I did. In 1938, unemployment increased again. Why, when the government had solved the problem.
Just one item - the Smoot-Hawley tariff was a terrible mistake.
You are merely making my point. All these things did not affect the economic depression. They helped people to survive it a little better. As I also mentioned, FDR became an avuncular symbol of the US doing its best for its people. Events like packing the Supreme Court and suchlike were unimportant.
But, I can't remember anything he did that spurred us out of depression.
But, the parallel with now is clear. Neither then, or now, did the "experts" know what caused the depression (or recession) - 0r the booms that preceded them. So, as they don't know, can we blame them for not doing anything significant?
But his confident manner and Fireside Chats buoyed the spirits of the people and made him an electoral certainty. Rather as did Churchill in our dark days after Dunkirk, when we faced an apparently invincible Nazi army with one lone Canadian Armored Brigade
I liked FDR because he was obviously pro-British - or at least anti-Nazi - long before many of his confreres.
And he helped us.
But, he didn't do much of anything in finding the cause of depression and its cure.
If only he could have read my posts.
Harry
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Arthur wrote:
Harry, You say "Without doubt, government activities prolonged the depression". I say prove it.I think most people recognize the positive role of govt as seen with activities such as the CCC, the WPA. And more. Wonder why the people kept voting FDR into office? Maybe because, as the song says, "he was a friend of the working man." arthur -----Original Message----- From: Harry Pollard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 2:01 PM To: Cordell, Arthur: ECOM; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Producing starvation Arthur, Without doubt, government activities prolonged the depression. In fact during the thirties there was a slow decrease in US unemployment until 1937. In 1938, unemployment increased. The next year, fortunately for the US economy, the European war provided lots of business and things looked up. However, the downturn in employment (which was still high) seems to indicate that what they were doing wasn't working. Of course, they didn't have a clue what to do to handle the economy. This left them with a policy of what could be called "alleviation of effects" and as a consequence the growth of belief in a benevolent government that would help us out in times of pain. Harry ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Arthur wrote: >Keith said, > >Just as governments produce long and serious unemployment by interference >in things which oughtn't to concern them (as western governments did during >the 1930s), > >Arthur suggests, > >Are you serious about this? Government should have backed off during the >depresssion? Let banks fail? Let the market correct things? No matter how >long it takes?
****************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of LA Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: (818) 352-4141 Fax: (818) 353-2242 *******************************
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