'FDR Goes to War' (Burton W. Folsom, Jr.)

http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=8724

Lots of books examine the military history of World War II. In this new book, Burt Folsom and Anita Folsom, authors of New Deal or Raw Deal?, look at some of the domestic aspects of the war. Taxes and spending soared — along with government propaganda for taxes — laying the groundwork for a permanently larger government. History books tell us the war ended the Depression. But the food rations, nonexistent luxuries, crippling taxes, labor strikes, and dangerous work of the time tell a different story — hardly the stuff of recovery. Indeed, the war ushered in a new level of power in the executive branch. Roosevelt seized private property, conducted illegal wiretaps, tried to silence domestic opposition, and interned 110,000 Japanese Americans.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• FDR
• Roosevelt
• The New Deal
• Burton Folsom
• Anita Folsom
• catoinstitutevideo

[aallppiinnee]

Before the outbreak of war, FDR admired the power and accomplishments of the European fascists.

[jakeyw11]

Just wonderful and engaging style! Cato always has content offering extremely good ideas and thoughtful research but this feels more like a story and less like a lecture.

[emp0rizzle]

@sexyloser1128 The failure wasn't the tax cut, it was the trillions in borrowed money that completely negate any benefit of the tax cut.

[juan563]

Rights just don't originate in government - privilege originates in government. Hence the source of fraud and corruption.

[sexyloser1128]

I'm just not sold about what the video said about tax cuts stimulating high economic growth. I feel the failure of the Bush tax cuts discredited that notion.

[666sigma]

@TheLegalImmigrant05

Now, how did that turn out for you?

[TheLegalImmigrant05]

@666sigma "You need skin in the game. You need 20% CASH down for a mortgage and any other financial transaction." Shouldn't this be up to the bank - who has skin in the game by virtue of the fact that the mortgage industry is purely private (at least it should be)? Why would you need a LAW backed up by GUNS for that? Let the lenders decide for themselves, but do not guarantee them any taxpayer-funded backstops.

[666sigma]

@TheKuffarKid

Why don't we allow the banks just to steal the money directly from the taxpayers when they make a bad loan? It's exact the same thing, man!!!

Now, instead of learning your lesson, you will claim that my example is a much more serious of a crime. But the fact is that 99.999% of all drunks don't kill or even hurt anyone. Yet, the banks hurt every citizen in the US and millions (if not billions) abroad. They gambled, lost and got the govt to steal money for them.

[TheKuffarKid]

@666sigma Well yeah man we'll just not make murder illegal either man it's exactly the same thing man!

[UTubekookdetector]

Not surprising, the NEA was pushing FDR to nationalize all kinds of industries to guarantee a certain standard-of-living during the Great Depression. Some things never change, the NEA is still pushing statism.