the CEOs of the biggest banks, explain why they needed our money to bail them out. I cringed when they said, “It was for the good of the economy.” I wished someone would simply say this crisis is part of a larger plan.
Our political and financial leaders were talking about the problem but not the cause of the problem…the problem being the Federal Reserve Bank and a toxic US dollar.
My surgery was prior to the November 4, 2008 election, so it sickened me to see the Presidential candidates suddenly shift the campaign agenda away from gay rights, the war in Iraq, and immigration; and finally over to the economy…but only after the economy was crashing. I wondered why the economy was not an issue earlier. I wondered if the candidates really did not know there was a global financial crisis brewing. Many people did.
I nearly ripped out the tubes to my heart when I heard Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain repeatedly say, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong.” Did he forget so soon that he was part of the last financial crisis? Did he really not know how the government and the banking system work to manipulate the economy? And I wondered why candidate Obama was seeking financial advice from Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, and Geithner, the advisors to the Clinton administration, the gang that helped repeal the Glass-Steagall Act. I wondered if our leaders were that naïve or did they believe the American public was that naïve…or both.
As stated in the first introduction of Conspiracy, the only candidate warning us of the problem before there was a problem was Representative Ron Paul, a Republican. Lying in my bed, every time I heard Candidate Obama talk about “Hope” I wanted to cry. But when I heard Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin talking about her foreign policy experience as looking at Russia, from Alaska, across the Baring Straits, I called for the intensive care nurse and asked her to let me go home.
Obviously, they did not let me go so I had to lie in bed and endure the 24/7 prattle about Sarah Palin’s foreign policy experience, the $150,000 the Republicans spent on her wardrobe; her unwed pregnant teenage daughter; all the while Sarah’s professing of her strong Christian values as compared to Obama’s association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I thought it cruel that people kept picking on McCain for his age rather than his service to his country. To me, this was not an election…it was a circus.
As I lay in my hospital bed, the idea of this book crept into my brain. I called Rhonda Shynkiryk, director of marketing for the Rich Dad Company and asked her what she thought about writing a book on line, about the history of this crisis, at the same modern history was in the making. “Let’s do it” was her immediate reply.
It generally takes about two years for a book to go from idea to a published book in book stores. Our plan was to write the book in present time. From September to December 2008, we let the theme of this book germinate. It was decided that this book would be a revolutionary process. The book would be written about past economic history as modern economic history was being made…for as you know, this crisis will go down in history as one of the biggest financial fiascos in the world.
While there have been other online books, most were released after the book was finished or a free chapter was given away as a tease to have you buy the rest of the book. The idea was that this book would be written as history is being made along with inviting readers to contribute to the process is revolutionary. Once the concept was agreed upon, it was decided that we would wait till after President Obama was installed as President of the United States, the first African-American…another historical event.
We went to New York in December, to shoot some promo video in front of the Wall Street Bull to announce the book.
The book was launched at the end of January and to date we have had over 10 million hits. Not bad for two months.
That is how the book came to be. I am writing about history as history is being made.
I have finished chapter -5, “How to Rob a Bank” and it will be posted soon.
Chapter 5 completes Part-1 of Conspiracy. Part-2 is about “How To Beat The Conspiracy At Their Own Game.” It is about solutions for an uncertain future.
So thank you for participating as history is being made on many fronts. I appreciate all of you. You make this a much more fun project that sitting alone, writing a book. Now I get to read your comments and that keeps the project fresh and keeps me going.
P.S. My heart is great. I can hear it for the first time in my life. When it was leaking, the beat was weak, so the beat was faint. Now I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. It has taken six months to recover and I am now back to working out, getting physically stronger, and losing the pounds I put on while recovering.
