Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Sep 15, 2011

Bird Brian rated it:

"…so when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said,
'Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.'"

-Genesis 47:15 (King James Version)

I got this book in January, after a snowstorm stranded my wife and I in Chicago for five days. Naturally, we did what any couple would do under the circumstances: we visited the Chicago branch of the Fe More...

34 comments like (34 people liked it)

Sep 20, 2010

Rasheed rated it:

The greatest enemy of liberty is the privately-owned central bank known as the U.S. Federal Reserve, the operations of which are shrouded in secrecy. When the Fed prints a new dollar, the value of each one in circulation goes down. The Fed shouldn’t be allowed to print money for the same reason you or I aren’t allowed to counterfeit.

The Tenth Amendment to the Unites States Constitution says that states aren’t allowed to declare as money whatever they want. Article 1, Section 10: “N More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 25, 2012

Ob-jonny rated it:

End The Fed lays forth a pretty convincing case that the Fed is the main cause of the boom/bust cycle in the American economy. I the repetitions of this boom bust cycle, the boom is inevitable smaller than the bust and the country is worse off in the long run. When the Fed prints money it reduces unemployment in an artificial way which can only be temporary. When money is injected into the system then new people are hired due to the temporary increase in demand. But the money eventually filt More...

0 comments like

Dec 23, 2011

Ed Wagemann rated it:

End The Fed by Ron Paul

I first developed an interest in politics after 9/11. Why on earth would someone hate America that much, I wondered? Who is al qaida? What the hell is their problem with us? So I began paying attention to politics, U.S. foreign affairs in particular. During the Bush/Cheney march to war in Iraq in 2002 I was tuned in and I watched in amazemenat as that administration fed the American public one line of bullshit after another. I mean I was all for getting r More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 09, 2011

Darryl rated it:

Never before have I read a book that starts out by stating, "Why you should care"; but that is exactly what Dr. Paul does with "END THE FED". He explains that the Federal Reserve has been given almost absolute power, unchecked of course, over the entire economy with little concern from Congress. Not only does Congress not care about the power of the Federal Reserve, they encourage the Fed to continue involving itself in the economy. "The Federal Reserve System must be ch More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 27, 2011

Bernie rated it:

I have a new respect for Ron Paul. He has done a lifetime of homework on this topic and obviously knows what he's talking about. Paul titles his book with a demand: End the Fed. By the end of the book you'll support that demand as he does a convincing job in showing that our nation's economic problems are magnified and often even brought on as a direct result of the actions of the Federal Reserve. Paul starts with a fundamental fact about the Federal Reserve, "After all is said and don More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2011

Derek rated it:

A very good read! This book should be read by of our congressmen and senators before they take office! Like Dr Ron Paul says conservatives, liberals, democrats, republicans, libertarians, socialists,........There is one thing we can agree on. The unchecked, unregulated, unsupervised, secretive operations by the FED needs more transparency. We have to demand H.R. 1207:Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009 sees a vote to ensure A full audit on the FED.
This book was not a "Conspiracy More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 10, 2010

getAbstract rated it:

getAbstract Book Review: End the Fed

Everybody cares about money, but do you really understand it? How much do you know about the Federal Reserve, the American institution that plays a profound but secretive role in steering the U.S. economy? Congressman and erstwhile presidential candidate Ron Paul believes that the Federal Reserve, not money, is the root of all evil. In his somewhat repetitious – and sometimes fearful – book, Paul holds the Fed responsible for wars, recessions, depr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 29, 2010

Abe rated it:

Ron Paul lays the ax at the root of the tree in this book by offering a very understandable explanation of how our increasing economic woes are chiefly attributable to two intertwined realities: the existence of the Federal Reserve and the corresponding system of perpetually debased fiat currency. To put it in even plainer terms, our problem is that our economy, for most of the last century, has been controlled by a giant, government-established and endorsed counterfeiting operation, one that is More...

0 comments like

Mar 04, 2010

Katie rated it:

Scary. China's inflation is the residual effect of our inflation; we are consumers to them; no longer are we producing--so what happens when China's bubble bursts (it will in six months to a year, maybe two, just as our housing bubble burst within six years of its making...we can't afford their commodities, and we are their strongest demand...ie look at all your kitchen product brand names. Consider China's population and tolitarian state. Consider its negotiations with the ME for a new currency More...

0 comments like

Feb 11, 2010

Mike rated it:

My definition of a heroic person has three parts. They must be:
1. A speaker of truth
2. One who speaks truth in the face of great opposition.
3. One who lives out the truth they speak.
By these criteria, Ron Paul has always been an heroic figure on the American political landscape. Variously claimed by conservatives, liberals, populists and Libertarians as their candidate, Ron Paul just calls things the way he sees them. Coupled with Peter Schiff and other members of the Aus More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 02, 2010

Alex rated it:

Although most of us are familiar with the Federal Reserve most of us don't think twice about how this organization operates or the ramifications of its policies on our economy. Did you know that the Federal Reserve is made of private banking institutions who benefit from inflation while US citizens pay the price in higher costs? Or were you aware that this quasi-governmental organization is not subject to the same audit requirements that normal governmental agencies are subject? The book includ More...

0 comments like

Dec 31, 2009

Desiree rated it:

A definite must read! Lots of scary stuff here about the US government's monetary policies. Once the US went off the gold standard, they were, and still are, free to print all the money they want. Therefore, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. A lot of the blame is placed on Greenspan who planted the seeds for our current financial calamity. Now that he is gone, we cannot continue to inflate our way out. Just as a disease can n More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 26, 2009

Mark rated it:

Let me preface my review by saying that this is my first introduction to Congressman Paul's written work, and so I must focus my observations on his conclusions to the scope of this book and its topic - the Federal Reserve, it's history, and the case for its disbandment.

Where this book succeeds is as an impassioned and very convincing elucidation on the fraudulent nature of the fiat capital system and the undeserving mystique that surrounds it. Paul's approach is direct and to the p More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 03, 2009

Dylan rated it:

This helped me understand the difference between fiat money and what Paul refers to as "sound" money. No doubt he's right that the Fed, like all powerful institutions, exists to concentrate its power further. The most interesting idea to me is that when the Fed creates money (i.e. inflates the dollar) the first receivers of the new money (banks, government agencies, corporations) can use it before it loses its value. By the time it reaches the last receivers (the average consumers) its More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 24, 2009

Ron rated it:

"His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"
(Nebuchadnezzar's confession Dan 4:22ff.)

Ron Paul's, "End the FED" serves as a grand demonstration of God's providence ordering all things that come to pass. He does not sta More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 17, 2009

Ryan rated it:

This latest book authored by Congressman Ron Paul is timely and important. Dr Paul lays out the economic catastrophe facing our nation. He ties the current fiasco to the Federal Reserve, our nation's central bank, and the powers it has assumed to regulate monetary policy through control of interest rates, reserve requirements, purchase of debt, and other maneuvers. He makes a strong case for not only auditing the Fed (through current legislation he has proposed in Congress) but also ending the i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 13, 2011

Clinton rated it:

End the Fed demands the abolishment of the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States; it is the exclusive lender of United States currency, and it is a public monopoly for creating money. Therefore, the Federal Reserve is a private bank but under the jurisdiction of the United States government.
The Federal Reserve was bestowed with great power under the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, and incrementally, the aggrandizement of this entity is ominously More...

0 comments like

Jan 25, 2010

Brett rated it:

This book was pretty interesting and opened up my eyes to some things I should probably be aware of. It also helped to boost my understanding of how the economy works, and how the federal reserve fits into that whole world. It was difficult for me to follow at times and I felt like he was saying the very same 3 or 4 things over and over again. Inflation is immoral. Inflation is robbing middle and poor Americans of Wealth. The fed uses inflation to fund wars and welfare. Gold is good. Okay More...

0 comments like

Oct 28, 2009

Brian rated it:

An excellent, thought-provoking--yet brief enough to read in a day or two (though some chapters you may want more time to ponder and research)--book.

I was attracted to Ron Paul via his campaign for president in 2008. I believe I had heard of him before, but he was never in the forefront so his voice was muffled by the noise of larger candidates.

Of all the candidates 2008 he seemed to be the most grounded, the most sound in his arguments, and the least likely to fling th More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2010

Howard rated it:

Pretty good polemic from a guy who has become the right-wing equivalent of Ralph Nader - an elderly radical who appeals to young voters looking for purity in politics and business. Not me, I'm a wizened old cynic. Paul is very good on the history and function of the Federal Reserve. He is excellent on the moral aspects of monetary policy, pointing out that the loose money policies favored by banks and big government is punishing towards the prudent and thrifty. And, Paul is absolutely right tha More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 31, 2009

Brent rated it:

Ron Paul's "End the Fed" is the clarion call for Americans to awake and realize how the federal government is destroying wealth and future prosperity through the inflationary policies of the Federal Reserve System.

Paul explains the history of America's central bank, how it was created to serve a select few in the banking sector, and how its power has constantly expanded to meddle with and manipulate the value of the dollar. Paul reveals that the Fed's monetary policy of si More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 28, 2009

Brian rated it:

This is probably the scariest book I've read in my life. The destructive nature of the FED is fully exposed in this book and you don't need to be an economist to understand it. Ron writes clearly and passionately, with his typical humorous and unassuming manner.

There are other great reviews on this book that get more in depth but what is so important to me about this book is it showed me my own errors in thinking that have caused a lot of havoc in my life, and the government lives by More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 25, 2010

Nick rated it:

I picked this book up because I know that it gives voice to feelings that a lot of Americans share, and I thought it would be worth trying to understand that movement.

When I started this book, I at least respected Ron Paul for being consistent--he not only opposes the Fed and other "liberal" government programs, but also conservative centerpieces like the invasion of Iraq. But as I read this book, one of the main things that jumped out at me was his inconsistency on econom More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 20, 2009

Robert rated it:

Absent any special knowledge of economics, one senses Paul is right about the Federal Reserve's responsibility for inflating the dollar and about its being virtually omnipotent with regard to American - and thus worldwide - monetary policy. He makes a compelling argument that the introduction of the Fed has led to more - not less - volatility (my word, not his). There are many along with Paul who blame the "bubbles" and "crashes" of the last twenty years on the Fed's pro-gro More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 02, 2011

Andrew rated it:

In my opinion this is a must read for any American remotely interested in understanding modern American history. The story of the last century is a story of the Federal Reserve and its repeated cause of boom and bust cycles through monetary policy. I must admit, I never knew just how much power existed within the manipulation of interest rates.

In 210 pages Paul takes us on a trip through the history of the Fed; his intellectual influences; the importance of having a gold standard and More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 17, 2009

Roberta rated it:

My hero, Ron Paul, explains why we need to end the Federal Reserve System. Not being a student of economics or politics, I really did not understand how the Federal Reserve works. I didn't know the difference between fiat money and commodity money. I didn't realize the power and the secrecy of the Fed. I didn't know that FDR had made it illegal for US citizens to own gold bullion coins and that that order wasn't revoked by Congress until 1975. This is scary stuff.

Much as I love More...

0 comments like

Dec 23, 2011

Reese rated it:

I began reading this book in a desparate effort to understand Ron Paul and why he's so popular. I can honestly say, I still have no idea why he's so popular. He makes a good case, at the very least, for how it's a Dual Relationship the Federal Reserve has with the Federal Government. Definitly a conflict of interest. He also makes a good point that when the Fed simply makes more money, inflation sky rockets, and somehow the Fed is left unaccountable. So, while he does make some great points More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 21, 2011

Muneel rated it:

Congressman Ron Paul makes a good argument against our current system of fractional reserve banking, money not backed by anything but trust, and an all too powerful Fed that seems to be autonomous. The Federal Reserve is a system that is designed to fail by it's very nature, and sooner or later it will. If you have ever done any research into the federal reserve, or are an economist, a lot of the information presented is review, and some of the conclusions seem outlandish. In the end, however, P More...

0 comments like

Nov 25, 2010

Jesse rated it:

If you're having difficulty understanding the reasons for the economic woes the USA has been experiencing lately, then you need to read this book.

The Fed, as instituted in the early 20th century, has enabled our government to vigorously expand to the point it has reached today. Though you may or may not agree with the long term sustainability of a fiat non-commodity paper money system, you should realize that we have, at the very least, reached an impasse. The free market is not to bla More...

0 comments like