And who was the guy who uttered the above? None other than good ole Ben Bernanke, the “financial guru” who was appointed as Federal Reserve Governor, which is the nation’s top moneyman.

Brilliant, Ben. Absolutely brilliant. How much are we paying this guy? The one who’s got the shovel and is furiously piling more and more doodoo onto our heads?

The thing that surprised me about this book, though, is that it was written well before our wild-eyed run down the current economic bobsled track we’re currently on began (you know, that stretch of twisting downhill, track where you see nothing but ice ahead).  Morris begins by giving us a good foundation on the basics of economics and leads us carefully through eight short chapters that lay the entire mess out in fairly easy to understand and comprehend language.

The first two chapters recreate the background and circumstances for the 2000s credit bubble. Chapter 3 recaps three critical developments in the 1980s and the 1990s which came together to create the “great credit bubble that is now imploding around us.” Chapter 4 gets a little complicated, with a rundown of numbers, the methods and mechanics of the credit bubble, and the roles that the nation’s money regulators play.

Chapter 5 summarizes how we’re knocking the puddin’ out of the dollar, the piles of money amassed by some of the world’s nefarious leaders, and how we’re now, ultimately, paying the piper, forced to sell off many of the things we, and in some cases our ancestors, have amassed, in order to pay off outstanding accounts. Chapter 6 is “The Great Unwinding,” where Morris brings the previous chapters all together, gives the hard numbers, and gives examples of future scenarios as to how this mess will eventually all play out.

The final two chapters are a wrap-up of some of the consequences of the crash, and some current theories on how we can get out of this mess with the least amount of gnashing of teeth. Regardless of the path our regulators and lawmakers and business choose, however, it’s all gonna be one very rough row to hoe.