In response to:
"We tried non-intervention during the Depression. It didn’t turn out well. But somehow a giant stimulus program of war spending somehow brought us back pretty quickly."
More Depression mythology. There was NO 'non-intervention' during the Depression. Hoover ramped up government spending and FDR took the ball and ran. Tugwell even admitted that FDR's plans were simply an extension of Hoover's policies. As for the myth of the "war ended the Depression", then I guess we should start another war so we can bomb our way to prosperity.
Every Thursday morning I go on the Jon Justice show in Southern Arizona. Today, I made a comment about the glorification of food stamps and apparently that sparked a deluge of calls like the one below in which the caller argues welfare stimulates the economy.
Considering Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi thinks the same way, I'm not surprised.
"It's the biggest bang for the buck."
http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj16n2-2.html
Maybe right before he left office, but that's simply not true. There are dozens of non-intervention quotes from Hoover talking about how the depression isn't as bad as people think, and they just need some entertainment or distractions until things got better (bread and circuses, anyone?)
But, revisionist history is the best kind, right guys?