This is: http://www.primeronmoney.com/Introductoryremarks.html
Introductory remarks and advice to the reader
1) Purpose -- This website is primarily presented in an attempt to explain money, the money supply, economics and banking to the American public and government officials.
2) The reader is encouraged to use the titles of the sections and articles as abstracts.
Definition of Abstract by the Purdue Graduate School -- “An abstract is an abbreviated and accurate representation of the contents of a document”.
3) Read the titles first -- Serious readers of this work are encouraged to first read all the Section titles and Article titles to familiarize themselves with the general content and layout of the work.
4) Skip around -- The wise reader will make no attempt to read everything in the order in which it is presented -- he or she will skip around. If you think something is nonsense -- skip it, it probably is nonsense. Much economic theory must be nonsense -- simply because the theories so frequently contradict each other.
5) There will be errors -- If you find some, please tell us so we can correct them.
6) This is a pro-bono, unpaid volunteer effort -- 100% of all profits will be donated to libraries that teach adults how to read better and faster. We have no paid employees and no rent.
7) At the time of this writing, early 2009, our country has been in serious financial trouble for more than a year. This book is trying to help solve the problems inherent in those troubles.
(A) Over one Trillion Dollars have been created by the Federal Government and pumped into our economy in an attempt to rescue our banking system and the automotive industry.
(B) Unemployment is over 10% in some sections of the country, a four-year high.
(C) We have evidently “officially” been in a recession for one year.
(D) The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us a total of just over $600 Billion Dollars -- that is about $2,000 per person -- or $8,000 / family of four.
(E) Our national infrastructure is in sad shape.
(F) Most states are having enormous budget problems.
(G) In Fiscal Year 2006, the U. S. Government spent $406 Billion of our money on interest payments to the holders of the National Debt. Compare that to expenditures for NASA at $15 Billion, Education at $61 Billion, and The Department of Transportation at $56 Billion. (from: http://www.federalbudget.com/). In 2008 the interest on the debt was over $450 Billion. It is obvious that (a) our finances are being mismanaged and (b) bold action must be taken to prevent us from economic disaster. That $406 Billion / year is slightly over $1,000 for every man, woman and child in our country -- that is over $5,000 / year -- which is probably more than the annual income taxes for the average family.
8) “Fractional reserve banking” is, I believe, an enormous mental stumbling block that is misunderstood by lots of people -- even those who consider themselves experts on banking and particularly those who consider themselves to be "Money Reformers". I believe ‘fractional reserve banking’ is an extremely useful and vital system that can be presented in an easy-to-understand form that most people will be able to understand. If that is accomplished, most reasonable and good people will be a natural bulwark against a perversion of the system. In that case, wherever there is a preponderance of reasonable and good people, it will be difficult for selfish, evil and anti-social people to use the money system in evil and selfish ways. My goal is to explain the system clearly. If I fail here -- please tell me how I can improve.
9) Guiding principle -- We try to follow Buddha’s advice, and hope you will too. “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” On the other hand, if we come up with an idea on our own that agrees with our reason and common sense -- we should believe it.
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