Alyssa's Story

Picture this: America’s monetary system fails, plunging the nation into chaos. Who will survive? Will anarchy prevail?  This is the premise of Alyssa’s Story by Mort Stump, a farmer and teacher from Southeastern Pennsylvania German country. His roots are firmly embedded in his family, his heritage, the land and his faith. He has made it his mission to educate others about what the future might hold, and how to prepare to weather the storms that lie ahead, including those on the national level as well as those in the hearts of the individual. Welcome to Book Blather, Mort.

An Essay of Questions

Who really is Mort Stump? Sure, you probably just read Mort Stump’s short Biography, but does it really give you a feel on who he is? Is he a young aspiring author full of new ideas . . . or is he just an old coot languishing in the old days? Could he be described as progressive or regressive?

Does he really have vision, or is he merely a dreamer? Does he really love people, care for his country, and want to save both, or did he just write a book with no cause in mind? Was there a noble purpose in writing Alyssa’s Story, or did he just do it for fame and fortune?

Are the truths in his book really truths and the values he purports in the book actually values that are vital to a healthy society, or are they simply fictional musings? Will you just enjoy reading the tale, or will it make you think and ponder?

Could his characters be real, down-to-Earth people, or are they Hollywood-type, created for the movies superheroes and heroines? Did some of the events in Alyssa’s Story actually occur, or were they all manufactured in his imaginative mind?

But most importantly, will some of the events in the book eventually come to pass down the road, and will you then be prepared for the consequences? Need answers? You’ll have to read the story to find them.

Follow the fascinating adventures of Alyssa as she and her family meet the challenges produced by the devastating failure of the US dollar. Learn how they overcome the upheaval in their lives through their remarkable ingenuity, dedicated hard work, unbridled compassion for others, and enduring faith, enabling them to survive the most catastrophic regression in their nation’s history.        

Excerpt from Alyssa’s Story

“I was curious about something else,” Jeremiah said. “How did the idea of using coins as a medium of exchange catch on?”
“Money is only good if the users have faith in it,” Titus said. “I understand the dollar failed because China switched its debt over to Euros or something like that; I’m not exactly sure. Euros are paper money too, but people still have faith in it, so they work as an accepted medium of exchange. Maybe not in this country, but at least around the rest of the world they do. For decades, the dollar was backed by gold or silver, so the holders of dollars knew they could exchange dollars for something with a known, universal value. Ever since the US government abandoned the gold standard, that faith has been waning.
"On the other hand, coins have been used in exchange for goods for centuries. They have an intrinsic value. The metals in them were worth something even if the government that issued them went sour. Several of our brothers are in the wrecking/reclamation business. Last year when copper prices skyrocketed, they became aware that pennies have a value of their own, well above one cent, which is all any bank would give you for them. We all started saving them. Then last year the feds pointed out that it was illegal to melt down coins. So what? We were only saving them. Around Christmas I read that a penny was only 5% copper and the rest mostly zinc; burst that theory. However, a nickel was 75% copper. So we started saving them too. In fact, it was revealed that the government was spending 1.2 cents to make every penny and 7.9 cents to make a nickel. Then they sold them for only one cent and five cents respectively. Boy, was that bad business. Bottom line is – we have faith in the value of the metals in coins, even if the government issuing them is bankrupt. Metal is metal, coins are coins. We have faith in them, so we honor them. Seems to be working so far.”
“But how did you come up with the low prices for everything?” Lois asked.
“Accidentally, I guess,” Titus responded.
“Maybe not,” Aaron said. “Coinage has an absolute value. But what do you base it on? Because it takes so many pennies to buy a Euro, a barrel of oil, or an ounce of gold? What does that matter to us? The value that our coins have is relative. How many pennies it takes to buy a ton of hay, a bushel of corn, a flashlight, or a watermelon?”
“I know that one,” I declared, “five.”
“Yes, you’re right, little cousin,” Aaron continued. “Think how people that had tens of thousands of dollars in the bank, now have some metal half dollars and quarters in their pockets. And those who had a few hundred dollars, now have about the same.”
“The collapse was an equalizer,” Dad said. “Like Dr. Fleming and Harvey said earlier today: ‘everyone’s in the same boat’.”

“Isn’t that funny,” Josh remarked. “What the Communists in other countries and Socialists in this country were trying to do for years – make us all equal – was accomplished by our own federal government’s poor fiscal policy.”

To read reviews and learn more about Mort's book, follow this link:  http://amzn.com/B00X602TFK