We're Still Bickering Over Minimum Definition Of 'Broadband' > Do nothing Congress

said by nasadude:

got any links or citations to back up that claim about taxing the rich not raising revenue? that statement appears ludicrous on it's face.

said by nasadude:

Obviously, Bush's tax cuts were great for the economy as we can see by the wonderful prosperity and happiness all around us today.

said by nasadude:

with regard to your comments on FDR's policies, you are doing nothing more than parroting right wing talking points.

said by pnh102:

Which happen to be 100% true. Go back and read up on your history if you are still not convinced.

said by pnh102:

You do know that the Great Depression did not end until we got into World War 2, right? Just as a refresher on your history, that did not happen until the end of 1941. If FDR's programs had worked, the Depression would have ended far sooner than that.

President Herbert Hoover, a Republican and former Commerce secretary, believed the government should monitor the economy and encourage counter-cyclical spending to ease downturns, but not directly intervene. As the jobless population grew, he resisted calls from Congress, governors, and mayors to combat unemployment by financing public service jobs. He encouraged the creation of such jobs, but said it was up to state and local governments to pay for them. He also believed that relieving the suffering of the unemployed was solely up to local governments and private charities.

By 1932 the unemployment rate had soared past 20 percent. Thousands of banks and businesses had failed. Millions were homeless.

Roosevelt later created a large-scale temporary jobs program during the winter of 1933–34. The Civil Works Administration employed more than four million men and women at jobs from building and repairing roads and bridges, parks, playgrounds and public buildings to creating art. Unemployment, however, persisted at high levels. That led the administration to create a permanent jobs program, the Works Progress Administration. The W.P.A. began in 1935 and would last until 1943, employing 8.5 million people and spending $11 billion as it transformed the national infrastructure, made clothing for the poor, and created landmark programs in art, music, theater and writing.

Roosevelt’s efforts to assert government control over the economy were frustrated by Supreme Court rulings that overturned key pieces of legislation. In response, Roosevelt made the misstep of trying to “pack” the Supreme Court with additional justices. Congress rejected this 1937 proposal and turned against further New Deal measures, but not before the Social Security Act creating old-age pensions went into effect.

Brightening economic prospects were dashed in 1937 by a deep recession that lasted from that fall through most of 1938. The new downturn rolled back gains in industrial production and employment, prolonged the Depression and caused Roosevelt to increase the work relief rolls of the W.P.A. to their highest level ever.