I want to understand the world economy. I want to understand the United States economy. I think it’s really important to understand why we’re in the global economic crisis we’re in, how it affects the U.S., and our role in the debacle. The problem is that trying to learn what I want to know from the typical resources is akin to eating sawdust or yanking my teeth out very slowly and with a rusted pair of pliers. Ouch!

This is where NPR’s Planet Money podcast comes in.

First off, let me say that I’m not a raving fan of NPR. I mean, I appreciate the effort they put into their news and weekend programming but idealogically I differ in some key areas. I’m only telling you this so you don’t think I’m some sort of shill for NPR. But this program, Planet Money, is excellent for us non-uber-economist types.

With Adam Davidson at the helm the Planet Money team tells the “story” of our economies in an engaging, entertaining and easy to understand way. They use clever auditory props that simplify convoluted topics like Credit Default Swaps and Credit Default Obligations, how the central bankers spend the world’s savings, and what the current banking crisis means to the little guys like you and me. Before long you’ll have an amazingly informed view of how and why we’re in our current situation and what the result of our government’s economic machinations may produce.

So don’t walk, don’t mosey, RUN to Planet Money’s website and/or podcast page in your itunes application on your computer. Then come back here and tell me what you think.

Planet Money Podcast

You can also listen on page at the Planet Money website