The Eagle Has Crashed Paperback - 2011

From the publisher

As the economy chugs along in the spring of 2029, a welder in Columbus, Ohio loses his job along with dozens of coworkers. A Columbus-based airline unexpectedly files for bankruptcy protection. Across the nation unemployment jumps and economic growth mysteriously slows. Policymakers in Washington think it s just a blip. Even though the blip causes revenues to decline pushing dangerously high national debt even higher they do nothing, thinking that the economy will bounce back in a month or two. They couldn t have been more wrong. The Eagle Has Crashed is the story of the day when America s national debt leads to an economic collapse, and the anger that erupts at policy makers for causing a disaster. Most of The Eagle Has Crashed takes place in central Ohio, and it documents the differing reactions of ordinary Americans to a government-induced calamity. As the economic meltdown caused by excessive federal debt worsens, it brings out the best and worst in ordinary Ohioans and Americans across the land. What people are saying about The Eagle Has Crashed: The Eagle Has Crashed is a compelling novel! Ted Lacksonen s fictional account of a gigantic debt crisis in America has many teaching moments for all Americans. It will leave you pondering what you can do to help fix our current mess. Steve Laffey, author of Primary Mistake and producer of the documentary Fixing America Ted Lacksonen s scenario of a bleak US economic future is based on quite conventional forecasts. If anything, I would say Lacksonen is too optimistic in his projections. Economist Dr. Robert P. Murphy The Eagle Has Crashed is the provocative title of Ted Lacksonen s first novel. Known as The Country Thinker on the Internet, Mr. Lacksonen has written a tale of what may be in store for this country if we don t sober up and start walking the straight and narrow. His main concern is our mounting debt and how that could destroy our financial future and, through a chain reaction, tear our nation apart. The near-future story follows the fortunes of many different people as a time of tribulations begins. Though a few high ranking officials do play a role, including the President of the United States, most of the characters are ordinary citizens in central Ohio, where Mr. Lacksonen lives. When the economy begins to crack, a series of mishaps, tragedies and catastrophes like a crescendo of disaster wracks the country. People become desperate and respond according to their nature, some digging in to take care of themselves, others making sacrifices for what they see as the good of the country... The best aspect of the book is the methodical, measured way in which Lacksonen portrays the unraveling of a nation, with a focus on a few representative stories. Of particular interest are the many tentacles of government shown to squeeze hapless small folk who, in trying to wriggle free of one abuse, find themselves ensnared by a dozen others The Eagle Has Crashed is a book for right now, for the times we are going through and for the dangers we face ahead. Economist Robert Murphy took a look at Lacksonen s economic models and pronounced them a bit on the optimistic side. Things could conceivably wind up worse. It is nice to see all the dry data from the dismal science get turned into a living story, so people can see what the real world effects of those soulless numbers actually are. Matthew Alexander, Prometheus Book Review