Posted by
Dennis Smith on Monday, May 04, 2009 12:00:00 AM
FDR brought the unemployment rate down by 1938 but many argued on the kept he should have done more in fact he should have spent more on creating factory jobs and industry jobs.
The war forced him to implement programs of this type which did end unemployment.
He did not need the war to do this level America’s Military was in a shambles among other areas they he could have invested in Prior to the war but only did slightly the war forced him to go all the way..
Your guest argues the economy really did not pick up until after WW 11 when in his mind the free market took over and millions of men were not overseas So those low unemployment rates during war do not matter.
However he ignores the fact The G.I. Bill provided college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It also provided many different types of loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses. Since the original act, the term has come to include other veteran benefit programs created to assist veterans of subsequent wars as well as peacetime service.
Not only did Veterans away from home open the market FDR kept them strong when they got home with big Government programs…
They did not return home with Bonus denied like WW 1 veterans under Hoover but with support.
World War II veterans (51 percent) utilized these benefits…
By the time the original GI Bill ended in July 1956, 7.8 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program and 2.4 million veterans had home loans backed by VA. Today, the legacy of the original GI Bill lives on in the Montgomery GI Bill.
Academics and politicians credit the benefits offered by the bill with forestalling a widely feared post-World War II economic depression, expanding the home-owning middle class, and forever changing the nature of higher education in the United States
Not to mention FDIC-social security Etc stronger unions etc that lead to more security in the work place. You gust mentioned it could have been an option for businesses you mean like pensions are today? Do we need even to go into that?
So Big brother kept America working no way around it…
If you don’t believe so then you must think nothing would have been different if programs not in place? I have a hard time believing you think that way.
This support kept America educated working and growing….
1933 -24.9 1940-14.6
As the war begin Government got bigger Unemployment went way down-and solved problems and FDR made sure with other programs that it stayed that way after WW II
Or do you think the 7.5 million that utilized the GI Bill would have mad no difference?
Thanks
Dennis Smith